Lost at Sea

[Stede]

I just read an article about the Coast Guard picking up some guy in a 23ft.sailboat.He had been lost at sea for 74 days.The Coast Guard found him about 60 miles off the Carolinas coast after searching a 8000 sq.mile area.When the CG got the guy,he commented that he had "died a month ago."Before the guy disappeared,apparently the last place he had been seen was Miami.This whole thing seemed pretty strange.A few questions came to mind.How could anyone not make landfall on a sailboat somewhere in the U.S.within 74 days.Had he just steered West by compass, he''d have to hit the states somewhere.If he didn''t have a compass,what was he doing sailing out of site of land to begin with?The article didn''t provide any additional details.Maybe the guy was hurt, or the boat damaged or something? It''s great the CG found the guy,but the story clearly points out the importance of good seamanship.

[pirateofcapeann]

I’d think the Gulf Stream current would have taken him further then that in 74 days! This guy should sell his boat and but a camper before he really gets in trouble! Sounds like more BS to sell something!

[Irwin32]

Shortly before that guy was found, there was another sailor found off California who had been drifting for a month or two. He had broken his mast and his engine had died, but again, he was not that far offshore that one would think that somehow he could jury rig soemthing to make landfall. Both of these stories don''t sound right - something is fishy. Even w/o a compass one can watch the sun move across the shy and at least get a rough idea of the direction you need to go.

[shoopdj]

I''d never go offshore without a good radio. I can''t imagine who would, but I guess it takes all kinds.

[maxcontax]

Saturday, I am attending a memorial service for the son of a workmate who was lost at sea off the coast of San Francisco about 10 days ago. This is not related to the previous postings. Details are sketchy but this is my understanding of events:
The Dad, his son and friend were moving a 20 foot sailboat up the California coast to Canada--in 15 ft seas and 30 kt winds they attempted to enter San Francisco Bay and failed, ending up on a treacherous beach known locally for its riptides.
A wave took the Dad and his friend out of the boat: they were in poor shape but rescued by Air/Sea swimmers. The son was tethered to the boat because he was at the helm. The retractable keel boat capsized, was dismasted, the hull was breached, buoyancy lost, and the hull and young man both sank. He has not been recovered to date.
It seems it is still possible to be lost at sea within sight of land, with rescuers on the job.

[meolsen]

It''s a real tragedy but I do not understand it. Too little boat? most boats should take seas there. thanks for your note.

[paulk]

Report I saw on Cruising World site suggested the boat was a Newport 30. (A 22'' boat would have been more likely to trailer.) A J/35 was capsized and sunk off SFO in a day race within the past year when it got caught in waves cresting in the shallows near a govenment bouy turning mark. With onshore breeze & waves running the full width of the Pacific, the whole CA coast can become a horrific lee shore.

[BigRed56]

Ahoy me mateys , last time I disappeared for a week and a half my wife didn''t buy that lost at sea crap either. Pirate of Pine Island

[sailnaway]

I know of a lost at sea story that a guy fabricated so he could rape the three young women on a seventy foot sailing yacht. It was only about three weeks long but if you feel lost it seems like alot longer. This SOB even whipped the girls with a cat O nine tails.they were sailing in a circle North of the Bahamas the whole time no batteries out of fuel and all kinds of weird S--T going on.
Big Red dont get to excited if you read this.

[smackdaddy]

I just finished reading "Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea" - by Steven Callahan. Absolutely incredible story. Lessons learned:

-Whales seem to be a valid concern in ocean passages. I'm now reading another "Adrfit" book about a couple that are in a raft for 66 days. Both this couple and Callahan were holed by whales. Then you have the boat a year or so ago in a Transpac that was holed and rescued. Then you have this guy:



I'm not too worried about containers. But these beasties can be bad news. Got that Sea Shepherd?

-Don't scrimp on the make and size of your liferaft. His was in a 6-man - and he barely had enough room to live on it!!!!

-Make sure you have a solar still in your raft kit as a back up. And definitely have a hand-pump watermaker in your ditchbag.

-You can't have too many knives, and EPIRBs, and radios, and flares, etc.

-Pile in cushions, sleeping bags, anything you possibly can to keep you off the raft surface. And absolutely have a space blanket in your ditch bag.

-He had a speargun in his ditch bag, which was a serious live saver (even over line and hooks). It did cause him tremendous, prolonged misery when the spear punctured his raft as he was pulling in a Dorado - but it sure saved him in many, many ways.

-God works in very mysterious ways when it comes to providing sustenance. You just have to read the book to know what I mean on that one. Wow.

Great book. Lots to think about.