SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Yacht Evacuated Off Cape Sable Island (Canada)

4K views 19 replies 10 participants last post by  Faster 
#1 ·
Nine on a 35 foot yacht?

One person is dead, three are missing and two people are in critical condition after a yacht ran into mechanical problems south of Nova Scotia's Cape Sable Island.

A search was continuing Tuesday morning for those who had been aboard the vessel.

Yarmouth Regional Hospital officials said two men pulled from the water were in critical condition, but could not elaborate further on their injuries.

The approximately 35-foot yacht had been carrying nine people, authorities said, when it reportedly rolled, about 150 kilometres off Cape Sable Island, or Cape Island as it's known, on Monday night.

Read more: Cape Sable Island yacht accident leaves 1 dead, 2 badly hurt, 3 missing
 
#2 ·
Just saw this on CTV News. The report indicates the yacht was caught in gale force winds and high seas (apparently typical North Atlantic winter conditions). The report also indicates that the crew were from an "eastern block" country, and the question was raised as to why they were sailing the North Atlantic at this time of year.
 
#4 ·
Strange. The north Atlantic is dicey enough in the summer with fronts developing out of nowhere. Why would anyone be there this time of year unless going out on limited commercial fishing runs.

As for 9 people on a 35ft. boat, this is the media and they get this stuff wrong all the time.
 
#5 ·
Curiouser

Human Smuggling

The Canadian government says a yachting accident off the coast of Nova Scotia that has left one dead and three missing is being treated as a human smuggling attempt.

Search-and-rescue crews have found no sign of three missing sailors amid high seas and bad weather after the SV Tabasco 2 ran into mechanical troubles amid high seas and bad weather.

One other person is confirmed dead and five more were rescued from the yacht, which floundered in the frigid Atlantic Ocean Monday night.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said some of the survivors have asked for refugee status.

Read more: Toews links N.S. yacht accident to 'human smuggling' | CTV News
 
#6 ·
One would have to be a fool to be out there in winter in a 35 footer, 9 aboard or not.
 
#7 ·
It has been blowing pretty hard here for the last two days with winds gusting over 50. Off Sable that could mean seas of 30+/- feet and darn short & steep....

The only Tabasco 2 I can find on-line is a Lagoon catamaran out of Croatia somewhere?? 9 could fit on that but they'd have to have a death wish to cross that far North this time of year....
 
#8 ·
News graphics show a power cruiser.. but that doesn't mean much, of course. The CG specialist is quoted in the news bits as the boat being the worst he's ever been inserted on, and that the seas were 3-4 storeys high.. They were in the water and the pilot had a difficult time staying on station.

There was also speculation they were dropped onto the smaller boat from a larger vessel. Either way it's madness... but our Coast Guards always come through, don't they??
 
#9 ·
The yacht was about 80 miles south of CAPE SABLE ISLAND (which is not the same as Sable Island ... Cape Sable Island is off the Southwestern end of Nova Scotia) so it appears the sailboat may have been headed for the US. Nine male Eastern Europeans onboard. One report gave the vessel's name as S/V Tabasco. Three were take off by a tanker (FSL Hamburg) that responded to the MAYDAY. Apparently 3 more were lost in the water during this rescue attempt. 3 remaining crew were taken off by a Canadian SAR helocopter, but one of these died enroute. The search for the 3 in the water has been abandoned as there is now no chance of survival in these cold waters after more than 24 hours. SAR techs that were aboard the vessel said it looked like it may have been rolled several times. At the time of the chopper rescue, the wind was gusting to 45 knots with snow squalls and the seas were stated as being "three stories high". It sounds like the 5 who survived were very lucky...
 
#12 ·
Why all the consternation about 9 people on a 35 foot boat?
I think the issue is where the boat was with that many people aboard.

A 35' boat would easily take 8-10 for a day sail or maybe a race, but crossing an ocean? I would expect 2 couples or maybe a small family. That many people seems odd.
 
#11 ·
Thanks Jimjazz for clearing up that confusiing title. Sable Island is very famous for shipwrecks and deaths, I used to hear it called "the graveyard of the atlantic". I think it's around 200 miles out to sea, and a real surpise to many who found it the hard way.

I never even knew there was a Cape Sable Island!
 
#17 ·
Merci mucho

The search has gone from rescue to recovery.
 
#18 ·
One more update to the S/V Tabasco II story. The yacht (now beleived sunk) was a Canadian-registered 1968 Creekmore 38. It was sold by its Canadian owner in Trinidad last November to a Ukrainian fellow know around the boatyard as "Shrek". The boat was never re-registered by the new owner. The former owner said he never sailed with more than 3 crew onboard because "the quarters were too cramped". The previous owner also said that the Perkins diesel was prone to stalling when sediment in the fuel tank got stirred up. The yacht was reportedly dismasted with no rigging in sight at the time of the rescue. Some or all of the rescued crew are asking for refugee status. Links to articles from the local paper follow:

Ex-owner worried about fate of vessel

Yacht survivors
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top