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Sinking of Rule 62

182K views 641 replies 120 participants last post by  xxuxx 
#1 · (Edited)
I received this morning via email the sad news of the sinking of the sailboat Rule 62 on a reef in the northern Bahamas. As you will read below, three of the four crew members have been rescued, a fourth is missing. The email was from a friend participating in the Caribbean 1500 rally, as was Rule 62. Here are the preliminary details relayed from a boat that's still at sea:

11/15/ Monday- Pray for Laura's Rescue
With this morning's report we were shocked to hear about the sinking of "Rule 62" a 45' Jeanneau in the cruising class. Around 9pm last night they attempted to enter a narrow cut into the Bahama's in the midst of a "rage." If I understand correctly it means the current is going in one direction and wind and surge in another creating a lot of turbulence. It's unclear if a large wave knocked them down or if it was making contact with a reef. All 4 crew members were thrown overboard.

We do not know if they were wearing any floatation at the time. Three crew members including the husband and wife owners made it onto a reef, the fourth crew member, Laura, is missing. An active search and rescue mission is underway by the Coast Guard and our hope and prayer is that Laura managed to stay afloat or make it onto a reef and will be spotted in the daylight. The rescued crew was taken to Nassau for treatment. The boat is considered a loss as it wrecked upon the reef. We've had heavy northerly swells this entire trip and it most likely was a factor, along with fatigue. We also are unclear as to whether they were originally bound for Bermuda, as some of the fleet did have that as destination, or whether they diverted because of weather or illness. Details are sketchy still, but we urge all our friends to continue to hope for a good outcome.
All boats in the Carib 1500 carry transponders, so you can see where Rule 62 went ashore at

Having made the trip from the east coast to the Caribbean in November twice and experienced gale force winds on both trips, I know the passage south is no walk in the park. This year the start of the Carib 1500 was delayed a week until Nov 8 due to weather associated with hurricane Tomas. The hurricane and the low pressure systems that came off the coast last week produced large seas from the north and sustained winds in the 20-30 knot range during much of the first 2/3rds of the trip. Our friends' boat experienced wind gusts above 50 knots in squalls associated with frontal passage.

I know you all will join us in praying for the missing crew member. The loss of Rule 62 is evidence to us all that offshore sailing is serious business, and that even when you prepare yourself and your boat well, tragedy can strike at a moment's notice.
 
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#4 ·
Wow - that's some sobering news. Looking at their track, they pushed pretty hard to the SW as the neared Lanyard Cay. I wonder if this indicates the track of the boat after the reef strike (with no one on board) - or if it indicated something had gone wrong (e.g. - broken rudder, etc.) as they tried to enter through the cut.
 
#9 ·
Here's the press release from Caribbean 1500:



Boat Positions
Daily Updates
Photo Album
CRA Home
21st Annual Caribbean 1500 Rally
NEWS
Monday, November 15

Cruising Rally Association announces crew member search and rescue mission is continuing for sailing vessel Rule 62, crew member, Laura Zekoll.

For additional information please contact: Rick Palm….207.354.0628

November 15, 2010…Cruising Rally Association (CRA), Hampton, VA…Steve Black, owner of Cruising Rally Association, announced today that crew member, Laura Zekoll from Atlanta, GA is the subject of a search and rescue mission by the US Coast Guard and the Bahamian Defense Force.

The news of the search was received by CRA mid-day on Sunday, November 14, 2010 from boat owner, Richard Ross. The emergency contact information for Laura Zekoll, was communicated to the Coast Guard who notified her contact that a search was in process. The notice of the search was shared with the fleet on Monday morning, during the radio check-in at 07:00 hours AST (Atlantic Standard Time).

The owners of sailing vessel Rule 62, Richard and Debra Ross, also from Atlanta, GA, communicated earlier that they were going to leave the fleet and divert to the Bahamas. During the Saturday 19:00 hours AST radio check-in, Richard reported that they were nearing the Bahamas. According to the satellite transponder provided by the CRA to each vessel in the fleet, Rule 62 stopped moving at 20:56 hours AST Saturday, November 13.

Black said, “with great sadness, we report that Rule 62, a Jeanneau 46DS, was swamped while attempting entry into the Bahamas. Richard and crew Laura Zekoll were washed overboard. Another crew member and Debra launched the life raft, which subsequently overturned in swells.” The boat is currently on a reef in the Bahamas. Boat owners Richard and Debra Ross along with one crew member were airlifted to safety after their emergency signal was received by the Coast Guard. The search for Laura Zekoll is still continuing.

The sailing vessel Rule 62, is part of a fleet of 71 sailing vessels, the majority of the fleet is still at sea. The fleet departed Hampton, VA on November 8, 2010 in route to the island of Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. This is the 21st year of the annual passage.
 
#10 ·
A friend of mine is on the boat "Special Delivery" (Taswell 58) in the 1500. From the emails his wife has forwarded they've had a pretty rough time with 50 knot winds and some 20 foot seas. She was pretty shook up when she got the email in the OP. Sounds like the reef around Lynard Cay is difficult to navigate in broad daylight with calm seas much less at night with heavy swells.
Hope they find Laura safe and sound.
 
#11 ·
Just read that on the Carib1500 site. Hope they've found her.

Anybody know why they diverted? I've been watching the progress of Cat 1 boat from our marina and a Catalina 34 in Cat 7, that went inside part of the way and is lagging the fleet, so I noticed over the weekend that Rule 62 had headed for the Bahamas rather than continuing toward Tortola.

I figured they'd be enjoying a nice rum drink within a few hours from the last time I checked. Unbelieveable how quick things become life and death.

Best wishes to everyone in the fleet for a safe completion of your journey.
 
#12 ·
First of all, all of our thoughts go out to them and their family. Hopefully the good Lord will be looking out for them/her.

THe VHF down here was reporting huge swells and rough seas in the Atlantic due to the frontal passages, etc. I was sitting there thinking to my self when I heard it how glad I wa not over there. No doubt those folks are getting a really hard time of it. Sure hope they can find the crew and in good health.

Brian
 
#14 · (Edited)
No word, yet. I'm monitoring the radio nets.

The Caribbean 1500 was delayed in its departure from Hampton, VA due to threatening weather. Hurricane Tomas couldn't make up his mind which way to go. When after some time it finally moved off to the East of Eleuthra, the main event got started.

It was a judgment call and a short window. A friend of mine on a well-found 42' sloop (not in the event but headed the same way) holed up for 2 days due to equipment problems, then missed the window and decided not to go. Good call.

Those that did go followed a path close to the coast, well inside the Gulf Stream, since the prevailing strong winds were from the northerly quadrant, kicking up quite a sea. A few sought other ways and ports, but most of the fleet continued southwards, then southeast towards the Eastern Caribbean. There was a separate group which from the beginning headed to the Bahamas. Rule 62 was not one of these, but was in Cruising Class 7 headed for Tortola.

Despite the rough weather, most of the fleet seems to have done quite well, and they're nearing arrival in Tortola. To my knowledge, Rule 62's decision a few days back to divert to the Bahamas is unexplained. I guess we'll find out eventually.

For the record, Rule 62 is a Jeanneau 45DS built in 2008. She has a deep draft, I believe 7.5'. Her owners are Richard and Debra Ross of Atlanta. The missing crewmember, Laura Zekoll, is a successful founder and CEO of a computer company in Atlanta.

The maritime nets are still putting out the call for anyone in the area, but that's doubtful. Wish I could post the chart, but can't get pix to work on this Board...damn. The grounding site is 2/3 mile south of the North Bar Channel at the north end of Lynyard Cay in the Abacos -- not far south of Marsh Harbour. Nobody in their right mind would intentionally be sailing close to that coast in rough weather, so it's doubtful if anyone would by chance spot a MOB.

Let's hope that the Coast Guard and BASRA are on the job and doing all they can.

Bill

You can view the chart here: 2010 Caribbean 1500 Rally - Page 3 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums
 
#17 ·
Brian,

Don't really know, all I know is they were trying to get in. Along that stretch North Bar Channel is the widest and easiest approach. It is essentially straight in, no dekes or anything. It's 1/4 mile wide but again should not be attempted in a rage. The condition of the various cuts is always discussed in the morning cruisers net there. That's how important it is.
 
#20 ·
TAK,

You're right. Their track clearly shows them headed for the North Bar Channel. Then, when they're still quite a ways out, they suddenly turn SW and head straight for the grounding point on Lynyard Cay. One might speculate that some catastrophic event occurred BEFORE they reached the channel, and the boat more or less became the playtoy of prevailing NE winds and heavy seas until she grounded 2/3 of a mile south of the Channel.

Again, I can't post the damned image...why is this Board so difficult?....but if you zoom in on the last position of Rule 62 on the Caribbean 1500 tracking website you'll see it.

Bill

Bill
 
#19 ·
Yeah, everything is pure speculation at this point. Their reported position on the reef some 4,400 ft (2/3 of a nautical mile) south of the middle of North Bar Channel is quite a ways off. Don't know how to explain that, really. Maybe a navigational error? GPS datum error? Don't know what charting system they were using.

The raster chart I posted agrees very well with the smaller scale but presumably more reliable NOAA raster chart of the area, and with all other charts of the area from the same provider.

Guess we'll find out some day. Still no news of Laura, and that's the important missing piece.


Bill
 
#22 ·
Yeah, everything is pure speculation at this point. Their reported position on the reef some 4,400 ft (2/3 of a nautical mile) south of the middle of North Bar Channel is quite a ways off. Don't know how to explain that, really. Maybe a navigational error? GPS datum error? Don't know what charting system they were using.
My guess (and it's only that) was that the boat was swamped trying to enter the channel to the north and was driven south from the channel and onto the beach/reef by the swell/breaking waves. There is a transponder on each boat that has independent battery power and it so the current position shown on the Carib 1500 website is probably where the boat came to rest.

Here's the most recent data from Rule 62s transponder:

Description:
Richard & Debra Ross, Jeanneau 45DS

Latest position: 26.37812 -76.980324
N26° 22' 41.2" W76° 58' 49.2"
2010-11-15 15:54:57 UTC -4h

Positions available: 46, Marker:


Last speed: 0.0kn = 0.0km/h = 0.0mph

Over all average: 4.6kn = 8.5km/h = 5.3mph

Distance to finish: 831.9nm = 1540.6km = 957.3mi

Distance to start: 637.6nm = 1180.8km = 733.7mi
Given that the time stamp on the position is less than an hour old, it's safe to assume the transponder is still operating and that the boat is currently at rest (Last speed: 0.0 kts) on the reef / beach.
 
#23 ·
Right. That's virtually the same position shown at 0757Z this morning.

It was reported on CruisersForum that the boat is in fact on the beach. A life preserver was found south of that position, but Laura hasn't yet been located.

Given the ship's track with the abrupt turn to the SW before entering the Channel, I'd have to agree with the swamping theory. Swamping and, perhaps, a number of other related catastrophic events.

Bill
 
#25 ·
Apparently the Rule 62 WAS swamped. Here's the relevant paragraph from the CRA website:

Quote
Black said, “with great sadness, we report that Rule 62, a Jeanneau 46DS, was swamped while attempting entry into the Bahamas. Richard and crew Laura Zekoll were washed overboard and recovered. The life raft was launched. Richard, Debra, Laura, and a fourth crew member, David Sheppard from Ellsworth, Maine entered the life raft with life jackets on and attempted to row it to safety. The life raft subsequently overturned in swells. Richard, Debra, and David were separated from Laura and washed up on the beach. The search for Laura Zekoll is still continuing.” Unquote

Sad, sad, sad.
 
#26 ·
To clarify, the transmitters on the C1500 boats send out a location every 4 hours, so the "track" is really a line between dots. The track to the current location does not show their route.

Also, the C1500 is not posting all information available. They show us as "withdrawn", when in reality, our boat was severely damaged when entering Oregon Inlet Tuesday afternoon. We are very luckily to be alive. The news of Rule 62 is extremely horrifying to us as we somehow survived a daytime ordeal in an inlet in big seas. Now we are on the hard awaiting repairs... no loss of life.

sv Sunrise, C1500 cruising class 7
 
#27 ·
Bill,

Thanks for that clarification. So sorry for your mishap in the Oregon Inlet. Glad you're OK and, hey, HR's are pretty tough. It'll bounce back :)

While the tracks shown on the CRA's website aren't exact, you can turn on the "waypoints", showing "fixes" at specific times. A lot can be inferred from these. For example, one can surmise that you entered Oregon Inlet then turned north into harbor, even though the "track" shows you passing overland.

By contrast, Rule 62's track and waypoints indicate a direct course for the North Bar Channel right up until 20:04:46 on Saturday the 13th. The next waypoint, some 8 hours later, shows the location aground on Lynyard Cay.

Guess we won't know the full story until the owner and his crew recover and tell what really happened.

Sure hope Laura is gonna be found OK.

Bill
 
#28 ·
Lynyard Cay doesnt have a 'beach' on its ocean-side as its mostly coquina and sharp rotted/eroded and 'undercut' ancient coral-rock with lots of reefs immediately offshore. From that location it may be that they were attempting to pass through Tilloo Cut which even in 'moderate' conditions can be an 'absolute royal *****' on an accompanying strong easterly swell.

My heart goes out to these sailors, I hope and pray that Laura is found OK. I know that most of the Bahamians on Elbow and Lynyard Cay will be out there looking, they're that kind of people.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Laura Zekoll

OMG....I was one of the last people to speak with her before they departed Hampton, Blue Water Marina. She came up to us and introduced herself to us as we were 2 of only a few women departing on this 1500 mile voyage. She was an articulate, upbeat, friendly, engaging woman. We are an all woman boat delayed in our departure in the 1500, waiting on new crew due to the departure delay. Our prayers are with her. We leave next week.
I agree with one posters theory of what happened. "Rule 62" was on course for the inlet when something happened, perhaps a large wave swamping them, resulting in a 2/3 mile drift to the reef. I have surfed off that beach and it can get really big. Rule 62 is from AA and states: don't take yourself too seriously!
I hope and pray for her with all my heart and soul.
 
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