Bareboat charter in Maine with a couple we have sailed with many times. We were joined by two other boats. Maine has three hazards; lobster traps, fog and rocks. I took an introductory RADAR class on San Francisco Bay in anticipation of having to use it in the summer fog of Maine. When we boarded our boat, the dock hand told us to treat it well as they had just put about $20K into repairing the bottom and keel. All was going well for several days and we had some beautiful sailing in a gorgeous area. Lobsters could be bought for $5.00 each at marinas and cooked on your boat. One day I asked the male member of our sailing crew if he would like to do the navigation for the day to give him more experience. He agreed and set about reading the chart and putting waypoints into a handheld GPS. Where we were the weather was settled, but with intermittent fog rolling through.

The two other boats decided to visit a local boat building museum in which we were not interested, so we decided to meet them at our next anchorage. The fog wasn't too thick so I decided to shove off. We were motoring following the GPS waypoints and using the RADAR when the fog got very thick. We slowed the boat to about 3 kts. while dutifully following the GPS. We hear the faint sound of a bell then BANG!!! The boat came to a full stop within about 5 feet - we had grounded! The force of the quick stop threw some of the crew around. I was below and I thought we were going to sink for sure. We could see a day marker on a cliff nearby. My panic got me on the VHF to call in a "May Day" although I could not see any water coming into the boat. The Coast Guard answered back within seconds and asked about our situation and position. I explained and gave them our Lat/Lon. We were not stuck, so I maneuvered the boat into clearer water and orbited around a buoy that appeared out of the fog while the CG sent a boat to check on us.

While this was going on, our companions on the other two boats where returning to their boats after the museum tour and heard the VHF traffic using our boat name. They got going and started to motor to our position. One of the boats had a chart plotter. It took our companions about fifteen minutes to get to us. We told the CG that we would now travel together to our next anchorage following the boat with the chart plotter. The CG checked in with us via cell phone every fifteen minutes until we were safely at anchorage. I had the duty to radio our charter base to tell them what happened. The wanted us back the next morning to check the boat as it was to be chartered the next day. We motored in company back to the base where a diver was waiting for us. He reported that the keel was banged up, but without serious damage. The hull behind the mast step was pushed up a bit, however, but not leaking. We had left them a $750.00 cash damage deposit and we were certain we would never see that money again. The charter company said they would make the repairs and send us any deposit funds that were unused.

What we learned:
1. Always double check waypoint data. It turned out that my crew had entered the exact position of the rock and we motored right to it.
2. Always put a course line on the paper chart. Had we done this, the error in 1 would have been discovered.
3. As skipper, I was responsible for 1 and 2 above but did not do it.
4. Without water coming into the boat, I should have called a "Pan-Pan" instead of "May Day".
5. When there is an accident where people are frightened, expect them to not follow commands. The other couple had blank looks on their faces and were non-responsive.
6. A chart plotter is a very valuable piece of navigation equipment.

How did it end? About a month after our charter end, I received a check for $350.00 from the charter company - UNBELIEVABLE! The charter company was very honest.