Missing Vessel (Northern California), 4 souls

[MarkJ]

I think the thing that disgusts me so much about the people calling this a hoax is that if it occurred near where I am I would be out on the boat helping with the search.

I find it absolutely abhorrent that some members here are pushing the hoax thing before good people have the chance to get out there and help too.

If it turns out to be a hoax so bit it. But this day when people on THIS forum call it a hoax instead of lending a hand to the search is the most pitiful day I've had on here.



Mark

[starchaser 2011]

You tell 'em Mark.Could not agree more. I'm pretty cynical, but this takes the prize. I'll take it one step farther. If for whatever reason I was in the situation where I needed to be rescued I Hope folks would not be debating if I was a hoax or not. Come on people

[David M]

I think people are more saying that it has the chance of it being a hoax, which is true. Of course you don't cancel rescue efforts on that possibility.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I think the thing that disgusts me so much about the people calling this a hoax is that if it occurred near where I am I would be out on the boat helping with the search.

I find it absolutely abhorrent that some members here are pushing the hoax thing before good people have the chance to get out there and help too.

If it turns out to be a hoax so bit it. But this day when people on THIS forum call it a hoax instead of lending a hand to the search is the most pitiful day I've had on here.

Mark

Yeah to be honest if I was on a seaworthy boat near the area and the seas weren't spooky I would have rolled out. A million reasons not to do that, but the world has plenty enough people who come up with reasons to sit on their ass.

Just at a casual transit speed you'd be there in twelve hours.

[Blue Crab]

Plus, as I read it, there was a helo on site for the abandon ship message, as in, within the hour between those messages. Can't fault the CG.

[DockSitter]

I hope the CG has enlisted the services of a good speech pathologist to review the recording and try to make out the name of the vessel. The guy can't say the "d" following the "n" in abandoning. Understanding his speech impediment would improve the likelihood of making out the name correctly.

On the recording, the second syllable sounds like it could be either "glow" or "globe", but since the guy switched in a "g" sound for the "d" in abandoning, I'm thinking that what I'm hearing as a possible "g" is more likely a "d" or a "t".

Shardlow? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shardlow

I would think a hoaxer would try to make the "emergency" sound like a much bigger deal, whereas this guy sounds calm or exhausted or resigned to his fate and that of the others on the boat. On the other hand, it's odd (especially considering that this seems to be a very small boat) that there are no other voices audible in the background. It's hard to imagine that with a 4 year old and an under-8 year old on board, at least one of them wouldn't be hollering and/or crying audibly under these circumstances.

Are recordings of the rest of the communications available anywhere? All I've been able to find is that one little clip with the garbled name of the vessel. If other communications had audible sounds of young children's voices on them, that would make it very unlikely that this is a hoax, and would explain why the CG is clearly taking it very seriously.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Blue Crab

Plus, as I read it, there was a helo on site for the abandon ship message, as in, within the hour between those messages. Can't fault the CG.

We have gone out and saved others countless times, like all long term cruisers have, or would, I'm sure of that. But there must be a place to go to to help. When CG choppers can't find them, there is no chance for a cruiser to go out and search randomly without a clue of where to look.

But like I said before, I am highly amazed about the hoax maydays and people declaring it that in a business as usual kind of way.

[Savannah11]

This is the closest one I could find to the name. Not much info on this one. Vessel Documentation Query

[Rocketman]

I just saw this story on FOX news, they also explained the possibility of a hoax, but did not portray it as one.

I understand people who want to experience life to it's fullest and with out rules and regulations, I am one of those people. But when you decide to take others with less knowlage then your self into a potential life and death situation you should be required to have something like an EPIRB to save there lives. If you can't afford the $500 or less investment, should you be alowed to sail into open waters? If an EPIRB had been on the boat, this probably wouldn't even be a story. If an EPIRB had been on the boat, thousands of dollars, resources, people and reputations would not be at risk. In my mind the EPIRB serves the rescuer as much as the people beeing rescued.

[rebel heart]

I'd focus a little more on seamanship and a little less on the safety isle at west marine. Plenty of people safely transited the oceans before the introduction of gizmos and lift rafts.

These conversations all seem to come down to "if he had x and y then it would be a different story" which may or may not be true, but GPS or not a DR plot is free and requires a pencil and a piece of paper with some grid lines you could hand draw.

Ingenuity and knowledge of the sea and your vessel are vastly superior to something painted orange with an antenna on top. Both are better, but go back through this thread and look for where anyone's brought up seamanship.

[Sand crab]

CG says possible hoax.
Coast Guard suspends search for missing boaters, citing possible hoax - CNN.com

[armido]

There are some very seaworthy boats under 30' capable of bluewater sailing. Owners of the Lyle Hess designed Norsea27 have completed global circumnavigations. Unless I missed something the type and make of boat is at the moment unknown. There are lots of scenarios I can think of that can cause a vessel to take on water and rapidly sink. Has anyone heard what the conditions were at the time of this incident?

Also, if radio transmissions being heard are broken and or filled with static how much credence can be given to reports people on the boat were jerry rigging a 'life raft'. I have tried with all my might to understand what is being said in transmissions of this type, but have come away understanding nothing.

My view is it is too early to conclude anything from the reports.

An EPIRB is the cheapest insurance available for anyone venturing even 1 nm offshore. And I have seen people perish that near shore simply because they could not be found.

armido

[Cpt Pat]

Originally Posted by rognvald

Well said, Boatman!

Except for the risk of capsizing in breaking seas, size doesn't matter. The Titanic was big.... If my little Pearson Ariel hit the same iceberg at hull speed, it'd make loud scraping sounds and then bounce off unscathed.

The counter-argument to the old saying: "all things being equal, a big boat is better than a small boat," is: "given the greater hydrodynamic forces on a big boat, a big boat that's just as strong as a little boat would be so heavy it wouldn't float."

I sail out of Pillar Point, and have heard CG communicating on VHF with vessels as far as 65 miles out. Their antennas are way up high on towers.

In this case, I too suspect a hoax. Listening to the final transmission posted by the CG, that skipper sounds awfully calm for somebody about to jump into 50 degree water. I'd have exhausted all the swear words I know in three languages... and invite the CG to come out and arrest me for swearing on the radio.

It's also hard to believe he was out there without at least a handheld GPS. While I won't argue too strongly for the intelligence of weekend sailors, I can't believe anyone would venture that far out without it.

If it's not a hoax, this case speaks volumes for why people should carry a modern radio with DSC capability. I've got an inexpensive handheld Standard Horizon radio with DSC and internal GPS, and I always tell my guests aboard: "If I fall overboard, please push that red button."

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I think the thing that disgusts me so much about the people calling this a hoax is that if it occurred near where I am I would be out on the boat helping with the search.

I find it absolutely abhorrent that some members here are pushing the hoax thing before good people have the chance to get out there and help too.

If it turns out to be a hoax so bit it. But this day when people on THIS forum call it a hoax instead of lending a hand to the search is the most pitiful day I've had on here.



Mark

Yeah, I cant stop thinking about those poor kids. The reality is , that without even a dingy... they are gone. You arent going to last in the cold pacific clinging to a cooler for more than 2 hours at the most.... even if the water is mirror calm.
Hopefully it IS a hoax. I understand there are a lot of boneheads out there doing hoax calls anymore....

[Cpt Pat]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

(...) I understand there are a lot of boneheads out there doing hoax calls anymore....

You're right. I've heard over a dozen in the last year here in the Bay Area. I hope the CG gets better direction finding capability so they can catch a few someday.

If you don't want your own distress call to be misinterpreted someday as a hoax, get a radio that has DSC and make sure it's connected or integrated internally with a GPS receiver. It'll cost you about as much as ten beers these days.