I'm sorry, but WTF were they thinking????

[sailordave]

Sail-World.com : Home-built schooner Raw Faith founders, crew rescued again

ANOTHER boat founders on its way to Bermuda. Why do people set out in DEC, w/ only 2 crew on a 118' three masted schooner and w/ only ONE survival suit?

I TRY, I really do, not to point fingers and armchair quarterback, especially in situations like RULE62 and their loss of life, but it never ceases to amaze me the stuff people do. I see it in the aviation world and the water world.

And yes, I absolutely cannot believe Rule 62 didn't stand off shore in deep water until daylight. Having been on the receiving end of a (relatively) mild squall while anchored off San Salvador island years ago I can attest to how steep the waves get b/c of the rapid decrease in water depth. Combine that w/ an unfamiliar passage and NIGHT and fatigue... just a recipe for disaster.

[cbarison]

I blame it on Pirates of the Caribbean.

[Barquito]

I usually find that the phrase "I'm sorry, but", is followed by something that really should not be said.

However, in this case I agree... WTF. Did you see the resources required for the rescue?!

"The rescue involved four helicopter sorties from Cape Cod, two Falcon jet sorties and assistance from a C-130 plane based in Elizabeth City, N.C., which remained in the area to act as a relay for rescue communications from land to ship. The rescue also required assistance from a patrol boat and the Reliance."

I'm sure if you could quantify seamanship on a graph it would form a bell curve in which this chap would fall in the lower tail of the graph.

[eherlihy]

It has been suggested here that this was an intentional scuttling, to end the long sad saga of the SV Raw Faith.

[Siamese]

Jeeeesh. Was that boat built out of matchsticks ? Rotten matchsticks? At first glance, it would appear that anyone leaving the dock with that heap should be on their own...let the laws of natural selection prevail...thin the herd. Well, ok, let's rescue them, but let's not try very hard.

[MARC2012]

According to the article I read the captain/builder has children.These will procreate & we will have more of them.marc

[sailingdog]

Considering the captain/owner of Raw Faith said he needed at least SIX crew to get the boat to the islands, and that he had been evicted from squatting on a dock earlier and couldn't afford to moor or dock the boat anywhere... and only had ONE CREW aboard.... it is awfully convenient that the boat sank so relatively close to land, and in such relatively benign conditions that a speedy rescue was almost inevitable.

[Bene505]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Considering the captain/owner of Raw Faith said he needed at least SIX crew to get the boat to the islands, and that he had been evicted from squatting on a dock earlier and couldn't afford to moor or dock the boat anywhere... and only had ONE CREW aboard.... it is awfully convenient that the boat sank so relatively close to land, and in such relatively benign conditions that a speedy rescue was almost inevitable.

... and in 6,000 feet of water, and it was flating REALLY high when they jumped out.

Yes, it sounds very fishy to me too. I'm tempted to go raise it. I wonder if the insurance company would pay for that. Grapple onto it and winch it up, and see if there were some seawater hoses cut.

regards,
Brad

[eherlihy]

I understand that there were 4 five gallon containers of gasoline aboard, and 2 one gallon containers of diesel. Also, IIRC, that the engine was either inoperative or missing.

Perhaps this was being considered?


However, the CG had boarded the vessel (I hesitate to call it that) shortly before the crew of two were rescued.

[jackdale]

New Zealand, one of the nanny states, has safety inspection requirements

New Zealand recreational boats, yachts and pleasure craft going overseas must be inspected before they leave. This is commonly referred to as a Category 1 inspection. The main purpose of the safety inspection is to ensure those departing are as safe as possible, and that they can get help if anything goes seriously wrong.

The vessel must be out of the water for inspection. The design and construction must be suitable for the voyage, the safety and communication equipment is inspected, and the skipper and crew must be capable of undertaking the proposed voyage safely.

IIRC, New Zealand and Australia require bonds for boats doing Around Alone, Vendee Globe, etc. to defray some of the costs of rescue.