Re: How to get out of the sand
This depends on a few things. When I am beached and preparing to leave, I usually push my boat off a little before I load, so she is not as stuck as she would be. Then, after I load, I have everyone go to the stern so that there is less weight on the bow. I usually put her in reverse and sit for a second just to see if there is a any movement at all. If there is, she'll come off as is, and I just wait. If not I run the steering back and forth to cause a little wiggle as you noted. If that still won't work I may use a little throttle. And then both the wiggle and the throttle.
There are many levels of "beached" so the above won't always work. On a shallow beach the drive and stern can both be on the sand, so I must work her off by hand some just to be able to start. If I load in that situation it would just be stupid. Also depends on what the water is doing. If you are getting a lot of wakes onto the stern, she is going to get more and more stuck. So another solution is to be very vigilant when you are on the beach to make sure she doesn't get really stuck. Sometimes we have to get multiple guys together to help each other literally lift off the stern.
Some will say the ultimate solution is never beach. Maybe, but where we boat beaching is part of our experience. If I didn't beach, I'd probably have to look for a new family . . .
