We hear similar reports every so often, but usually the boats were being sailed solo. I take it that there was a crew of at least 2 aboard?
Do you have a link to the report?
That northern route can be a rough patch of water.
We hear similar reports every so often, but usually the boats were being sailed solo. I take it that there was a crew of at least 2 aboard?There has been found a 10 meter French yacht mid Atlantic no one aboard, makes one wonder what might have happened There are still more reports to come and investigations, but might it had been a rouge wave and them not being clipped on, makes one think for sure. They were last heard from May 24 by their daughter. They had left the French islands off Newfoundland headed for France.
The following is all speculation. You are correct, tethering in would have helped.night0wl - what is wrong with the boat - it is a patently blue-water capable vessel as evidenced by the fact that it is still afloat. How would the crew have fared better on another boat? If one isn't tethered or belowdecks when the boat rolls then one has littele chance of remaining with the boat regardless of whether it is full-keeled or heavy displacement or cutter rigged.
I've seen 'em brown, I've seen 'em blue, I've seen 'em green but never a rouge wave have I seen. :laugher...but might it had been a rouge wave ...
Some of the details I'd like to see are absent in the article. There's no mention, for instance, of whether the companionway was shut or whether there was any evidence of flooding belowdecks....This is sad, but the failure...or refusal...to take advantage of current safety standards make this the watery equivalent of driving off-road in a Mini Cooper without a seatbelt or helmet.
Zanshin,night0wl - what is wrong with the boat - it is a patently blue-water capable vessel as evidenced by the fact that it is still afloat. How would the crew have fared better on another boat? If one isn't tethered or belowdecks when the boat rolls then one has littele chance of remaining with the boat regardless of whether it is full-keeled or heavy displacement or cutter rigged.
The converse is also true.All we can do is make guesses as to what might have happened but what is known is that the boat is still afloat. Thus using this incident as a basis of ruling the boat non-bluewater capable is, in my opinion, not justified.
Very true. The reefed sails suggest there was some wind (which is usually accompanied by a certain amount of wave action) -- nothing more. And the intact rig suggests to me that the boat did not roll.Perhaps the crew went missing in benign conditions prior to any knockdown or roll.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I think this latest round of PLB EPIRBS w/GPS are $250-$300 each. I'm buying 2 to clip onto foulies.One can get a personal version of an EPIRB and wear it on you PFD. With that in mind, I personally do not know how good they are per say in the middle of the atlantic or equal. Locally, ie for me puget sound, they would work even if attached to the boat.