Mono in distress

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Dunno if I would call the weather in the last few days 'normal' either in the Tasman or the North Island .. I read somewhere that the wx up the top of the N Island is a 'once in a hundred year' event Widespread flooding, slips, road chaos as rain continues around North Island - National - NZ Herald News

A photo taken on the Manly ferry two days ago... inside the Heads ..

The 100yr event was 1200nm away. The un-normal part was the wind and wave direction
I've only done the trip twice and both had parts that were a bit like that, but we had a rudder

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Wottie, it's a reference to a bun fight on another thread.

A.

Yes Ann, I get that. IMO it would be nice if folk could contain their bun fights within the threads in which they originate in rather than inflecting unsullied threads.

One would think the loss of the vessel, the rescue of the crew, the effectiveness of the SAR process, the weather etc would be more interesting topics to discuss and mull in a cruising forum over rather than lobbing hand grenades where they are not appropriate

Ah well, might be better if I took another CF holiday...

[Wotname]

A little more info here Sailors rescued in rough seas off Sydney - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[Wotname]

And a short interview with the crew here Yachties sailing from NZ to Australia rescued from Tasman Sea in waves the size of buildings | Stuff.co.nz

[Wotname]

I reckon reporter Sharon Marris isn't a sailor

Quote "The pair were sailing from New Zealand to Australia when the rudder broke on Saturday, followed by the 20ft yacht capsizing several times before they activated an emergency beacon on Tuesday."

From here Yacht rescue couple 'were looking death in the eye'

[Jim van Cleve]

These are seriously capable mariners in a well found boat.
When they pulled the pin on the EPIRB, it was time.
They are well known and respected in Fiji.
Wishing them the very best.

Fijijim
SY Kalokalo, P35 1968
Suva, Fiji

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by DumnMad

The 100yr event was 1200nm away. The un-normal part was the wind and wave direction
I've only done the trip twice and both had parts that were a bit like that, but we had a rudder

A big bit or a little bit?

SE'ly gales on the NSW coast for how many days now? Apply a little bit of south going current along the NSW coast and you have some serious stuff.

That is a very nasty weather system... which doesn't look very nasty at all on the last week's analysis.

[TJ D]

A happy ending. Everyone involved sounds like they handled things in a really professional manner, including the rescued. Well done.

I'm glad nobody bit on turning this one into some kind of a mono/multi nonsense contest.

Stuff happens to even the best sailors. Unless you never leave the dock. Rudders never break in the slip.

TJ

[TJ D]

I just managed to get a video clip to load here on our goofy satellite internet. I loved the part where the guy was describing the conditions and he celled it the 'beautiful glory of terror'.

I think that anybody who has really had their butts handed to them out there understands this sentiment completely.

Great story.

TJ

[Steadman Uhlich]

Excerpt from another news report:

"Sergeant Paul Farquharson of New South Wales Police told ABC that the conditions were "pretty testing" for the rescuers, saying: "It was around five to six metre seas with two-and-a-half metres wind chop on top, with around 40 knots of wind."

He described the sailors as "very, very experienced", adding: "They had their heads switched on, they knew exactly what they were doing at all times so there were no issues with that whatsoever."

Describing the ordeal, Mr Dwyer said: "We were actually turned upside down and there was a moment where everything was held in suspension.

"We weren't at all sure whether the boat was going to turn upright or whether we were going to see a burst of water coming through the door into the aft cabin and that was the end of that.

"We were lucky enough that the boat did come back up and subsequently we got knocked over again several times and we just took a hell of a battering.

"We encountered enormous seas, waves the size of buildings coming at you constantly, winds that you can't stand up in and seas breaking, whiteness everywhere."

SOURCE
Yacht rescue couple 'were looking death in the eye'

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Hard to believe that boat rolled, rig still completely intact, dinghy on deck, Radar and Solar panels still there.

Having see a few examples limping into Horta, Azores over the years I share your surprise.. 2 years ago there was a steel boat from Halifax that got hammered on a W-E crossing and he even lost his steel bins, feet welded onto the deck.. lost his mast with the first roll then slowly had the topsides stripped with each roll after that..

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Hard to believe that boat rolled, rig still completely intact, dinghy on deck, Radar and Solar panels still there.

In big sea, with just the right wave period and wave steepness, and them broadside, it could very well have been a slow roll. Boat slide backwards down an approaching wave, turned rudder put them broadside and they stuffed the stern, wave pushed them over, past the point of no return, then slowly came up again one side or the other. It might not have been a violent incident.

[boatman61]

Interview on Sky they claim to have been rolled 'several times'..
Also.. having laid ahull in 60+ knots in the N Atlantic for 4 days without being rolled or going backwards down a wave as you describe I'm even more surprised that the wind steering rudder appears to be intact.. woulda thought that would have snapped in your scenario.

[barnakiel]

I am glad the guys are fine.

Too bad the rudder snapped and as someone noticed a rudder failure tends to lead to very bad results. It is clear these guys were fighting but an approaching storm did not let them get her safely home. Too bad but kudos for trying in the times when so many others simply press the red button without much concern for whether this is truly necessary.

My side thought is: why is it that heavy monos designed with "seaworthiness as the determining factor" in mind tend to 'roll' (mast down) while modern racers built for speed in same conditions just wipe out (mast horizontal or in the water but still above the AVS) ?

Is this up to design? Is this up to our skills?

Or is this a difference in how cruisers vs. racers describe (and see) the daily events of the sailing life.

Cheers,
b.

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by boatman61

She looks salvageable if he left a locator beacon on board and can get a ride back out there.

He's going to have a go

Nick Dwyer keen to resume world trip after dramatic rescue