Coincidentally, had the same experience a couple of days ago. What with opaque, muddy water and not having the sounder on, I ran onto a mud bank on a lee shore. By the time the outboard started churning mud it was too late. Tried to pole off with my SUP paddle but all the gain from one push was lost before I could push again. Like you, I started to consider kedging before I realised I’d overlooked the bleeding obvious . After a brief aversion to muddy legs and stingrays, I was rapidly free and in deeper water again.
The option not mentioned is to simply raise the centerboard until the boat floats free. If the water you were aground in was waist-deep, and a brief shove freed her, it would only take raising the centerboard a foot or so (ditto the rudder). Even if you were sailing free before going aground, you would probably still have enough lateral resistance for a decent pointing angle to claw away from the shallows. This one of the main value-adds of a centerboard or swing keel. No need for a swim!
I love how a docking mistake that could mean tens of thousands of dollars in damages and months of arguing with insurance companies in a big boat, can often be corrected with one hand, or even one finger on the dock in a small light boat. I think I developed some docking habits in an M15 that didn't serve me well when I tried docking an 11,000lb boat with wheel steering.
Coincidentally, had the same experience a couple of days ago. What with opaque, muddy water and not having the sounder on, I ran onto a mud bank on a lee shore. By the time the outboard started churning mud it was too late. Tried to pole off with my SUP paddle but all the gain from one push was lost before I could push again. Like you, I started to consider kedging before I realised I’d overlooked the bleeding obvious . After a brief aversion to muddy legs and stingrays, I was rapidly free and in deeper water again.
Excellent. I generally don't have to worry about stingrays at least—though I'm guessing my water is colder ;-)
Ah, a keel/centerboard. In the words of the great Emily Litella, " Never mind".
Rule number 1--Don't panic; stop and think. Once you have evaluated your resources you can decide what to do.
Decide whether you are in danger or just inconvenienced.
The option not mentioned is to simply raise the centerboard until the boat floats free. If the water you were aground in was waist-deep, and a brief shove freed her, it would only take raising the centerboard a foot or so (ditto the rudder). Even if you were sailing free before going aground, you would probably still have enough lateral resistance for a decent pointing angle to claw away from the shallows. This one of the main value-adds of a centerboard or swing keel. No need for a swim!
John, M-15 has a shallow keel with CB. Raised board upon grounding but still stuck.
I love how a docking mistake that could mean tens of thousands of dollars in damages and months of arguing with insurance companies in a big boat, can often be corrected with one hand, or even one finger on the dock in a small light boat. I think I developed some docking habits in an M15 that didn't serve me well when I tried docking an 11,000lb boat with wheel steering.