Two Dead, Seven Hurt in San Diego Sailboat Accident

[FrankZ]

CNN reported this was a 25 foot boat not a 35 foot one. I can see that causing some additional stability concerns with the number of people aboard. If it also was missing a keel... that might be enough to make her extra tippy.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Maybe it was a power boat and the news people have no idea what they're talking about.

Wouldn't be the first time I've read a "marine incident" story almost completely free of the critical information that matters to me. Hell, maybe it was an inflatable kids' swimming pool. Lubberly reporters are frequently clueless. Or clewless.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Neo

Latest News Feed, 2 Dead, 1 Critical

2 dead, 8 injured as sailboat sinks off San Diego | Top AP Stories | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

10 people on a 25 foot sailboat...if it was a sailboat...is getting a little snug.
"Hey, everybody! Come look at the fishies off the port lifelines...oops..."

[foamcore]

Rebel Heart, I understand completely. My first cruise started in San Francisco and I got to San Diego using AAA road maps and binoculars!

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Maybe it was a power boat and the news people have no idea what they're talking about.

I'm thinking you nailed it. The hull looks like the under side of a small power boat. I even see the tail of an outboard sticking up.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by kjames

Rebel Heart, potentially stupid question from novice here. What would you do differently now. Would you simply not go anywhere without GPS / Charts? Cheers

I wouldn't go anywhere without a chart for sure. GPS is pretty stable these days but even without it you can keep a pretty good DR going provided you have somewhere to chart it.

So I guess bare minimum is some piloting skills (DR, 3 LOP stuff, etc) a chart, notebook, and some basic chart tools. Beyond that I take some binoculars, a handheld GPS, handheld VHF, and a hand bearing compass.

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Navigation by following depth contours is hallowed and respected method.

Now if you had only had a chart . . .

But still I think you're being somewhat hard on yourself.

Well thanks for that, but I had a girlfriend on board so I still look back at that as being a pretty foolhardy move. I knew like half of what I needed to do, so I didn't have lights on, but I was using the correct fog signals. It was fun back in those days though. I remember getting all screwed up in San Pedro harbor with sails going all over the place and having some harbor patrol boat yell at me on the VHF. Oh memories.

[Lancerbye]

It looks to me in the top picture to be a sail boat hull with no Keel and an outboard on it, which is common on sailboats of the smaller variety. One question however is where is the keel, and the waterline. No bottom paint? Need better pictures. This is a sad and strange situation.

[Dockhead]

I believe that's the underbody of MacGregor 26. If someone forgot to fill the water ballast tanks, you could have a capsize even in benign conditions. I believe the Mac 26 has little to no stability without the ballast tanks full. I would bet that that is what happened.

You can't see a centerboard slot in the photo because the swing keel is swung up in its trunk.

No bottom paint because it is a trailer sailer.

[Lancerbye]

Rebel Heart's memories reminded me of a time before chart plotters and GPS when I was fuelling up at the marina dock in Kitimat, at the end of the Douglas channel, when a guy wearing a cowboy hat and piloting a 45 ft. Trojan Sports fishing boat pulls up to the fuel dock and the attendant starts fueling him up. We get to talking and he tells me that he is on his way to Alaska from Portland Or. (this is around 1978) So he asks me which would be the best route out to Prince Rupert. I reply that I can show him some suggestions on his chart. He pulls out a road map and I just about fell off the dock. I show him a course on my charts and he tells me that these were very nice maps and where can he get one. I introduced him to the sales person in the marine store at the dock who sold him an arm full of charts. He went happily on his way while I stood there dumbfounded shaking my head.

[s/v 'Faith']

I am very sorry for all involved, and the families of those who were lost.




Did anyone else read the title and wonder who was sailing in South Dakota?

[seasick]

Reports vary on the size of the vessel from 25' to 36'. My guess is that it is a 25 footer with a retractable keel that was never extended.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I believe that's the underbody of MacGregor 26. If someone forgot to fill the water ballast tanks, you could have a capsize even in benign conditions. I believe the Mac 26 has little to no stability without the ballast tanks full. I would bet that that is what happened.

You can't see a centerboard slot in the photo because the swing keel is swung up in its trunk.

No bottom paint because it is a trailer sailer.

What an interesting design. MACGREGOR 26 HOME PAGE

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Lancerbye

Rebel Heart's memories reminded me of a time before chart plotters and GPS when I was fuelling up at the marina dock in Kitimat, at the end of the Douglas channel, when a guy wearing a cowboy hat and piloting a 45 ft. Trojan Sports fishing boat pulls up to the fuel dock and the attendant starts fueling him up. We get to talking and he tells me that he is on his way to Alaska from Portland Or. (this is around 1978) So he asks me which would be the best route out to Prince Rupert. I reply that I can show him some suggestions on his chart. He pulls out a road map and I just about fell off the dock. I show him a course on my charts and he tells me that these were very nice maps and where can he get one. I introduced him to the sales person in the marine store at the dock who sold him an arm full of charts. He went happily on his way while I stood there dumbfounded shaking my head.

My dad and I met a guy in the fog one time off of San Diego, en route to Catalina. A guy on a power boat came over and asked us which way to Catalina, so my dad replied with a compass heading and even corrected giving him true as well. The guy shakes his head, says he doesn't have a compass, and just wants us to point. That was ~60 miles away in open water.

Fortune favors the foolish and the prepared it seems.

[seasick]

Pretty certain you nailed it with the MacGregor 26 with empty ballast tanks assessment,
Dockhead. Put 10 people on one side and the outcome is never good.

[four winds]

Some interesting anecdotes here, good reading and entertaining.

There are quite a few McGregor 26s around here. I was going to suggest that could be the boat in question but I'm too much of a newbie to be so bold.

The McG 26 looks practically like a power boat on the trailer.