boatmike
regular
Reged: 30/06/2002
Posts: 4518
Loc: Solent
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In fact, the only charts you have on board are in your plotter
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Then die..... You deserve your fate.
But as you would seem to be trying to kill your crew as well, you could disconnect your charging line from your alternator, switch off your batteries, and go on pilotage. If you still have Mk1 eyeball and have not gone blind as well as stupid you should get into St Peter Port in daylight. If you miss it you will be out of the other side of the Russell and in safe water. But even suggesting that you would be anywhere without a paper chart of the area is completely barking.
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bendyone
regular
Reged: 19/01/2003
Posts: 1394
Loc: Calais
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If no signs of fire, keep the engine running, sounds like the alternator has cooked the electrics so turn the main battery switch off, you will not cause any more damage to the alt. but it will kill all the other circuits to stop any fire risk.
The Little Russell is wide, well marked with bouys and safe and providing you keep away from the rocks.
Use your paper charts and compass to nav into ST Peter Port.
If you dont have charts on board you shouldn't bee there so let off a flare and hope that help arrives.
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www.suzannah.eu
www.sailroom.co.uk
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jordanbasset
regular
Reged: 31/12/2007
Posts: 240
Loc: Shropshire
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In addition to the other useful contributions made, charts etc would also have hand held battery operated GPS - most skippers I have sailed with who have wired in chart ploters seem to carry a spare hand held GPS as standard. Although I did sail with one purist who had no electronic aids of any sort and felt very safe with him
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"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza."
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Flipper_K6354
regular
Reged: 20/09/2001
Posts: 1646
Loc: Boat in Brightlingsea, Essex. ...
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A couple of years ago I had a similar situation. Singlehanded in Dover Straits, top of F5, furled genoa and 2 slabs in main on the wind. Went below to fill in log and noticed smell and bit of smoke.
Had been shipping a bit of water in confused sea and auto bilge pump had overheated and wires fused together. Disconnected wires - well ripped them out actually! but damage to battery done. Didn't want to risk other battery so using pre planned route which I had written out & put in a plastic wallet and handheld GPS I hand steered rest of way.
Goes back to training / experience really. 6Ps. Prior preparation prevents pi$$ poor performance. To top it all I was given a bottle of Champagne on arrival by our French host for either bravery / stupidity - I can't decide which!
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halcyon
regular
Reged: 20/04/2002
Posts: 2824
Loc: Cornwall
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Never understand why people spend all the money on fancy chart plotters, and do not have dual power supply to them. The plotter is then powered of the battery that has the higher voltage, loose one battery, maintain power from the other.
Brian
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Kddpowercentre designers and purveyors of fine charging systems for 30 years.
Powercentre spares and help line
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Robin
regular
Reged: 30/05/2001
Posts: 5464
Loc: Poole UK
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I would be thinking how glad I was that we have three separate battery banks fed from two separate alternators and that our 3 standalone plotters (four if you count the Yeoman paper chart one) all run from different battery banks. I might also be glad that our two separate alternators each have their own easily accessible Adverc smart regulator which if it fails can be simply unplugged leaving the alternator running on it's own internal regulator.
I would also be glad that we have an excellent sailing boat that will move very well in the lightest of airs and even in still air there will be some apparent wind from the tide. I might also be glad that we have 200ft of chain on our anchor with another 200ft of warp ready to add to it.
Then of course I would be very glad of the Bloc Marine Votre Livre De Bord Almanac bought every year in France that contains all the tidal charts plus comprehensive colour coastal charts of the area, even last years will do for this. I would also be glad that I had one boring winter printed out little A4 charts of the Little Russell (and other often used CI routes not to mention others like Chenal Du Four, Raz De Sein) from my C-Map Plotter using PC Planner on the laptop and encapsulated them for cockpit crib sheets.
There is too the handheld VHF, not to call for assistance but to use to ask St Peter Port Radio and CROSSMA Joburg for VHF bearings that we could plot on the charts (albeit oldish but this is rocks not shifty sands territory) that are still carried or even on the charts in the French Almanac. I might also try the Lokata RDF which is still carried and see if Alderney Aero and Cherbourg Aero beacons are still on the air (memo to self now to check!). The old copies of Channel Islands pilots might be very useful too as the transits don't change and are far more use than the compass.
But then I'm a smug old git and sailed in these waters for years long before Decca and GPS let alone Radar was in yottie use.
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 Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!
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Lemain
regular
Reged: 31/01/2004
Posts: 5973
Loc: Fiumicino canal (Rome, Italy)
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Quote:
But even suggesting that you would be anywhere without a paper chart of the area is completely barking.
That's the question, isn't it? Either you carry charts or you don't. I do, but many here say that they don't and I got to wondering how they would cope under these hypothetical (but credible) circumstances.
So far, all posters say they carry charts so we haven't heard yet from anyone who is paper-free.
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My daily blog on the current financial crisis is at:- http://davidscompass.blogspot.com No PMs for now ybw1.20.lemain@spamgourmet.com
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Fireball
regular
Reged: 15/11/2004
Posts: 7849
Loc: Chichester
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We spend all this money on fancy chart plotters - but then have the paper charts available with HH compass to help.
If the scenario happened to me (forgetting the fact that I'd have the paper charts too - and a laminated photocopy of the last bit to have on deck) then I'd be looking to get into StPP.
First off - as suggested above - if there is no fire then don't turn off the engine - Our battery banks are fed by a split diode and it would be a case of isolating the batteries directly from the terminal - however just turning off the master switches would be a start.
Out would come the HH VHF, HH GPS and I'd ensure the flarepack was ready. Once a safe course was ascertained then assuming my crew was not capable of steering a suitable course then I'd have to steer and they'd be getting out the multimeter to see if the batteries were cooked or not. If they were not cooked then I'd jury rig up a connection to the domestic switch to get power back on.
Depending on conditions and other traffic around, options could be - find another vessel heading the same way, approach and ask them where they are heading and see if I could closely follow - radio the CG (not a mayday or a panpan unless I was about to hit the rocks with nothing I could do about it) and inform them of my situation - they may be able to guide us in using their radar.
If the electrics are actually on fire then I still don't think I'd kill the engine (drop it to idle or lowest possible revs whilst maintaining safe course) - I'd use a fire extinguisher on the fire first and then consider how to disconnect the alternator (assuming it is that that is causing the fire) - probably with an extension bar through the belt to flip it off the pulley - but that would be last resort and standing WELL back!!
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scarlett
regular
Reged: 21/12/2002
Posts: 1099
Loc: French Canals 2007 on, Hull mo...
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When I was new to cruising I did have a similar fire on a Mirror Offshore. The Dynastart relay failed to switch the starter off and the engine was turning over whilst I was sailing. Unbeknown to me there were some added wires on the engine which acted as the return from the starter rather than the starter bracket.
I turned all power off and the fire went out after five minutes but single handed without help from an autopilot or starter I was unable to avoid running aground. I had been tacking between an island and the shore on the Humber. The Mirror Offshore is not noted for its windward ability unless you are motoring!
I threw an anchor out and walked ashore coming back later for a tow to my berth.
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DogWatch
regular
Reged: 10/09/2004
Posts: 9345
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I would switch everything over to my port engine and battery bank and isolate the starboard battery.
sorry.
Something similar did happen and I came home on the other engine system, the terminal to the starter motor snapped and moved enough to weld itself to the starter casing. Oh that was a fun day 
My system, though frowned on by the likes of mr sterling, "no-one does it like dat son!, youse need to combine everything and make it a system", got us home with little more than a glitch.
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