Lets see:
Got caught out in several thunderstorms on Seneca Lake in a ComPac 16.
Had to retrieve a Nimble 20 from a municipal marina against wind and currents to a ramp five miles away in a blizzard over an Easter Break on the Choptank River in Maryland (nothing like retrieving a boat and undoing turnbuckle snap rings with wet, cold hands!).
Got hit with a line squall in the same Nimble 20 that 360° flipped a Bayfield 25 twice that was near us. He was de-sailed but not dismasted. Same storm took out 150 years old oaks and a Quonset airplane hanger, destroying two old biplanes. I saw it coming across the lake and threw out the Bruce and 150 ft of rode and dropped main and jib and tightened the mizzen. It was a five foot wall that hit us and we dragged the Bruce about 400 yards until it caught again. Then the wind stopped. Local airport reported it at 75 mph.
Got caught out (first time) in that Nimble 20 one of our first trips out. Thunderstorm came in and we opted to drop sails and motor in. When pulling the outboard rode there was a lightning strike up the lake and I got knocked on my arse with a shock. The wind hit, hail hit. I motored with bare poles (THE ADMIRAL and guest had gone below) for several minutes before I realized I was in neutral! I hadn't done much motoring prior to that
(Our ComPac 16 had an electric trolling motor).
Was sailing a Gloucester 11 on what was one of those sunny "last chance" days around Halloween and we gaught caught by a gust and knocked over. The boat turtled and the mast stuck on the bottom. We're both in jeans and hooded sweatshirts. I came up under the boat and unhooked the jib and mainsheet and pushed the board up into the trunk and locked it. When I popped up I couldn't find THE ADMIRAL. Swam around the boat, then went under to look. She had been concerned as I was not knowing I was uncleating the lines.
Used up a bunch of strength leveraging the mast out of the muck atanding on the hull and leaning my weight out on the board. Big brown geyser when it did pop up and the goop came down the mast and sprayed at the mast hinge. I barely was able to roll back aboard and, try awe both could, I was done and just couldn't get her aboard. We were near hypothermia at that point. I managed to sail to shore under jib dragging her by the hood with her arm and leg up over the gunnel. We were spent puppies when we hit land.
In a Sunfish we were sailing along and smacked a submerged stump. Threw me forward and my right pinky jammed in the cleat and I flipped over the board and landed on my back with my arm over the cockpit and my pinky having done a 360°. Looked like a hot dog for a month or so.
One of the most interesting was on our Pearson 27. I was motoring out the channel and onto Cayuga Lake (35 mi x 5 mi x 600 ft deep) and just before we started to raise the sails the engine started to sound odd. I throttles down and asked THE ADMIRAL to tale the wheel and opened the engine access panel. Water like a fire hydrant came squirting up. "HEAD FOR SHORE" I yelled up to her and When she throttles up it got worse! Hmmmmm. Turns out the hose for the engine coolant had come lose from a guide and lay across the shaft coupling. It sawed through. The engine driven water pumpo was pushing however many GPM through the 1" line and spraying off all the moving parts on the engine. So I killed the engine (Ooops - should have told THE ADMIRAL I was about to) and it went to a small garden-hose type spray. Closed the through hull and sailed back in under jib. THAT was a panic when I opened the panel and it seemed like the whole lake was coming in.
And hundreds of those little panic events that make sailing what it is. Dismastings, cleat explosions, groundings, boom smacks, parted halyards. A little adrenaline is good for a body.
That capsize with the Glouster was the only time we've ever had to swim. Have had some wild broaches (had a Thistle 17 and that boat was ALWAYS on the verge of disaster - what a hoot!), some surely close calls. That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
