Regret to Inform Have Lost my Boat off Honduras...

[Wrong]

It might be helpful if we all asked questions first, allowed the OP to answer then in a separate thread perform our analysis.

Just saying.

[neilpride]

I work as a delivery Skipper in the past and spend few years as a captain in a long private yacht, loosing a boat for many of us is a huge black spot in our CV and probably the end of our career, is amazing this days the amount of boats lost or floating around in the midle of nowhere for strange
circumstances.

I blame this days boat gizmos, yeah i have few in my boat, but anyway basically the new era of sailors put their fait and trust in so many devices and forgot to learn basic skills , saying that ... maybe the 80% of the sailing comunity dont know how to use a sextant, probably the 50% dont know how to rig storm sails, and could be the 50% in case of chartploter fail combined with another tricky failure pulling the trigger. Amazing to see a big bay full of anchored boats and in the horizon a boat grounded and no one giving a crap... and when i say boat gizmos i include that litle 30 gm yanmar,,, but well, years agoo the sea is populated by maybe 4 millions of sailors , this days we are 20 million, examples.... and a huge percentage dont have basic skills to be offshore, the OP is in this percentage ,
saying that there is a saying like ,,, dont go to the sea with fear, just with respect.... Cheers...

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by Don L

Boats get abandoned due to a series of problems that finally over whelm the people on the boat so that they make decisions that they may not have with a clear head. The biggest learning thing I get out of these threads is hopefully to know know that my fears are bigger than the problem if I ever get into the situation.

Don:

So true as I found one morning at o' dark thirty:
THE BIANKA LOG BLOG: LESSON LEARNED: Fear and Panic in East Hampton
A simple issue had me at first thinking about scrubbing the voyage before I left the harbor. But, a little clear headed analysis of the problem after the initial panic solved the problem and I continued on.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

I think that aside from the specific mistakes made here, there is a larger question of adequacy of preparation by new cruisers (which may or may not apply to this particular case). Simply put, there are a lot of folks who have acquired a boat and are going cruising now, with no intention of investing the time and effort to prepare themselves and their boat for the rigors and risks of ocean cruising. We live in a world of instant gratification, and woe be to anyone who suggests that a new owner needs to wait, gain local experience, and prepare before making their cruising dreams come true. I hope that the OP's experiences both serve as a learning opportunity for all of us, but more importantly also as a warning for those who would happily slip the lines before doing their homework.

No one can ever be 100% ready for anything the sea can dish out to a sailor in a small boat. Not even 90% ready. Not even 50% ready, probably.

We were all beginners once and we all learned most of what we know by making mistakes, mostly stupid ones. By the grace of God, they didn't kill us, and most of us didn't lose boats, but it could have happened to any of us.

I'm not saying you shouldn't learn anything -- of course you should. You need to know a lot of things, and you need to have a lot of skills, including how to fix broken systems. It's also very useful to be tough, resourceful, and stubborn by one's character. But not any single one of us waited to go to sea until we had amassed very many of the needed skills -- not one. In this sport, the training is mostly of the school of hard knocks variety. In my opinion, it's ridiculous to blame someone for going to sea "unprepared" -- we are all unprepared, to some degree or another, every time we go to sea. You get gradually better prepared as you learn from making mistakes -- that's the only way forward. But you're still only relatively prepared. And anyone who thinks otherwise is making just one more rookie mistake.

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by ullar

Great caption! Can't wait to read it

You should post one of them here. You'll likely be advised to get a new hobby.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

No one can ever be 100% ready for anything the sea can dish out to a sailor in a small boat. Not even 90% ready. Not even 50% ready, probably.

We were all beginners once and we all learned most of what we know by making mistakes, mostly stupid ones. By the grace of God, they didn't kill us, and most of us didn't lose boats, but it could have happened to any of us.

I'm not saying you shouldn't learn anything -- of course you should. You need to know a lot of things, and you need to have a lot of skills, including how to fix broken systems. It's also very useful to be tough, resourceful, and stubborn by one's character. But not any single one of us waited to go to sea until we had amassed very many of the needed skills -- not one. In this sport, the training is mostly of the school of hard knocks variety. In my opinion, it's ridiculous to blame someone for going to sea "unprepared" -- we are all unprepared, to some degree or another, every time we go to sea. You get gradually better prepared as you learn from making mistakes -- that's the only way forward. But you're still only relatively prepared. And anyone who thinks otherwise is making just one more rookie mistake.

What he said

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by Ocean Girl

What he said

[Mr B]

What he said,

[letsgetsailing3]

What he said.

[Rav]

What he said.

[Thumbs Up]

Something that no one here has mentioned, one person even asked why post in the forum if you don't expect feedback, and thank you Serenity for posting. The reason is to notify us of the navigation hazard, and also to the possibility of a salvage opportunity. He has been criticized for leaving the main up, but this would have increased the visibility of the vessel to other boats. He was headed for Rio Dulce which is an easy sail from Roatan, he panicked, and decided to use his remaining battery power to call for help. The US Coast Guard advised him to abandon the vessel and he did. Obviously he was short on sailing skills and experience, let it rest. All of the Baja funnels in the world wouldn't have helped him in that instance. There should be a category on this forum for reporting emergencies, navigation hazards, and requests for assistance. These posts should appear in red and be closed to comments from the peanut gallery so that they will receive the attention that they deserve.

[boatsail]

The sea state and wind could not have been that bad during the exit from the boat to the boat that rescued the op. I'm speculating here, but with a main up in bad conditions, it would have been very dangerous to board another boat. This leads me to believe without being told different that sea stated and wind were both down to very safe levels. Am I wrong in my speculation?

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I think you need a mirror and wake up call, because your bad manners are not just that, but also have no other goal than to attack people. You completely fail to notice that posts from cruisers (the ones that bring their boats and crew safely back in again and again) are all meant to help; if not the OP then others who might follow his wrong example.

In the mean time, all you do is defend incompetence and attack those who did no wrong; you are not being helpful in any way except may be promote cudling and hugging. The problem is that the sea is not the place to do that and this forum ultimately is about the sea. How to tell somebody nicely that he had no business being out where he was? Show us if you know so well.

Good point. I am not one to encourage or make excuses for poor judgement either.

[Rav]

Originally Posted by Thumbs Up

He has been criticized for leaving the main up, but this would have increased the visibility of the vessel to other boats.

An interesting point. I was wondering why leaving the main up was considered such a terrible thing. I also wondered if this was deliverate or accidental. My immediate thoughts were ... It will keep the boat to windward..... it will make the boat move faster down wind (rather than just with the tide and current).

Your point about visibility is a good one.

I have never given much thought to what condition I should leave a boat in if, (please don't let it happen!), I ever have to abandon ship. I noticed that in the video of the Swan that was recovered the other day, the Nav lights were left on. That makes sense.

Other than that, given the luxury of time, the only things that I can think of doingg would be to batten down the hatches and fit the washboards, leave a note for anyone who finds the vessel to explain the circumstances, switch the EPIRB (secured on deck)on so that the boat could be tracked.

Of course, all of this assumes there is hope of a subsequent recovery or salvage. Otherwise, perhaps, an open seacock and a cut in a hose might be the best option.

Maybe it is a subject for a dedicated thread but I would be interested to hear people's thoughts on the 'best' way to leave an abandoned boat.

Rav.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer

"101 Ways to Screw Up at Sea!"

Amateur. I can screw up that many times just raising anchor.

Mark