When do you abandon ship?

[TooCoys]

Over the last few days I've been, for some reason, watching a lot of rough seas videos. I'll get stuck in the youtube rabbit hole, and video after video plays.

On multiple videos of boats sinking, or partially sinking, the owners stayed with their boats. Is this something that they do out of respect for the sea and vessel, or is it required by law?

[SV Bacchus]

Originally Posted by TooCoys

Over the last few days I've been, for some reason, watching a lot of rough seas videos. I'll get stuck in the youtube rabbit hole, and video after video plays.

On multiple videos of boats sinking, or partially sinking, the owners stayed with their boats. Is this something that they do out of respect for the sea and vessel, or is it required by law?

I've watched a couple of those and it appears they have a had time letting go. The boat is their home, their investment and an extension of themselves.

I dunno for sure, just an opinion..

[jwcolby54]

Originally Posted by TooCoys

Over the last few days I've been, for some reason, watching a lot of rough seas videos. I'll get stuck in the youtube rabbit hole, and video after video plays.

On multiple videos of boats sinking, or partially sinking, the owners stayed with their boats. Is this something that they do out of respect for the sea and vessel, or is it required by law?

Naw, they stay on board because some ... what to call them... "posters / eco protesters" from the forums will complain about their leaving a hazard in the middle of the ocean, no plan for recovering it etc. Call them fuzzy brained school children etc.

Can't have that. Better to go down with the boat!

[a64pilot]

I won't leave mine unless it sinks from under me, I figure it is better equipped to handle whatever than a life raft or dinghy, and you always have that as a last resort.

On edit, it is not all that uncommon to hear of a boat that survived after being abandoned, not as uncommon as I would have thought anyway.


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[TooCoys]

So there isn't some kind of law that says you must stay with it then? Its a choice they make?

[SaltyMonkey]

can you share with us some of these so called videos so we can have a relative idea of what you are speaking about?

[Delancey]

I recommend you abandon ship the minute your wife gets scared. Beats listening to her complain. Just push a button and they come get you! Easy peasy.

[Adelie]

No there isn't a law.

But as A64pilot says stay with the boat. The only reason I would get off my boat while still afloat is if it were on fire.

Even in a state of complete shambles it is a better place to ride out any storm or any other adversity I can think of as long as it's afloat.

Liferafts are not nearly as durable as even an injured mothercraft. There are enough stories to bear this out of folks taking to rafts when they thought the boat was going down only to have the boats recovered days or even weeks later.


A house is but a boat so poorly built and so firmly run aground you would never try to refloat it.

[quill]

You know the old saying,
"Don't abandon ship until you have to climb up to get into your dinghy"

[TooCoys]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

can you share with us some of these so called videos so we can have a relative idea of what you are speaking about?

I can't recall the titles of all the others, but this is one that I was just watching that got me thinking about it.

Towards the middle of the video, they talk about sleeping on the deck and the coast guard or officers coming by to check on them during the night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeMVCL6t8vQ

[Sea Dreaming]

Well obviously they are near land, their boat is very salvagable. Sine they are in little danger, leaving the boat means another can claim salvage. No one abandons their home knowing another can take it.

Edit: I did not watch the video

[SaltyMonkey]

Oh wow. This is sad, but quite different than what I expected which was someone in the middle of the atlantic.

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Liferafts are not nearly as durable as even an injured mothercraft.

Ain't that the truth. Unfortunately, there are no hard lifecraft you can take on a small sailboat like:

[TooCoys]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Oh wow. This is sad, but quite different than what I expected which was someone in the middle of the atlantic.

I've seen a few of those as well, I just can't recall which videos they are.

[Don C L]

Yeah that is a different situation. I have not been in a situation where I feared I'd lose my boat out from under me, but if I were I would, as quill says, wait till I had to step up to the life raft, not because I'd find it hard to let go, but many abandoned boats do survive, and even flooded a bit (if it isn't holed and taking on water) is still likely better than a liferaft.