Yacht on the Rocks - Sydney/Flinders Islet Race

tdw · #1 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009

The skipper and navigator of the well known once Kiwi now Australian maxi Shockwave were killed when she went up onto Flinders Islet off Port Kembla NSW on Saturday morning.

Part of the annual Sydney-Flinders Islet-Sydney race Shockwave had just rounded the rock and was on her way home when she appears to have struck bottom, tearing off her keel and sending the wreckage onto the rocks. Flinders Islet is some 95nms south of Sydney. The race is one of the lead ups for local boats planning on doing the Sydney - Hobart.

Skipper Andrew Short (a well known marina operator in Sydney and Sally Gordon died in the turmoil that followed while the other members of the 14 string crew were all eventually winched off the rock by helicopter and taken to hopital on the mainland. Although suffering from cuts, bruises and hyperthermia none were seriously injured.)

The exact details of what occurred are still unclear.

Shockwave at Sea (New Zealand Herald)

Wreckage off Flinders Islet (ABC)

Wreckage on South Coast Beach (ABC)

Valiente · #2 (**permalink**) 10-11-2009

Wow...that is appalling. Does it make me a bad skipper if I say I want to read the accident investigators' conclusions? By which I mean I assume that boat was fully equipped and had loads of watchstanders, but evidently they weren't where they thought they were.

Or they had the appalling luck to find an uncharted obstacle like a sunken container or a rock never noticed.

I've often wondered what depth I would consider adequate if I had a 14 foot keel, and I can't think I would relax until I saw "20" on the depthsounder.

St Anna · #3 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009

Very sad news for the families involved.

However, IMHO; I am not being inflammatory and am only hearing the news bulletins, but there will be much more to the story than we'll ever hear. Why thread the needle on the wrong side of the tolerance?

They knew the area and the boat and had a crew on watch. Basically if most of the crew were down asleep, there would be many more fatalities.
If something broke and they gybed for example. Time will tell.

It is a sport or a llifestyle with the possibility of a fatal accident.

smackdaddy · #4 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009

I read somewhere that they struck bottom in the tough of a large wave - then that wave crashed over the boat and took off the skipper, a mate, and one of the skipper's sons. The son made it to the island after finding a floating flashlight/torch and signaling the other crewmembers who had already made it onto the islet.

The boat then got bashed to splinters on the lee shore.

tdw · #5 (**permalink**) 10-12-2009

Obviously we will have to wait for the coroners inquest to find out what really happenned and all else is conjecture but it certainly looks like they surfed down the face of a decent sized wave, were closer to the islet than they thought and hit a rock whose top was at a significantly lower depth than surrounding sea floor.

One of the reports yesterday did say that SW had overshot the islet when heading south. If that is so then they may well have lost sight of the islet having turned to head home. Instead of simply rounding the mark they would have been flying full tilt back to Sydney when they got back to the islet. They could well have been doing over 20 knots when they struck.

tdw · #6 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009

This quote from a crewmember...

"So what went wrong last Saturday?

After the accident, Matt Pearce, a crew member from Cronulla, provided a chilling account of Shockwave's final moments. ''We were sailing well,'' the bowman told the ABC. ''The breeze was about 16 knots and the sea abating. But it was still big and confused as we neared the island.''

As Shockwave approached the island on a port tack, preparing to hoist more sail, he saw waves breaking ahead.

''I called to Shorty to bear away, when we hit the island at speed, which stopped the boat and turned us around. Sally was washed overboard. She was still tethered to the boat … I heard Andrew call for help … he was nowhere to be seen.'' "

Complete article here..

How did things go so wrong?

Valiente · #7 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009

Andrew, if anything, this is more baffling than ever. You may not know this, but the Sydney-Hobart is well known as the Fastnet as one of the toughest races a non-pro sailor can do. Any boat with crew who've done 15 of the things has to be counted in the first tier of yacht sailors.

I certainly hope it wasn't something like the GPS satellites themselves were transmitting inaccurate positions. As I've said before, I have seen this personally, but it doesn't matter in great weather at five knots if it "corrects" a half-mile to the west. But if someone glaced at a lat/lon that made them think they still had a minute or two before the breakers...

I'm just speculating, of course, but the fact that it was eyeballs and not tech that told them they were in the wrong place means something went badly askew despite the talent present.

I had no idea there was a "Toronto" in Australia. My club is directly opposite the land (Hanlan's Point) once owned by the guy your "Toronto" honours.

Faster · #8 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009

Missed this one the first time around... Sad news indeed. Very difficult to comment in hindsight from afar. Nighttime, lumpy, a fast boat with a bad result.

Feeling bad for all involved.....

smackdaddy · #9 (**permalink**) 10-16-2009

Great article. Thanks TD. Keep us posted.

tdw · #10 (**permalink**) 10-18-2009

I guess the inquest should answer some questions. Heaven knows how long that will take to complete. If try and remember to keep this updated.

Hey, we have a Sydney as well......

Toronto in NSW is not quite as big as the Candian version. I havn't been through there in awhile but last time I did it was not far from being a sleepy little village.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Valiente

Andrew, if anything, this is more baffling than ever. You may not know this, but the Sydney-Hobart is well known as the Fastnet as one of the toughest races a non-pro sailor can do. Any boat with crew who've done 15 of the things has to be counted in the first tier of yacht sailors.

I certainly hope it wasn't something like the GPS satellites themselves were transmitting inaccurate positions. As I've said before, I have seen this personally, but it doesn't matter in great weather at five knots if it "corrects" a half-mile to the west. But if someone glaced at a lat/lon that made them think they still had a minute or two before the breakers...

I'm just speculating, of course, but the fact that it was eyeballs and not tech that told them they were in the wrong place means something went badly askew despite the talent present.

I had no idea there was a "Toronto" in Australia. My club is directly opposite the land (Hanlan's Point) once owned by the guy your "Toronto" honours.