Lost while the wife slept

[ozskipper]

The search is continuing for a yachtsman who went missing from his boat in waters off Sydney's northern beaches.
He was sailing with his wife who was asleep when he vanished from the yacht off Collaroy beach on Sunday afternoon.
Aircraft with thermal imaging devices searched non-stop overnight for the 57-year-old man.
Police and volunteers also searched the nearby coastline overnight in case he made it to shore.

More here..
Search for missing yachtsman continues

[cat man do]

He wasn't wearing a life jacket.

Or a harness
Or a harness thats a lifejacket

For less than $200, why the hell dont people wear them?

[pullord]

Originally Posted by cat man do

Or a harness
Or a harness thats a lifejacket

For less than $200, why the hell dont people wear them?

-sad, probably went topside to check rhe rigging,drain the dragon and get some fresh air as many of us have done.Thermal imaging fly-bys is sure hightech and wonder if that was used to search for single-hander lost by st.lucia months ago while fixing motor.Bee safe on the water is great advice as one slip is all it takes. For less tha 50 a carabeener and belt can be quickly snapped onto a stay but i have left it in the cockpit unused many times as well.Perhaps they will find him with that thermal equip if he can stay afloat.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Thermal imaging on a head size target is a bitch, but better thab bothing, the warm waters of the Caribbean would be really hard.

It is a shame about this, but when safety relaxes this is what happens..

[Boracay]

The conditions yesterday were almost as perfect as they can get off Sydney in winter.

Swell about 0.5m, temp 8 to 21 degrees Celsius, light winds...

Only less than perfect note was that the seas at 1.5m could have been pretty rough and bouncy, specially with light winds. On a light modern yacht...

Note to self: Install harness attachment points before ever venturing past the heads again.

[hpeer]

I ALWAYS wear my inflatable jacket and keep tethers here and there around the deck. Cheap home made type but lots of them.

My condolences to all. I can't imagine the panic, fear, remorse, tremendous loss, what-ever I would feel should something similar happen to me.

It must be agony.

[pullord]

yes,the sea is a merciless and relentless medium to travel over as my mom fell out of a car when young and survived but the sea requires effort just to stay afloat.Often wonder if some of the devices i have seen on movies is actually available as i seen on "navy seals" the actors using thermal imaging to shoot terrorists through a wall but thought such device BS. Wonder if small epirb/elt is available that when energized allows authorities to triangulate on its position as i seen on "james bond movie".That would be handy/safety tool to get if combined with cellphone and waterproof.Have never even seen waterproof cell-phone advertised but i would think someone produces it.AT least a guy could call for help while the crew sleeps. Must search around net to see what new hightech stuff is available that is compact enough to be kept on oneself pockets.

[sww914]

Sounds like my boat's maiden voyage. She was down below sleeping and he disappeared. She was blind and couldn't sail and all alone and they were 300-400 miles offshore, way beyond VHF range. Some Coast Guard or Navy boat found her 4-6 weeks later. She was completely mad and has never recovered. The boat was fine, it had survived a hurricane with her aboard and the sails were in tatters.

[savoir]

Strange business. The weather was so calm he was motoring not sailing. Can't have been hit by the boom.

Heart attack maybe ?

[Prerequisite]

I can't speak for the folks down in Sydney, but the thermal imagery I fly with in USCG helicopters isn't ideal for searching for heads in warm water as "Unicorn Dreams" mentioned. Hopefully they find this guy but unfortunately I'd be surprised if they do. Not enough can be said in favor of harnesses, life jackets, PLBs and the like.


Safe sailing.

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by Boracay

The conditions yesterday were almost as perfect as they can get off Sydney in winter.

Swell about 0.5m, temp 8 to 21 degrees Celsius, light winds...

Only less than perfect note was that the seas at 1.5m could have been pretty rough and bouncy, specially with light winds. On a light modern yacht...

Note to self: Install harness attachment points before ever venturing past the heads again.

Similar weather around Newcastle with light offshore and barely any swell. In reality the kind of weather when few would wear safety gear.

As suggested above, it makes you wonder if he had a heart attack or something equally horrid might have happened?

[S/V Alchemy]

Skipper's privilege became a curse? Fiddling with one's fly has drowned more than one captain, although to be fair, he might've had a dizzy spell or a heart attack at the rail.

He might have been depressed, as well. A news report isn't likely to go into that sort of detail.

Lastly, one has to wonder how the two of them got along. There's only her word that she "woke up to find herself alone". Given a drop of the right drug in the coffee and some surplus chain, it would be a perfect crime, this "I woke up alone" business.

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Skipper's privilege became a curse? Fiddling with one's fly has drowned more than one captain, although to be fair, he might've had a dizzy spell or a heart attack at the rail.

He might have been depressed, as well. A news report isn't likely to go into that sort of detail.

Lastly, one has to wonder how the two of them got along. There's only her word that she "woke up to find herself alone". Given a drop of the right drug in the coffee and some surplus chain, it would be a perfect crime, this "I woke up alone" business.

It is just as horrid to be considering these possibilities when persons might be genuinely grieving, Regardless, I think you just summed up the "something equally [as] horrid" category.

[S/V Alchemy]

I didn't pretend that it wasn't horrid to contemplate a crime instead of a straightforward piece of accident/misfortune. But it would be naive not to consider it in any situation where two go out and only one returns. Hell, it's been the plot for any number of books and movies.

I seem to recall a boat was found adrift in Torres Strait two or three years ago adrift and empty, with signs of a recent meal still on the table and three or four guys missing. Was that one ever figured out?

[ozskipper]

Its the oldest story in the book. Most people go overboard in nice weather. In bad weather they hang on and take care. Normally, in nice weather, the person is retrieved quickly and the only downside is some embarrasment. Sadly, its not the case with this story.