Westsail 32 "Blue Mist" Grounded on Rocks

[cburger]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

It was an expensive lesson wasn't it?

Sure looks like it might be.

[Kevin84]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

It was an expensive lesson wasn't it?

But a lesson we all learned the hard way. I got lucky when I learned it. Put my boat on a sandbar in my home harbor because I didn't use my charts or chartplotter. Fortunately there was no damage, the engine fired right up, and the wave action was enough for me to get her turned into a trough in the sandbar and get back into deep water. Too bad he learned this one the really hard way.

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Nicholson58]

The lesson is that a cell phone is not a good primary (only) nav computer. I drove Bug Sur road in daylight two years ago SB from San Francisco. My observation as a sailor is that it is one of the most inhospitable coastlines I know of. No hiding places, no harbors, almost always a lee shore, rough. Can't imagine sailing it under-prepared in the dark. Lucky the vessel was the only loss.

[Jim Cate]

Yeah, mate, don't let the internet naysayers getcha down. You have a certified blue water boat, so just go for it. Live your dream...


Jim

[twistedtree]

Definitely the phone cause it. Now if he had an iPad with a nav app, I'm sure he would have been fine. -

[Richard5]

I know that coast very well, in fact, I am familiar with that exact spot since I have surfed that coast for decades. I would be quite surprised indeed if that hull is salvaged intact. There are so many wash rocks that it's like a mine field. Patch one hole, incur three more. I am amazed the boat carried so high on the rocks. It would be quite an undertaking, ie, improbable to conduct salvage from the land. I guess swadeling her in protective gear while pulling her off on the tide might work. It would be one long cable since the gear to pull that boat would necessarily have to stand off to avoid the rocks. The closest tow would be from Morro Bay which is a long way to come for this grounded sailboat. She's a write-off, mates.

Perhaps our man had downloaded a navigation app and was using that when he lost signal. My experience is it is uncommon to have reliable cell signal in that area. It couldn't be that the news article was wrong.

The Big Sur coast does hold it's secrets, you have to get out of your car to find them. Even then, it would require many trips to discover the truly safe locations.

[Kenomac]

Heading out with just a cell phone for communication and navigation.... What could possibly go wrong?

Hopefully, the fellow will learn from his rather costly mistake, obtain some proper nav and communications gear and get back to the adventure.

[cburger]

[QUOTE=Richard5;1437727]The closest tow would be from Morro Bay which is a long way to come for this grounded sailboat. She's a write-off, mates.

So no way to get a crane and slings to lift her, not possible that the shot was taken at dead low water?

[endoftheroad]

This must be a low point in his life. He was a proud new owner of his new sailboat for a brief time.

[Hud3]

[QUOTE=cburger;1437751]

Originally Posted by Richard5

The closest tow would be from Morro Bay which is a long way to come for this grounded sailboat. She's a write-off, mates.

So no way to get a crane and slings to lift her, not possible that the shot was taken at dead low water?

I looked at Google Earth. Looks like he's on the rocks not far from a dirt road and flat ground on the lighthouse site. Looks like a big crane could pick her up to me.

[highseas]

Stand off till daylight.How hard is that?He was 3 hrs. early.

[cburger]

Originally Posted by endoftheroad

This must be a low point in his life. He was a proud new owner of his new sailboat for a brief time.

He still is. I am going to go out on a limb here. First of all we all know how accurate news reporters are these days and how important is for them to get their facts straight. So without a complete story people should not rush to conclusions. Maybe the guy was a very experienced mariner who for what ever reason ran into a patch of bad luck, certainly had the smarts to pick a very capable boat. Maybe a sea was running and it was foggy and his main navigational instruments crapped out and was making last ditch effort to determine his position with the cell before he foundered. Lot of maybes here, I'd like to here the skippers side of the story and reserve judgment. For a poster saying the boat is a complete write off and there is no way of salvaging the vessel is a load of "Horse chips". Without being on site to view how she's lying, without being on site to view the damage, etc, etc. this is just a blowhard blowing smoke.

From the pictures I have been able to see the vessel is laying on her port side, rig is down, looks like they lost boomkins, rudder and bowsprit. The story has indicated the boat has a volleyball sized hole in her, not really a big deal unless below the waterline and she is taking on water. From the picture starboard side has scraped some bottom paint and basicly all things considered looks in great shape. Leifel still sells a new mast for the boat for about 6k, if even needed, wooden spars are easily fabricated, deal with the rudder and drive on. My "Guess" is if the boat is insured all will be made right.

[cburger]

[QUOTE=Hud3;1437794]

Originally Posted by cburger

I looked at Google Earth. Looks like he's on the rocks not far from a dirt road and flat ground on the lighthouse site. Looks like a big crane could pick her up to me.

Great to hear, we had to lift several boats that way after Hurricane Sandy, worked out well for the owners.

[endoftheroad]

Cburger,
An educated guess would suggest that he wasn't a "very educated mariner".
More likely he was over confident due to the reputation of the boat and relied on it and left his judgment home.
He would have been safer in a dinghy, at least he would have paid attention to the basics.

[boatman61]

Firstly.. my compliments on your defence of a fellow 'Westsailor'..
But... if he was experienced I think he'd have done the sensible thing 'if his electrics crapped out' and that would have been to stand out to sea till daylight when he could orient himself more accurately.. as it was he was coming in blind.
All part of the school of hard knocks..