French Yacht found mid Altantic

[theartfuldodger]

There has been found a 10 meter French yacht mid Atlantic no one aboard, makes one wonder what might have happened There are still more reports to come and investigations, but might it had been a rouge wave and them not being clipped on, makes one think for sure. They were last heard from May 24 by their daughter. They had left the French islands off Newfoundland headed for France.

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by theartfuldodger

There has been found a 10 meter French yacht mid Atlantic no one aboard, makes one wonder what might have happened There are still more reports to come and investigations, but might it had been a rouge wave and them not being clipped on, makes one think for sure. They were last heard from May 24 by their daughter. They had left the French islands off Newfoundland headed for France.

We hear similar reports every so often, but usually the boats were being sailed solo. I take it that there was a crew of at least 2 aboard?

Do you have a link to the report?

That northern route can be a rough patch of water.

[camaraderie]

Here's a link....

French yacht found adrift off the Azores with no sign of its two-man crew - The Globe and Mail

[Valiente]

Cam, you saved me the trouble...this was in my morning paper, which is the Globe and Mail itself.

Of note is the comment that, contrary to EU law, they did not have an EPIRB ("Complicating the search was the fact that L'Actuel did not carry a satellite rescue beacon as required by law, according to a duty officer at the Delgada Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in the Azores.").

Earlier in the article, the skipper is described as "very competent", but I don't consider failing to take an EPIRB a mark of good judgement. In a European context, they are as mandatory as carrying flares or PFDs is for North Americans. In a recreational sailing context, they have been part of the toolkit for over two decades, COSPAS-SARSAT having been formed by the U.S., Canada and France in 1982.

Why you would consider doing a double-handed Great Circle crossing of the Atlantic in May (brrrr!) without an EPIRB in 2009 defeats my reason. Even the Pardeys, so often characterized as sailing Luddites, had, according to my reading, an EPIRB in 1998 or before, and presumably still have one on their otherwise kerosene and coal-powered wooden boats.

This is sad, but the failure...or refusal...to take advantage of current safety standards make this the watery equivalent of driving off-road in a Mini Cooper without a seatbelt or helmet.

[night0wl]

What caught me was the boat itself: Jeanneau Sun Rise 35...an older coastal cruiser. And then the comment about the boat being rolled. Even with an experienced skipper, it seems like we play the odds when you take a coastal boat across oceans...not that I'm saying couldn't have happened in a Valiant or Pacific Seacraft. But still gives pause in preparation to the next round of "Is this boat bluewater capable" threads. Here's hoping for a miracle rescue of all lost crew.

[Zanshin]

night0wl - what is wrong with the boat - it is a patently blue-water capable vessel as evidenced by the fact that it is still afloat. How would the crew have fared better on another boat? If one isn't tethered or belowdecks when the boat rolls then one has littele chance of remaining with the boat regardless of whether it is full-keeled or heavy displacement or cutter rigged.

[night0wl]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

night0wl - what is wrong with the boat - it is a patently blue-water capable vessel as evidenced by the fact that it is still afloat. How would the crew have fared better on another boat? If one isn't tethered or belowdecks when the boat rolls then one has littele chance of remaining with the boat regardless of whether it is full-keeled or heavy displacement or cutter rigged.

The following is all speculation. You are correct, tethering in would have helped.

Perhaps a large wave hit that cockpit. The large open and inviting cockpits these boats have (perfect for anchorages and socializing) maybe allowed the water to knock the skipper and crew out of the cockpit. Also, these boats are light because modern construction techniques reduce materials needed...like all coastal cruisers. Unfortunately, light boats make for unpleasant hobby horsing and motion on open ocean swells/waves. Maybe someone went forward to deal with the main and was knocked overboard by a nasty swell and the MOB drill went badly.

Look - I own a Beneteau 343. Which is an amazing analogy to this ~34 foot Jeanneau. I just dont think I would attempt a crossing from Canada to Azores in it...and I love the boat.

[AWEllis3]

Originally Posted by theartfuldodger

...but might it had been a rouge wave ...

I've seen 'em brown, I've seen 'em blue, I've seen 'em green but never a rouge wave have I seen.

Sorry, retired English teacher, saw the humor, had to share.

[blt2ski]

NightOwl,

Being as I currently own a mid 80's jeanneau Arcadia, I can tell you flat out, that this boat, as is the boat in question, built WAY different than todays Jeanneaus and Beneteau's! A much stronger boat, and they were designed to go offshore on the run that these folks did.

As zanshin mentioned, if the boat was rolled, it is still afloat, it must be doing ok!

There was another Jeanneau, from the same era/size, that two yrs ago, did a non stop sail around the world! The up to early 90's Jeanneaus were designed for this type of work.

I would SWAG that the occupants were not tethered too.

Marty

[BarryL]

Hey,

What good would an EPIRB have been in this case? The EPIRB is mounted to the boat, not a person. If both people end up in the water, the epirb isn't going to go off. I suppose if one person went off, the other could have triggered the epirb, but why would the second person leave the boat? The article, which didn't contain a whole lot of information, didn't note that any COB gear was deployed.

This is a mystery.

Barry