With one foot on the beach and a fresh breeze in her sails, our old yacht seemed to come alive as we raced along the Panamanian coast. It was the perfect first sail of the season.

We’d left Marina Vista Mar and Rachel and I were ecstatic to finally be sailing Agápe south once more. As we pinched every last mile we could out of the dwindling wind and light, we made our way past the first of the Perlas Islands and into the shallow waters of the archipelago.

Dropping the sails, we fired up our trusty diesel, and prepared to make our way around the Isla Viveros. Rounding this island from the west takes you through a narrow and shallow channel between its northern point and the south side of Isla Mina.

We thought about anchoring in a closer bay as both tide and sun were dropping, but plans to drop the hook in the company of our friends on the other side prevailed. Double-checking the charts revealed that at low tide there’d be only 3m of depth, but since the tidal range here can be over 5m and the low was still an hour away, I thought we’d have enough water to glide through the channel and make the anchorage in time for sundowners.

We should have read the guidebook a little more closely and heeded the advice: “Existing charts of the Perlas are very inaccurate. The rocks here are hard, not soft corals, and have taken bites out of more than one yacht.”

Chart inaccuracies

As we entered the channel I was focused on the marked dangers on our charts and Rachel was standing at the bow, watching for uncharted rocks through the green water and failing light. I was so focused on the charts and depth sounder that it took me a minute to realise we’d entered quite a current pulling us into the channel. Agápe was making 6-plus knots when I wanted to travel at a safer 3 knots in the shallows.

No sooner had I realised this but, in horror, I watched as our depth sounder jumped from the expected 10, 9, 8 to 3, 2. Then Rachel yelled from the bow: “ROCKS!” Instantly, I threw Agápe into reverse and asked for all our old engine could give.

It wasn’t enough. Agápe’s more than 15 tons of mass came to a violent and absolute stop. Rachel was thrown from beside the furler into – and very nearly through – the stainless steel bow pulpit. Agápe’s rig shook violently, her furled headsail swaying wildly, the engine was screaming in reverse, and, worst of all, Rachel was half-on, half-off the bow, clinging to the lifelines.

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The engine was no match for the current, and we were dragged over two large rocks that jutted into the channel. Our home was laid hard on her side as the keel ground across the top of one rock after another. I was still asking all I could from our engine, with the wheel hard over to port, fighting to keep the rudder off the rocks and in deeper water.

After the second rock passed under, Agápe righted herself. I yelled at Rachel to get back into the cockpit, not caring about having a lookout – more concerned with keeping her safe and on board while we headed into the deeper water.

As soon as we felt ‘safe’ we did a check of the bilge, pulling up the floorboards to make sure there was no water coming into the boat. With the bilge still dry and the helm feeling responsive, we decided to drop anchor and jump into the water to assess the damage.

At this point, Rachel was crying and shaking uncontrollably, fear and adrenaline coursing through her. I was disguising my fear by letting a nearly non-stop string of profanities pour from my mouth. After taking a minute to catch our breath, I grabbed my snorkel mask and, because the current was still so strong, grabbed a line to make fast to the bow, and used this to hold on to while I dove to inspect the bottom.

Surprisingly, the damage wasn’t that bad. From what I could tell it was contained to the keel. We’d lost a good chunk out of the leading and trailing edges, with deep scratches down the side and a couple of gouges out of the bottom. But the hull and rudder managed to remain untouched.

We decided to move the last mile into the anchorage. To add insult to injury – or more likely because I was still shaking with adrenaline and my brain wasn’t functioning – moments after raising the anchor, the engine came to a sudden stop and stalled: I’d forgotten the line at the bow and it had wrapped around the propeller.

I cursed myself as I recalled reaching into the lazarette and grabbing the first line to hand – one of our new spinnaker sheets, our most expensive lines. After dropping the hook again, getting back into the water and cutting our prop free, we finally limped into the anchorage, where we could contemplate our self-inflicted misfortune.

We did learn a couple of things: rocks are hard; and even though we’d checked the tides, we chose to go anyway – a big mistake! Instead of being in a hurry to meet friends, we could have met them later and traversed the shallows at high tide.

Also, if you have a person at the bow looking for the worst, expect and prepare for the worst. Wear a PFD and tether. I don’t want to think what would have happened if Rachel had gone overboard and been swept away from the boat.

Agápe’s overlaid glassfibre, integral keel, and overall robust construction come at a cost. We won’t win any races, but where many boats would have lost their keel, Agápe kept us safe and took the hit like a heavyweight boxer!

Checks and repairs

Luckily for us, a yard in Panama City had space to haul us out a few days later. We started a top-to-bottom, bow-to-stern rigging, bulkhead, and structural inspection. A hit that hard puts a tremendous amount of force on every part of the boat. We needed to make sure we found any damage and repaired it while on the hard before entrusting our lives to Agápe to cross the Pacific.

I meticulously scoured the bilge, inspecting all the bulkheads and tankage, looking for any cracked tabbing or broken stringers. Then I began an in-depth rig inspection, something we’d have done before our Pacific crossing anyway.

Starting at the masthead, I polished all the tangs and swages to make any stress cracks more visible, working my way down to the deck. Then, one by one, I marked, slackened, lubed, and then re-tightened each turnbuckle to ensure no threads were damaged. Finally, it was time to inspect the chainplates and knees (the structural sections that spread the load from the chainplates to the hull). Except for the battering to the keel, Agápe showed no signs of damage – amazing considering the loads absorbed.

It took four 12-hour days of grinding, sanding, glassing, and fairing Agápe’s keel before she was ready to paint.

Rachel and I had gained a newfound caution in shallow waters and strong currents. We also learned our lesson, again, not to rush. If the tide, current, or weather isn’t in your favour, then just wait. As cruisers, we have plenty of time – we might as well take advantage of it.

What to do if grounded

Running aground is a situation we all hope to avoid, but it happens and we should be prepared to deal with it. Whether due to navigational error, shifting sandbars, or unexpected underwater hazards, finding yourself aground is a nerve-racking situation. Time can be crucial, and how you respond in the first few moments can make all the difference.

Safety first – Any time a vessel is grounded, the first and primary concern should be the safety of the crew. This might be to the detriment of the vessel, but no boat is worth loss of life or injury. Check no one is hurt, and if the vessel is taking on water or in immediate danger, don PFDs and call for immediate assistance.

Assess the situation – The first few moments of a grounding can be critical. If you’ve hit a sandbar, for example, quickly motoring full astern with weight on the rail might be enough to get off. Captain CJ Coetzee, who heads up a marine charity in the South Pacific and has experience of skippering large sailing yachts in the uncharted waters of the area, advises: “If you cannot immediately get free, then timing and assessment become the next two important factors.”

What is the tide doing, and how will it affect the situation? “Knowing what the tide is doing will give you a pretty good indication if your day is going to get better or worse,” adds Coetzee.

If you’ve not already done so, call for assistance. Extra manpower, spare lines or anchors, and a few powerful tenders can make a world of difference.

Self-rescue – If your boat appears undamaged and conditions are safe, you can try to free it yourself. Methods will depend on how and where you’ve run aground.

If you’ve grounded on sand or mud and are not stuck hard, you might be able to back out. Shift weight to one side of the boat. If the boat is already listing to one side, move weight to the low side. Try reversing off while keeping the rudder straight. If possible, have the crew rock the boat side-to-side to try to break free.

Induce heel to reduce draught by attaching heavy items to the boom, like jerry cans or a tender, and swing it outboard to try and heel as much as possible. This will shallow the vessel and might be enough to break free.

If possible, keep the engine powering astern to prevent the boat from being pushed further into the shallows. Remember, though, that many engines can be damaged if the angle of heel is too great.

Wait for the tide (or help) – If you are unable to get free in the first few minutes, you might need to wait for the tide or help to arrive. Deploying a kedge anchor or anchors in the direction of deeper water will keep the vessel from being pushed further into the shallows.

By using a tender, an assisting boat, or even walking if shallow enough, place these anchors as far out as possible and use cockpit winches to tighten them. Remember to continue to tighten them as the boat rocks, taking up any slack to continue to pressure the vessel into deeper water.

If possible, remove excess weight to help lighten the boat. Offloading fuel, water, or heavy gear may be enough to get re-floated.

If it is a serious grounding – as in the accompanying photos of ProfAsea – self-rescue is highly unlikely. Proceed with the steps above: call for assistance, stabilise, assess.

In the case of ProfAsea, the yacht broke free of a mooring and was washed over and through a coral reef, luckily coming to rest on the only sandy spot nearby. When we arrived on scene large wind-driven waves were battering the yacht, threatening to push it farther up the beach.

Several anchors were deployed to stabilise the boat and prevent it from being washed further up the sand. While waiting for calmer conditions and the following high tide to attempt salvage, we removed as much heavy gear as possible, enlisting the help of both the cruising and local community. As the tide rose, we continuously tightened the various anchor lines and used sheer manpower to inch the boat free.

Once afloat

Once you manage to free the vessel and get back to deep water, inspect bilges, rudder, and engine to verify that the vessel is fit to continue under her own power. Immediately head to the closest marina or haul-out facility to have the vessel inspected and repaired.

If the vessel is taking on water the recovery plan changes. Then, trying to get the boat to deeper water only risks the vessel sinking. If you are unable to stem the flow of water into the boat then a professional savage company might be your only good option. These companies will have buoyancy bags to float the boat long enough to get it to a haul-out facility.

Running aground can be frustrating and embarrassing, but keeping a level head and taking the right steps can make the difference between inconvenience and disaster.

If you regularly cruise in poorly charted or constantly changing areas, have a plan and the right equipment onboard.

Even the most experienced sailors run aground, but it is how you approach the situation that dictates the outcome.

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