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Old 17-03-2018, 22:46   #1
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Sinking of Forever catamaran

https://knotanchored.com/2018/03/14/...-have-to-tell/

The catamaran formerly known as zero to cruising has sunk in Red Hook St Thomas, I feel very sorry that the owner lost their boat but I think the competence of the delivery crew should be brought into question.

They anchored off the channel to Red Hook St Thomas which is always rolly due to the amount of boat and ferry traffic then you have to deal with the prevailing winds which usually makes this anchorage a lee shore.

They said that the conditions were unusually windy and wavy but they opted to remain in this anchorage when there are much safer anchorages nearby

Apparently they dragged anchor and slept right through until they hit the rocks, this boat has a Mantus anchor which was 2 or 3 times oversized, no anchor alarm was set even though the conditions were lively.

Seemingly they made a half hearted attempt to save the boat, if the boat was their own would they have abandoned her so readily

Some cruisers turned up on the beach to offer assistance and were mildly rebuked

Who has a ditch bag ready to go when you are in an anchorage, on a passage yes.

The husband abandoned ship before his wife, she then abandoned ship and took some footage of the yacht on the rocks

The cruisers returned in a dinghy and tried in vain to save the boat while the delivery crew stood on the beach watching and they quoted
"Here was a guy who jumped into action with both feet and his girlfriend, as if it were his own boat at peril."

Maybe the delivery crew have composed the circumstances of this blog poorly but it doesn't make for comfortable reading
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Old 18-03-2018, 06:54   #2
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

Note to self, never use them for a delivery.
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Old 18-03-2018, 08:16   #3
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

Correction on the anchor, I believe it was the original Rocna anchor but not sure of the size
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Old 18-03-2018, 13:01   #4
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

When the weather is lively an anchor watch is mandatory. Apparently they had none. On this case delivery skippers are not liable by the owner or the insurance company?
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Old 18-03-2018, 13:18   #5
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

Quote:
Originally Posted by morpheus View Post
Correction on the anchor, I believe it was the original Rocna anchor but not sure of the size
note to myself:

never relax due to 2-3 x oversized anchor. Next time buy smaller anchor so proper watch is maintained when warranted.

I bet these guys were reading CF and went to sleep after hoisting large anchor.

Clever boys, they should not listen CF
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Old 19-03-2018, 08:36   #6
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

I am baffled, when we were there in 1984 it was calm and barely enough wind for our engineless boat to get inside to a slip.
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Old 19-03-2018, 08:55   #7
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

Anchor Alarm on GPS.

Like brushing your teeth before bed, just do it.

What a waste
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Old 19-03-2018, 09:19   #8
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

It's often a lively anchorage, but that's not the half of it. Even before Irma and Maria, it was a very inconsistent bottom, with lots of fouling. I only stay there when absolutely imperative, having brought up some rather unusual stuff on my anchor. No surprise that most folks who keep their boats there use moorings.

I always set my anchor very hard to test it against dragging (also use GPS alarm), and about one time in three, I pull the anchor out when doing so. Spade A200, which is really big.
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Old 19-03-2018, 09:27   #9
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

I live here and have for ten years. The weather that week was the worst that we have seen since the Hurricanes. We had sustained winds well into the twenties for days. Gusts over thirty. Weird angles and directions south, south west etc. I wouldn't stay in that anchorage overnight on anything but a settled night. Might not even then. Due to Ferry Traffic. I haven't found the need to overnight there in ten years except once on the dock at AYH when I had company in town and the wanted to go out. Christmas cove is twenty minutes away.
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Old 19-03-2018, 09:33   #10
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

I've anchored there before--its crowded and the bottom is dodgy. If it was a windier than normal night, I would have probably set an anchor alarm and slept lightly.

They went out for sushi with friends. Alcohol may have been involved.
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Old 19-03-2018, 11:36   #11
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

There are so many types of anchor alarms why non? Radar, GPS, depth finder, waking up every two hours or someone on watch. Delivery crew or delivery Capt.? A bunch of kids willing to work for the trip hardly is a crew.
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Old 19-03-2018, 13:15   #12
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

I watched a small sail boat named 'Banshee' blown ashore and dashed to total destruction over a two hour period against the outside of the Vancouver maritime museum breakwater of their heritage harbour a few years ago. and as it came in I thought of trying to jump on it to save it. Then thought better of it. Only to learn from watching just how dangerous that would have been. So I know how easy it is to be critical from a comfortable arm chair position.

However clearly the time to save from the situation described was while the crew were still on it? Did those on shore who intended to help actually get that message across? Perhaps not which was regrettable. That might have encouraged those on board to stay longer. However at the end of the day it seems to me that they did not have enough skin in the game.

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Old 19-03-2018, 13:39   #13
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

If correct, it is clear to me that a failure to have an anchor watch (at least electronic with alarm, and augmented by human visual checks themselves augmented by a wake up alarm) was a, if not the, problem. Nonetheless, the OP, for some reason, seems intent on creating a hit piece, not just providing commentary/information. Why else the remark about the ditch bag? I did not, and know of no one who would, unpack a ditch bag upon arrival at an anchorage.
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Old 19-03-2018, 21:09   #14
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

"So I know how easy it is to be critical from a comfortable arm chair position"

I live on my boat in New Zealand after me and my wife sailed her across the South Pacific last year
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Old 20-03-2018, 03:51   #15
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Re: Sinking of Forever catamaran

Guys, this does NOT appear to be the result of a delivery crew.

If you read thier blog, on Dec 17, 2017 they said- “We had no experience sailing and really no idea what we were doing, but we did it. We pulled the plug and went for it”

That seems to say it all.
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