Sailors Rescued
Discussion
I saw this story today http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41772323 , and it raised a question. I wonder if anybody else thinks the same thing?
Why didn't they use their sails?
Why didn't they use their sails?
"The pair, who set off in May, originally thought that they could reach land by relying on wind and sails, the US Navy's Seventh fleet said in a statement."
If they were relying on the engine to provide electrics & no backup in place then electronic navigational equipment wouldn't operate & in the absence of charts, a sextant & the ability to navigate without modern electrics they would have been stuffed. That said, even sailing on a compass bearing with no other aids should mean you'll eventually hit land of some sort.
Possibly trying to use hand held radios to make the distress calls so little range.
Also sounds as though no epirb on board.
Be interesting to see how the story develops.
If they were relying on the engine to provide electrics & no backup in place then electronic navigational equipment wouldn't operate & in the absence of charts, a sextant & the ability to navigate without modern electrics they would have been stuffed. That said, even sailing on a compass bearing with no other aids should mean you'll eventually hit land of some sort.
Possibly trying to use hand held radios to make the distress calls so little range.
Also sounds as though no epirb on board.
Be interesting to see how the story develops.
But the story says they'd been drifting for five months. I accept that we have to 'interpret' what the journalist has said but, much like that American bloke who's been rescued nine times or something, surely only a dolt would undertake an offshore voyage without having some basic navigational ability?
Seems a bit strange they couldn't make it by sail unless there was a problem with the sails?
If it was a navigation problem i'm amazed they didn't manage to reach land in 5 months. The furthest you can possibly be from land anywhere at sea is about 1600 miles so even sailing at a extremely low average of 1 knot would have you at land in 2 months if you just stayed in a straight line.
If it was a navigation problem i'm amazed they didn't manage to reach land in 5 months. The furthest you can possibly be from land anywhere at sea is about 1600 miles so even sailing at a extremely low average of 1 knot would have you at land in 2 months if you just stayed in a straight line.
Bit of digging & the story develops.
"With a broken mast rigging, a disabled engine and with distress calls out of range"
"The women set off from Oahu bound for Tahiti on May 3, but problems arose. First, a piece of the mast called a spreader failed, Appel said, limiting the sailboat’s maneuverability, and on May 30 a storm flooded the engine. Communications were also impacted."
"They spotted other ships that did not or could not respond, and fired at least 10 flares"
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-american-...
"With a broken mast rigging, a disabled engine and with distress calls out of range"
"The women set off from Oahu bound for Tahiti on May 3, but problems arose. First, a piece of the mast called a spreader failed, Appel said, limiting the sailboat’s maneuverability, and on May 30 a storm flooded the engine. Communications were also impacted."
"They spotted other ships that did not or could not respond, and fired at least 10 flares"
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-american-...
paintman said:
Bit of digging & the story develops.
"With a broken mast rigging, a disabled engine and with distress calls out of range"
"The women set off from Oahu bound for Tahiti on May 3, but problems arose. First, a piece of the mast called a spreader failed, Appel said, limiting the sailboat’s maneuverability, and on May 30 a storm flooded the engine. Communications were also impacted."
"They spotted other ships that did not or could not respond, and fired at least 10 flares"
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-american-...
Makes a bit more sense but still doesn't explain why they couldn't use the jib/spinnaker/storm sail?"With a broken mast rigging, a disabled engine and with distress calls out of range"
"The women set off from Oahu bound for Tahiti on May 3, but problems arose. First, a piece of the mast called a spreader failed, Appel said, limiting the sailboat’s maneuverability, and on May 30 a storm flooded the engine. Communications were also impacted."
"They spotted other ships that did not or could not respond, and fired at least 10 flares"
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-american-...
The mast is still in place so i don't see how it wasn't possible to do this.
R8Steve said:
Makes a bit more sense but still doesn't explain why they couldn't use the jib/spinnaker/storm sail?
The mast is still in place so i don't see how it wasn't possible to do this.
The mast may not have been strong enough to take a headsail and they may have other wise not felt able to jury rig something else.The mast is still in place so i don't see how it wasn't possible to do this.
They (dog included) did look surprisingly healthy in the Beeb photos, unless these were actually when they were getting transferred or coming ashore rather than soon after coming off their yacht.
s2kjock said:
R8Steve said:
Makes a bit more sense but still doesn't explain why they couldn't use the jib/spinnaker/storm sail?
The mast is still in place so i don't see how it wasn't possible to do this.
The mast may not have been strong enough to take a headsail and they may have other wise not felt able to jury rig something else.The mast is still in place so i don't see how it wasn't possible to do this.
They (dog included) did look surprisingly healthy in the Beeb photos, unless these were actually when they were getting transferred or coming ashore rather than soon after coming off their yacht.
They obviously hadn't planned their journey at all. I have mu doubts they would have enough fuel capacity to get back to land even if the engine was working. Not even spending a couple of hundred pounds on an epirb before setting off on that kind of journey is madness.
It's odd that they had enough food on board for two adults and two dogs, even though they only planned on going to sea for a couple of days.
I'm sure all sensible boat owners keep dry goods on board, but five months' supply of pasta?
ETA: If I tried to feed my dog on dried pasta for five months, he'd eat my leg!
I'm sure all sensible boat owners keep dry goods on board, but five months' supply of pasta?
ETA: If I tried to feed my dog on dried pasta for five months, he'd eat my leg!
Edited by Doofus on Friday 27th October 16:29
paintman said:
"The pair, who set off in May, originally thought that they could reach land by relying on wind and sails, the US Navy's Seventh fleet said in a statement."
This statement is cringeworthy, particularly coming from the Navy! The story doesn't really add up, I can only guess the crew were inexperienced and didn't know how to/weren't able to jury rig a sail. The mast looks ok and they were only 900 miles from Japan, wouldn't have taken them too long to get to land.
hyperblue said:
This statement is cringeworthy, particularly coming from the Navy!
The story doesn't really add up, I can only guess the crew were inexperienced and didn't know how to/weren't able to jury rig a sail. The mast looks ok and they were only 900 miles from Japan, wouldn't have taken them too long to get to land.
Yeah, people have sailed decent distances with much more damaged rigs than a bust spreader. With no cap shroud tension you won't point very well but I'm not sure that was a primary concern...The story doesn't really add up, I can only guess the crew were inexperienced and didn't know how to/weren't able to jury rig a sail. The mast looks ok and they were only 900 miles from Japan, wouldn't have taken them too long to get to land.
'I've never sailed': women rescued at sea admit they weren't properly prepared. Grauniad article gives some more insight.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/28/re...
Boat was stuffed with food on the advice of locals.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/28/re...
Boat was stuffed with food on the advice of locals.
Well, everyone looked pretty healthy upon "rescue", no salt hardened skin after 5 months etc. Looked a bit odd at that stage.
Now seeing reports of growth above the water line like the boat was beached for a considerable amount of time rather than drifting at sea, no met confirmation of the storm, combined with poor excuses on decisions not to take landfall options, multiple transmission options all failing, and most weird, an unused EPIRB on board.
So what is the scam then? Book or movie deal?
Now seeing reports of growth above the water line like the boat was beached for a considerable amount of time rather than drifting at sea, no met confirmation of the storm, combined with poor excuses on decisions not to take landfall options, multiple transmission options all failing, and most weird, an unused EPIRB on board.
So what is the scam then? Book or movie deal?
SeeFive said:
Well, everyone looked pretty healthy upon "rescue", no salt hardened skin after 5 months etc. Looked a bit odd at that stage.
Now seeing reports of growth above the water line like the boat was beached for a considerable amount of time rather than drifting at sea, no met confirmation of the storm, combined with poor excuses on decisions not to take landfall options, multiple transmission options all failing, and most weird, an unused EPIRB on board.
So what is the scam then? Book or movie deal?
Somethings about the story don't stack up, until they are interviewed by someone familiar with sailing I doubt we will get a clear picture of what happened and why. The seem remarkably healthy considering the level of incompetence that would be necessary to end up in such a situation. Now seeing reports of growth above the water line like the boat was beached for a considerable amount of time rather than drifting at sea, no met confirmation of the storm, combined with poor excuses on decisions not to take landfall options, multiple transmission options all failing, and most weird, an unused EPIRB on board.
So what is the scam then? Book or movie deal?
Edited by Fittster on Tuesday 31st October 10:30
This looks like a very fishy story.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/31/wo...
From the article.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle said: “We asked why during this course of time did they not activate the Epirb.
“She had stated they never felt like they were truly in distress, like in a 24-hour period they were going to die.”
Carr said the coast guard made radio contact with a vessel that identified itself as the Sea Nymph in June near Tahiti, and the captain said they were not in distress and expected to make land the next morning. That was after the women reportedly lost their engines and sustained damage to their rigging and mast.
Experts say some of the details of the women’s story do not add up. A retired coast guard officer who was responsible for search and rescue operations said that if the women had used the Epirb they would have been found.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/31/wo...
From the article.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer 2nd Class Tara Molle said: “We asked why during this course of time did they not activate the Epirb.
“She had stated they never felt like they were truly in distress, like in a 24-hour period they were going to die.”
Carr said the coast guard made radio contact with a vessel that identified itself as the Sea Nymph in June near Tahiti, and the captain said they were not in distress and expected to make land the next morning. That was after the women reportedly lost their engines and sustained damage to their rigging and mast.
Experts say some of the details of the women’s story do not add up. A retired coast guard officer who was responsible for search and rescue operations said that if the women had used the Epirb they would have been found.
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