Grounded! 5 Tips to Help When You Run Aground
I was once told by an old salt that you can't really claim to have any gunkhole experience until you've run your sailboat aground. I'm not sure I agree with his statement, but it did force me to think about my course of action if I ever do run aground. Photo Credit: Jeff Chew / AP Depending on where you sail, running aground can be the result of several mostly avoidable circumstances. First and foremost, it is imperative to know the accurate draft of your vessel, even under different crew and cargo situations. Secondly, you need to know as much as you can about the water you're sailing in. That means having some combination of a reliable depth sounder, quality charts, local knowledge (tides, currents, etc.), and experience. However, even the best and most prepared captains can make mistakes. Running aground can be embarrassing at the least and downright dangerous to boat and crew at the worst. If you do run aground, remain calm...