What Are the Details of this Horrible Sailboat Accident?

[SabreKai]

From all the posts so far, it appears no one knows anything about the incident other than what we see on the vid.

My big question is did anyone survive?

Sabre

[Celestialsailor]

My feeling is a non-boater was at the helm and did not know the tiller is pushed the opposite way of the boats direction.

[CharlieCobra]

Originally Posted by Bark

Are you sure this is the same incident? First, a boat would not go from stuck on the bottom to full speed ahead in just seconds.

Also, how did three adults not see a HUGE ferry just dozens of meters away?

Also, the person on the bow appears to be a child...if it were in fact an adult "Captain", why did he just sit there calmly while the sailboat veered right into the ferry's path? The person never even moves...

Yes, I got the info from someone who is a personal friend of the owner. Of course, that might be what was told to the insurance company.... I've had newbie helmsmen turn the wrong way with my boats because a tiller is NOT intuitive. The captain in the cockpit dove off the boat when the crossing was eminent, I would've FIRED his a$$ later....

As for acceleration, you've never been aboard Oh Joy. She'll bury the fantail at full throttle from a dead stop and get to hull speed very quickly. Of course, she does have 20 more HP than she needs, or she did...

[Bark]

Originally Posted by CharlieCobra

Yes, I got the info from someone who is a personal friend of the owner. Of course, that might be what was told to the insurance company.... I've had newbie helmsmen turn the wrong way with my boats because a tiller is NOT intuitive. The captain in the cockpit dove off the boat when the crossing was eminent, I would've FIRED his a$$ later....

As for acceleration, you've never been aboard Oh Joy. She'll bury the fantail at full throttle from a dead stop and get to hull speed very quickly. Of course, she does have 20 more HP than she needs, or she did...

Thanks. So was anyone killed? Was the boat totalled? Are there any pics or articles or anything about the incident on the web? I imagine there must be a coast guard report or something? Where did it happen?

[Eleven]

In Southampton Water I often travel by ferry. More accidents are avoided by their patience and good humour (sic) than we sailors, and motor men, ever deserve.

[Dave the Canuck]

Attempted Murder? Intended victim on the bow while the villain steers into the path of the boat and bails from the stern.

[CharlieCobra]

Originally Posted by Bark

Thanks. So was anyone killed? Was the boat totalled? Are there any pics or articles or anything about the incident on the web? I imagine there must be a coast guard report or something? Where did it happen?

The boat was torn up and run completely down. They raised the remains and rebuilt her again. That's the thing about wood boats. You couldn't do that with frozen snot. Nobody was killed or even seriously injured. I don't know where it happened.

[Morgan Paul]

I found this on YouTube. Apparently the guy who wrote this new someone involved in the wreck.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

The location of this incident happened in the channel heading out of inner Hyannis harbor in Cape Cod Massachusetts. The boat crash happened right by buoy 13 off of Kalmus beach in Hyannis. Prior to these 17seconds of amature video, there had be a minute or so of radio calls between the sail boat (under power) and the ferry boat.

The ferry boat would not give the sail boat enough room for the skipper to safely maneuver through the channel because of a sandbar and jetty off to the left side of the camera. As a last ditch effort, the skipper of the sail boat did try to maneuver towards the other side of the channel but as you can see, the ferry did not slow down, due to the fact they wanted to stay on schedual he said over the radio and therefore this collision did happen.

This case was brought to court and both parties were found to be at fault. In the end it came down to the fact that neither the skipper of the sail boat nor the steam ship authority captain wanted to yield to the other party and this is how it ended. There was much more that went on before and after this 17 second video was shot so one cannot assume that they know everything from this video.

As for blowing of horns, this did happen before the amature camera person began to record, this is why you do not her it. As for the previous discussion on the use of slowing down and reverse to avoid this collision, I saw it happen this past summer (2007) with the same ferry company and the captain did slow down and go into reverse to avoid a collision with an oncoming sail boat

As for this discussion though, I am going to end it here because this incident happened in the 1980s and it is now done and over. The boat has been restored and is now once again in Hyannis Harbor in Hyannis, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. Also, to the person who posted this video, the skipper of the sail boat did sue and won the lawsuit many years ago that this video is not to be used in any sort of public media so please be respectful of the video. As of now, the discussion ends here.

[SabreKai]

Originally Posted by CharlieCobra

The boat was torn up and run completely down. They raised the remains and rebuilt her again. That's the thing about wood boats. You couldn't do that with frozen snot.

LMBOROTF

Charlie you are scream sometimes!

Sabre

[Bark]

Originally Posted by Morgan Paul

I found this on YouTube. Apparently the guy who wrote this new someone involved in the wreck.

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

I don't believe any of that. First, the guy who wrote that on youtube appears to be a troll there.

But secondly and more importantly, his account makes no sense. The sailboat obviously had enough water under her to be underway. If she were about to run aground she would not be running full speed in ANY direction.

Also, 25 years ago, how may people had handheld video cameras? Damn few. And in this case, one which just *happened* to be on for what, just seconds before the incident, looked like a routine ferry ride?

[Gene :^)]

The story might work, see chart... Sailboat heading South, Ferry coming North. 240ft wide channel, you would think they could share :^)

[senormechanico]

It smacks of "bogus" to me as well. The sailboat was motoring at speed, no sign of too much wind or any other restriction. I don't see any channel markers nearby.
The helmsman did a 90 degree at the last minute. It sure looks like he tried to kill the person on the bow to me.

There are channels in Puget Sound just as restricted as that one which also have ferry traffic. Rich Channel going into Bremerton, the channel into Eagle Harbor just to name a couple. The San Juan Islands also have some tight spots like that as well. Wasp Passage for example. I've never heard of anyone being run down in any of those places.

[Gene :^)]

I should specify, I don't agree with the supposed outcome of the story. I just think it "might" have actually happened in the location and for the reasons stated. Right or Wrong.

I think the Sailboat operator was in error and should have either stopped and waited or turned to Starboard and circled around until the Ferry cleared the sandbar/jetty.

Clearly, if it happened in this location, the Ferry had the channel first and was limited in maneuvering options. The Sailboat had open water and could have maneuvered in many ways to avoid a tight situation.

[teejayevans]

Originally Posted by Gene :^)

I think the Sailboat operator was in error and should have either stopped and waited or turned to Starboard and circled around until the Ferry cleared the sandbar/jetty.
.

It cuts across the path of a much larger boat and you THINK it was in error? Let me help you out here, it was in error, and if I was the ferry owner I would sue the survivors for messing up my paint job!
Tom

[Bark]

I'm really amazed that it's so hard to find factual info about this. The youtube comments are obviously a bunch of bunk.