Vessel sinks off NJ

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by zeehag

wood boats donot sink in same manner as do plastic ones. is why one waits until last possible second to leave boat in a disastrous event such as bertie suffered. had a plank sprung she 'd-a gone down like a clown, but seems to have been rolled....
wondering ..how does one encapsulate a wooden boats keel.....

The keel is through bolted. Depending on how Bertie was built, she could have fiberglass and resin-encapsulated keel, but that's just for waterproofing. It would add some strength but not enough to hold a weighted keel to the hull.

I just read that Bertie was a sailing barge. SO she had internal balast that sould have been secured under floor.

[jhulmer]

A friend of mine was out there that night on his self-built Steel sailboat Island Rose. He was making his way north single-handing back to Maine.


He sent me a screen shot of his radar and this statement.


"That's me in the eye of the dragon on the radar. Just could not get that storm off the top of me last night for four hours. Lightening struck so close that I swear I thought I could hear the water sizzling nearby afterwards. 35-45 kts gusts and raining cats and dogs. Damn. I tried to say below. Mr. Happy, the autopilot gave it up a couple times and I had to run out and save the boat at the helm in that crap. Smooth at sunrise this morning. Cape May only 33nm away."



Wasn't what the magazines promise that night for sure!

[Apollo366]

Remember Slocum was lost at sea in Spray.
It was believed that Spray was capsized and just as stable inverted as upright due to the hull design. Loose ballast may have may also have been a factor.

Slocum was an incredible seaman and master mariner, Read his book if you can get a copy, a truly great seas story of his circumnavigation and building of Spray.

[thlamers]

Such a shock to hear of the loss but wonderful that they made it to shore with help from a still functioning Coast Guard.

My wife and I were sailing on our 26 foot Cat, Chat de LaMer when we crossed paths with the couple and Bertie; first in Sister's Creek near Jacksonville, Florida and then at the anchorage off Sea Camp, Cumberland Island, Georgia; on May 8 2019.

They paid us a visit by dink and we gammed for about one-half hour, mostly about their boat and how the design evolved from Spray. A most remarkable story.

Their stated plan was to sail to New York and then lay up the boat for the winter in Maine for some work on the rudder. I am sorry they will not have the opportunity.

I concur on the internal ballast explanation but do hope Peter and Heidi can afford the time to chime in on this forum with their thoughts and recommendations on the event. I learned so much from them in just the brief time we talked. Maybe Slocum was right about shortening the rig on this type of craft. Gusts happen when one least expects them.

Tom and Evelyn LaMers

Chat de LaMer
Yellow Springs, Ohio

[Akafred]

its A heartbreaking sight but happy to hear the crew survived..

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Are you implying that flooding from a sprung plank is somehow worse than the flooding that this vessel has when lying on her side, essentially awash? Doesn't make sense to me, Zee!

I think the ballast somehow has parted company, or possibly shifted drastically inside, but I await real info with great interest.

Jim

Thats an odd one, but then Sprays dont have a deep or moderately deep ballast keel, so I wonder the boats self rightening ability when it heels past hull stability.
Either way sad story.

[NorthCoastJoe]

Sad to hear, hope all goes well.
In 1986 I built a steel spray replica with my father that he drew from Slocumbs original lines. The keel was the backbone of the hull no external ballast. My father and I sailed on Ed Davis's wooden Spray out of SouthWest Harbor Maine, that Ed built himself in the early 1980's, internal ballast again. Sounds like almost any boat in their situation with companionway open when they got hit would have had the same fate. On the plus side it floated giving a larger target for SAR to see.

In doing research on the Spray there is a original news clip in the Fairhaven library vault stating that Slocumb was run down by a freighter in the night.

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by zeehag

https://45to60.wordpress.com/tag/svbertie/ includes pictures of underwater bits..
for info on bertie before incident

And a link to their gofundme page, if enyone else wants to tip in:


https://www.gofundme.com/1niftccdio?...supporters-v5b


Wishing them all the best for their future, on land or back on the water.

[AlanCB]

Originally Posted by B23iL23

Ballast shifted - I'm with you on that. Nothing else would account for the boat failing to come upright again (apart from the keel parting.. but not on this boat).



What a shame. Glad everyone is ok.

Kasten Marine has an analysis of the original Spray stability curve - with a calculated loss of stability at 100 degrees.

38' SPRAY - Making An Icon Suitable for Voyaging

[Sputnik]

Very sad story.

I am trying to use the gofundme website via the link......the site won't allow me to input my Debit Card details.....WTF!

[Hardhead]

I love the Spray design, and Capt. Slocumb is someone I can read over and over. However, I happened to come across a naval architect's comprehensive analysis of the Spray design one time, and the gist of it was, she's a great design, but once she heels over a certain degree, there is serious trouble. Bertie surely was a beautiful boat, and I really hope they get back to where they want to be. I'd love to have a Spray replica for many reasons - no design is perfect.