Sinking

[camaraderie]

Of interest to the conditions surrounding the loss of Freefall and the death of a sailor is the blog of another boat that was out there just 80 miles away during the same storm. Of note...Atlantic City inlet was closed due to the conditions and the sailors had no choice but to weather the storm and use tactics suitable to their boat. Interesting reading:
Atlantic Storm October 28-29, 2008 | YachtPals.com

[JohnRPollard]

Interesting read.

Anybody have additional info about these two vessels, mentioned in Joy for All's blog:

We also heard of two additional vessels, a 67-footer and a 100-footer that remain missing.

[teshannon]

Interesting read Cam, thanks. Just a curiosity question, how do they close an inlet? I assume it's more like an advisory with no enforcement?

[camaraderie]

TES...yeah...the SEA closes the inlet..the Coast Guard announces it!

[teshannon]

That's what I thought. Thanks Cam.

[sailingdog]

The USCG doesn't have to enforce the closing. If you've ever seen what one of these harbor entrances looks like during the times they're "closed" you'd realize that Mother Nature does a fine job of enforcing it.

[smackdaddy]

So it sounds like the unfortunate skipper was in the open water for about 5 hours? And according to NOAA (FWICT), 44004 was showing almost 78 degrees water temp in that area. Judging by the Coastie's quote we saw earlier - he presumably had no survival suit. Also said the survivors had mild hypothermia - so he probably went in cold anyway. So does anyone know what the basic survival time would be in that water? In any event this does raise an interesting point...

It might be because I'm on the ignore lists of half of Sailnet's members (which is actually somewhat of an honor for me - so that's cool) - but the issue of survival suits still has not been addressed by anyone here. Do you northie's have them on board? Should they be part of most sailors' safety inventory (at whatever latitude mark deemed appropriate)?

I've just never seen them discussed on this forum. Just curious - it seems like they may be very important. I mean, I definitely respect words coming from a Coastie! Don't you?

[smackdaddy]

Originally Posted by sailordave

I personally just shake my head at "newbies" who jump into a new activity (whatever it is) and read all the books and start making judgements about things they really have no "real world" understanding of. I'm glad people use this forum, and I know there's a lot of "banter" that goes on, but geez, SMACK has 632 posts since he joined in Aug.. Maybe he should spend more time on the water instead of online. There are people on another forum I read that have in excess of 20,000 posts in just 5 or 6 years! I've got about 1400 on that forum and have been there for 8 years.

I am not attacking SMACK, just hoping maybe he'll back off a little bit and learn a bit.

And since SMACK answered my ? about experience I'll volunteer the same.
Sailing for 35 years, from frostbiting Lasers to crewing on a 12M delivery to a 47' catamaran offshore and others.
Racing to Bermuda. Gunkholing on the Chesapeake. Offshore deliveries, including one similar to what FREEFALL's fx was calling for. 9 days from FLA to St. Martin, all to windward, 4 days of 35 kts on the nose and 15-20' seas. (also in a Swan!)

Not much offshore time, only 7000 miles... built boats and canoes. Restored a couple woodies. So I guess I've got a little cred.

Woah, sorry Dave, don't know how I missed this one. Okay......let's see......cred. Got it.

Cred for what? Objectivity?

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

- but the issue of survival suits still has not been addressed by anyone here. ---- I've just never seen them discussed on this forum. Just curious - it seems like they may be very important. I mean, I definitely respect words coming from a Coastie! Don't you?

See my note to Labatt earlier this morning.

[bubb2]

My take on this, if I have read the CG report correctly. I believe he was dead in the water, that is why they brought the rescue swimmer back on board the Helo and returned latter to pick up the body.