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Multiple Rescues today from SailNet Members

864 Views 26 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Arcb, 7 d ago

MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · 8 d ago

This is to entice the reluctant other member to spill the beans, and photos on his rescue today.
We got one too about 7:30pm Mayday on the VHF boat that ripped his genoa trying to make the anchorage we are in until his engine failed. Couldn't sail in because theres weird wind conditions here, dead calm or gusting 30 knots because of a mountain. Quite a choppy sea.

Half mile off shore, 1 nms downwind from us. Stong Southerly where he is. "bullets' where we are. Darkness.

I decided to take the dinghy instead of the big boat for a variety of reasons (that might seem crazy LOL)

He had no AIS so position was from the Coast Guard but we could see his lights.
Took off and tied off to him on his leeward side, quarter. 1/4 power on a 15hp OB got us going at 1.5 knots. Heading towards the shore. A 40 ft mono came up and offered to do a tow and the guy on our boat prefered him than our dink

so we let go and returned home.

An hour later and they are still trying to anchor the 2 attached boats. - Thats one of the reasons I took the dinghy not the big boat

Relaxed now with a jar of rum.

Marjorie's first rescue, first interaction with MRCC in French. All good. She did a wonderful job

Mark

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #4 · 8 d ago

Zanshin said:
soon Peter, Tom and myself were dinghying to the now distant boat. We got aboard and the boat was locked up tight and the main breaker was off as the engine had no power. I thought about just forcing a hatch handle to get in when I looked at the sliding companionway hatch locking assembly. With a screwdriver I undid 2 screws and within 15 seconds we were inside the boat. Main breaker on, windlass breaker on.

One of them looks very happy to be helping. Great photos! They look like good people to know

Nice house busting with a screwdriver on the lock. I can't believe theres locks with exposed screws! 🤪

That bay has a problem in that the shallow areas drop off very quickly. If the anchor is in 10 feet of water the 3:1 scope seems right... but its wrong because if the stern of the boat is in 50 feet of water then the chain looses all its catenary affect, then when the boat starts to drab the scope diminishes quickly.

The boat owners were lucky you were there to get their boat back!

Mark

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #7 · 8 d ago

Zanshin said:
The wind is howling again here in Deshaies at constant 25 to 30 knots! 2 hours ago it was dead calm.

Same here. Crazy. All wx models still wrong except Arome.

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #10 · 8 d ago

Our guy this morning. He got the genoa down. He must had a flappy night lol

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #16 · 7 d ago

hpeer said:
I have found poor anchoring patches in Deshaies, notably a little deeper along the channel. Anchor seems not want to set well there.

Needs loads of scope. But the backwinding can dislodge the pick.

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #18 · 7 d ago

Arcb said:
Maybe, just maybe, if they had reefed before hitting 30 knot katabatic winds their Genoa wouldn't have blown out? I get it, cruisers don't reef, but they can.

Engine problems, were Genoa sheets wrapped in the prop?

And had sails less than 30 years old.

Yes, the conditions were steady for hours at the level of a first reef, downwind, second reef upwind.

No I didn't see sheets over the side on the side we were on.
Yes he could have sailed in on the mainsail alone.
Iirc when we arrived he had a full main. And would have needed it in the fkukey winds near the coast.

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #22 · 7 d ago

Arcb said:
Alright,

Tongue in cheek. Mayday a mile out from destination due to a shredded Genoa.

Single handed, young person, who loses 2 things, one sail and the engine. Some would call it prudent.

Maybe he knew something about the quality of his mainsail? Also, if you screw up here the next stop is Nicaragua 1,250nms away. He has no AIS, no Starlink, so as soon as he is out of VHF range he is stuffed.
It was night. I would be worried too.

The other thing he could have done is to advise the CoastGuard and tell them his situation and say he is trying to sail in.

Mark

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MarkofSeaLife

Discussion Starter · #24 · 7 d ago

Arcb said:
No local fishermen who would have taken a couple hundred dollars to tow him in? No one at all that could have provided commercial tow service? This is why USCG and increasingly CCG don't provide tow services.

Cruisers help cruisers.

.

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