UK yacht Cheeki Rafiki missing in mid-Atlantic

[LizzieW86]

Hi Everyone,

We are being passed the search information sent to vessels in the area, if you know anyone in the area then please ask to assist.

USCG have advised as follows:

There are two possible search areas.
South position: 37-36N 050-14W
North Position: 38-37N 048-48W

Please help us to get this information out there!

Lizzie

[Brob2]

Originally Posted by tonywatson58

I believe, the keel has a bulb for a better righting moment...but also a greater strain on the keel bolts?

Correct- the' teeter totter' effect with the fulcrum not too distant from the keel bolts location.

[ka4wja]

Mike,
As I, and others here, have been saying from the beginning....this is not a typical route from the E. Caribbean to the UK....as it is 300nm west of the great circle route and 500 - 600+ miles west of a typical (fairer weather) route...
And, this can place you into the path of the Lows / Fronts coming off the US, and the associated nasty weather they bring...


The info posted here yesterday was "the hullbelieved the be Cheeki Rafiki was found at 38-15.7N 048-38W"...


And, looking at the weather at this location [38*N x 48*W], shows:
Tue: SW @ 10-15, Seas 6'...
Wed: SSE @ 15-20, Seas 5' - 6'...
Thr: SSE @ 20, Seas 8' - 10'...(with a Front approaching) (and a Low building over the Chspk region)
Fri / Sat: S - SW @ 20+, Seas 10'....(with a Low / Gale building to the west, and moving ENE, and hopefully passing north of this location, but possibly passing right over this location...)
And, Sat/Sun, another Low building to the west of this location, and moving thru...
Weather by next Tue or so, should be much improved (but a 7-day forecast is more of a guess than anything!)

ANYONE north of 38*N and west of 50*W, (such as NY, NJ, Boston, etc.), and/or ANYONE approaching from the west or WSW (such as the Chesapeake), would need to pass thru these storm systems to arrive at this location....

Although, approaching this location from the south, such as a passage up from the E. Caribbean, should have good weather most of the way up to this location...and if leaving today/tomorrow, should have decent winds/weather for this route (and could make some easting if they got headed or becalmed as weather moved around north of them...)

BUT...
But, I'm not sure what a group of cruising sailboats would do in that area 7 - 10 days from now???
And, I certainly would not encourage anyone to head out there from Boston, NY, RI, NJ, or the Chesapeake area (at least not for the next 5 - 6 days) as their weather isn't going to be nice...


So, with that said....I'm not sure we should be hoping that a "flotilla" sets out to come to the rescue, a la Dunkirk...

Originally Posted by mbianka

Hopefully between the new air search and flotilla there will be some good news. At a minimum I hope one of the boats comes across the "overturned hull" and is able to answer some questions about it. Including was anyone inside the hull and was the liferaft still in the boat.

Yes, the USCG continuing an air search is great, and even a USCG cutter and/or US Navy cruiser, etc. helping out would be super....but a "flotilla" of cruising boats, probably not a good idea (in my opinion)..




As long as cruising boats are just planning on "keeping their eyes peeled", this is a good thing....
But to encourage a "flotilla" to set out on a Search And Rescue mission, probably not...

From the Daily Mail:

The separate private search to find the men has been described as channeling the 'Spirit of Dunkirk' - an evacuation during World War Two which saw stranded allied troops rescued by a flotilla of pleasure boats and civilian craft.
Kay Coombes, the sister of Steve Warren said she has received an email telling her of the planned mission.
The 46-year-old said: 'I got an email that said there were eight individual boats in one group, and a further 32 were set to come in a rally from Antigua.
'They are all making the crossing, some are catamarans I think. Other than that I really don't know what is happening, but we can only hold out hope they will find something.
'They said they are going to keep their eyes peeled for anything that may help us, so we are clinging on to that at the moment.
'They are very aware of what is going on so I know they will do their best.

So, it appears no "flotilla" heading that way, at this moment anyway...





Fair winds and God Speed to all..


John
s/v Annie Laurie

[ka4wja]

Lizzie,
Thank you for the new/updated info...
And, please know that our hopes and prayers are will all of you!!

Originally Posted by LizzieW86

Hi Everyone,

We are being passed the search information sent to vessels in the area, if you know anyone in the area then please ask to assist.

USCG have advised as follows:

There are two possible search areas.
South position: 37-36N 050-14W
North Position: 38-37N 048-48W

Please help us to get this information out there!

Lizzie

Unfortunately, while the current weather in those locations is fairly good...the weather west of there (where US private vessels would approach from) is not looking too good....
But, those coming from the south (Caribbean) would have good weather and the new location 37*36'N x 50* 14'W is even closer than the earlier one, so this is good news...


Again, God Speed to you all..


John
s/v Annie Laurie

[SaltyMonkey]

So whats the preferred option for NY/BOS/CHES, and what months? June? Head north to Nova S. and make a quick dash for Ireland? Head south to FL and make a not so quick dash to Azores via the Boaty Highway?

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Head south to FL and make a not so quick dash to Azores via the Boaty Highway?

That's the winter route.. summertime just jump off from Beaufort NC.. maybe even NY..

[ka4wja]

Salty,
I will not drift this thread too far...into a "Weather" or "Atlantic Routing" thread....
And, I thought you participated in the "azores 2014 how safe is it?" thread??


For answers to these questions, have a look at these posts, referenced below...

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

So whats the preferred option for NY/BOS/CHES, and what months? June? Head north to Nova S. and make a quick dash for Ireland? Head south to FL and make a not so quick dash to Azores via the Boaty Highway?

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1496824

Scroll down to item 4) for weather details, where you'll find more info like this:

In the past decade or two, tropical weather detection and forecasting has gotten a LOT better, especially in the past 5 years or so...
So, all the old adages about "getting out of dodge" before a hurricane hits, is just old/out-dated whooey!!!
You do NOT need to leave in the springtime in order to avoid tropical weather / hurricanes!!
(yes, many on the west side of the Atlantic wish to cruisenorthern Europe, or even the Med, in the summertime, so they want to leave the US or Caribbean early enough to "not miss summer"....but that does NOT need to be April / May...)
Fact is you CAN sail eastbound across the Atlantic for Europe/Med, in June and July just fine!! (I've done it myself...as have many others..)

So, pick your departure / crossing time according to when/where you may wish to arrive and cruise...AND based on when continental weather systems are diminishing that particular year....
(this can mean a departure in May, or June or July....)
But, do NOT pick your departure / crossing dates based on some arbitrary dates set by others (such as rallies), nor on some out-dated and often very ill-conceived recommendations from guide books, or boat-show seminars....(ask the guy/gal giving the seminar, when was their last Atlantic crossing, and from where-to-where, at what days/time of year, etc. and of course how many they've made...)
Remember this is not a trade-wind Milk Run, so even the normal west-about circumnavigators can have erroneous info for an eastbound Atlantic crossing...(ever wonder why most sail west around in warm weather???)

Pick your route across based on YOUR departure point, YOUR planned destination, and the YOUR weather (upon departure and while enroute)...
If leaving from the SE US, yes take advantage of the Gulf Stream as best you can (still sailing with the wind that you have, of course), but do not be over concerned about "eddy's" as they DO move around a lot, and the chances of finding a favorable one is slim...

Do NOT make a beeline for 38* - 40* and head east (unless your exact weather at that time forces you to)...but rather understand that with today's sailboats and today's weather forecasts, there is NO reason to venture so far north, especially if heading for the Med!!! (and not even if heading for the Azores!!)

Do NOT pick your route based on some arbitrary routing set by others (such as rallies or "weather routers"), nor on some out-dated and often very ill-conceived recommendations from guide books, or boat-show seminars....
(ask the guy/gal giving the seminar, when was their last Atlantic crossing, and from where-to-where, at what days/time of year, etc. and of course how many they've made...)

Understand that the "continental weather" coming off N. America, has a significant effect on an eastbound Atlantic crossing, until the Bermuda/Azores High has built-in and become stationary (which can happen as early as May, or as late as August...but typically by late June...)
So, if crossing the Atlantic from the US to Europe earlier than late June, be very aware that it is this "continental weather" behind you that can come up and kick 'ya in the butt...
The fronts and their associated Lows diminish in intensity as you get later in the season....they can be a real bitch in April...still a bit fierce in May...and while usually even less intense in June, they can still pack a wallop!!
{end of June 2007, caught in a full Gale as I headed east about 75-100 miles north of Bermuda....we got just the tail end of it and had only 12 hours of winds of 40-45kts, and only 24 hours of winds 30-35kts....boats just 100 - 200 miles to my NE, had 50kts+ for > 24 hours....and these are NOT tropical systems, but continental Lows (cold-core Lows) carried swiftly along on a front....and this is at the end of June!!!
BTW, just 3 - 4 days later, on 4th of July....we were all but be-calmed!!!
The Atlantic was as smooth as a bathtub all day long....we listened to some music, while trying to keep my 1400+ sq ft asym filled with air...after 4+ hours averaging 1.5kts, and after looking at the new weather faxes, I cranked up the Yanmar and we went looking for wind...found it about dinner time, and before dark we were sailing along just fine....TRUE story!!}

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1544408


Routes to the Azores



I hope this helps 'ya Salty....but let's not start a weather/routing debate here at this time, while we are awaiting news here of crew lost at sea...


John
s/v Annie Laurie

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by ka4wja

Salty,
I will not drift this thread too far...into a "Weather" or "Atlantic Routing" thread....
And, I thought you participated in the "azores 2014 how safe is it?" thread??
...


I hope this helps 'ya Salty....but let's not start a weather/routing debate here at this time, while we are awaiting news here of crew lost at sea...


John
s/v Annie Laurie

Did. And forgot or drifted from my grasp

Thanks for the refs.

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Salty.. if the US is having difficulty 1000 miles from home.. the UK's 2000miles.. you saying we are better..?
I know we won a war 12000 miles from home but that was 34yrs ago.. when we still had assets

Between countrymen, I can clarify that there are only 6800 nautical miles between London and the Falklands.. That made it barely possible to get the Vulcans bomb the runway early on.

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by svlamorocha

Between countrymen, I can clarify that there are only 6800 nautical miles between London and the Falklands.. That made it barely possible to get the Vulcans bomb the runway early on.

The Vulcans (supported by Victor air tankers) flew their bombardment missions from Ascension Island, by the way

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by svlamorocha

Between countrymen, I can clarify that there are only 6800 nautical miles between London and the Falklands.. That made it barely possible to get the Vulcans bomb the runway early on.

So... I cocked up on the round trip.. By 1600 miles...
Who cares.. not me..
As to the Vulcans.. I thought they operated from Ascension.. they didn't have the range to fly direct..

[mbianka]

"Yes, the USCG continuing an air search is great, and even a USCG cutter and/or US Navy cruiser, etc. helping out would be super....but a "flotilla" of cruising boats, probably not a good idea (in my opinion)
As long as cruising boats are just planning on "keeping their eyes peeled", this is a good thing....
But to encourage a "flotilla" to set out on a Search And Rescue mission, probably not..."

John

I agree. I have not heard about any boats heading off from the East Coast just to search the rescue area. Just a bunch of boats leaving from Antigua at some point. I would guess at least some of the boats were in the area for races and would be heading in that direction anyway. Hopefully keeping a closer eye on the waters around them. Especially if they sail through the probable search area. That's a good thing IMO.

[andbell]

The S/V Malisi is in the search area and has confirmed
there are 2 commercial vessels and a USCG vessel in the area
(don't know anything about the USCG vessel and it seems pretty quick
to be in the area so maybe this is not correct?)

The Malisi has a yellow brick tracker so you can use the ARC site fleet viewer
(Arc Europe - Bermuda - Azores leg)


World Cruising Club - Fleet Viewer

God willing we will have a happy ending.

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by andbell

The S/V Malisi is in the search area and has confirmed
there are 2 commercial vessels and a USCG vessel in the area
(don't know anything about the USCG vessel and it seems pretty quick
to be in the area so maybe this is not correct?)

The Malisi has a yellow brick tracker so you can use the ARC site fleet viewer
(Arc Europe - Bermuda - Azores leg)


World Cruising Club - Fleet Viewer

God willing we will have a happy ending.

Huzzah! Hats off for the deliberate turn they made to head into the search area. Wonder if any of the other boats could head toward that area (weather permitting). Would be a nice large collection of eyes to have coaming the area.
World Cruising Club - Fleet Viewer

[Kevin84]

USCG has suspended the search. Link to the article:

http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2165286/

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app