In 30 years of boating along the west coast of Wales in the United Kingdom, Steven Copeland had never experienced a serious incident and certainly not one that involved a Coast Guard intervention. But, there is always a first time.
After a year of refitting his new-to-him Westerly Fulmar Cathy C, Steven and his wife decided to forgo another day of boat work to simply go out for a day sail along the coast. The wind was boisterous but not unmanageable with reefs in the mainsail and jib. The Cathy C was behaving just as she should.
But, that afternoon, as they approached the jetty leading into the marina with sails furled, the engine quit. The waves were a meter in height, close together and rolling them steadily sideways toward the beach. Steven tried to drop the anchor but the windlass wasn’t working and soon their twin keels were bumping on the sand. They quickly called a Mayday.
Eventually, Cathy C made it back her marina berth with her shaken crew in more or less one piece and many lessons learned.
