Seriously? On every charter I have been on, there are several bungs of different sizes in the tool box or in a bag somewhere around the nav. table. They were also pointed out to me by "most" of the briefers, and if not, I asked.

It's one of the reasons I love to do a sleep aboard, I discover all the places where they go, if they aren't nice enough to provide me with a diagram (as I have found on a few boats)!

sailn, I wasn't where you were, but from what you wrote here, I think I would have done things a little differently.It sounds like you were waiting to be saved, instead of finding where the leak was yourself, if so I have to agree with Rhans, you shouldn't have chartered in the Grenadines - my charter contract clearly stated that I had to be ready to do small repairs underway or go to where the charter company required to get something fixed if possible.

Finding the leak should have been the 4th thing you did - 1-don life jackets, 2-call for help on the VHF, 3-get the dinghy/grab bag/passports ready to abandon ship if necessary, and then 4-try to discover where the leak is - what's the use of bailing with pots and pans if you don't try to find out where the water is coming from? Of course, moot point without a bung? No way - twisted up paper towels, a cork wrapped in a towel, whatever it takes to staunch the flow would have been better than nothing!

Sorry if I sound like a know-it-all, as I know that I am far from an experienced sailor, but from what you wrote, most of what you went through could have been avoided or at least minimized by the time the mechanic came aboard.

Maybe we don't have the full story, or all the background, if so, would love to hear it over a drink in the ilons sometime. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />