Three Canadian Sailors Rescued off Hawai

[terminalcitygrl]

Canadians rescued at sea - Yahoo! News

Holy Cow! This story could have had a much different ending if these sailors weren't as well prepared as they were...

[boatman61]

Glad it all ended well...
Kudo's to the container ship captain for getting them out alive after the accident..
No easy task in those conditions..
Good Man....

[cheoah]

Thanks for posting!

[S/V Alchemy]

Hell of a story. I agree that prep and skill played a role. You can't fault the rescuers...it's like an elephant trying to rescue a carton of eggs in the middle of a funhouse, no doubt. In six-metre seas, I wouldn't want to be within a quarter-mile of a container ship in broad daylight.

[donradcliffe]

A little prep and skill would have avoided this incident. Its the middle of winter in the North Pacific, and it looks like this boat was north of the rhumb line to Hawaii. The safe route at this time of year is to drop south of 18N and then work across.

[jdoe71]

Well prepared? The fact they got into this mess might suggest otherwise. Let the post mortem begin.

[GordMay]

Amid rain and 90 kilometre-per-hour wind gusts, the rescue was made even trickier after giant waves heaved the sailboat “Liahona” into the container ship "Horizon Reliance".

The "Liahona" sank within seconds, forcing the three Canadians, including a nine-year-old boy, to swim into the cold water for up to 90 minutes.

Aboard were Calgary entrepreneur Brad James and his nine-year-old son Wes, along with Bradley’s brother Mitchell.

More ➥ Three Canadian sailors rescued off coast of Hawaii | CTV Calgary

And ➥ Shipwrecked Canadians call rescue 'incredible' - World - CBC News

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by jdoe71

Well prepared? The fact they got into this mess might suggest otherwise. Let the post mortem begin.

Maybe, maybe not. I was actually referring to the prep and skill of the merchant crew, who got them out despite sending their boat to the bottom. As for the yacht crew, as they aren't actually dead, we are likely to learn more than the usual outcome. May we all be as fortunate at sea. None of the extensive reportage I've seen in the Canadian media (in which it's the top story) has suggested that these guys were the masters of their own misfortune.

I am pleased a child didn't die, and I don't necessarily hold recreational sailors, even ambitious ones, to the same standard as I do, say, skippers of 300 metre-long Italian floating hotels.

[jackdale]

CBC report with interview

Shipwrecked Canadians call rescue 'incredible' - World - CBC News

[St. Elsewhere]

Good to have a happy ending.

When the Coast Guard directs Horizon to divert to perform such a rescue, who is responsible for the costs, Horizon, the Coasties, or those who are rescued?

[sailingmonica]

All I can say is: I didn't know Canadians sail that far

[drewcwsj]

Originally Posted by St. Elsewhere

Good to have a happy ending.

When the Coast Guard directs Horizon to divert to perform such a rescue, who is responsible for the costs, Horizon, the Coasties, or those who are rescued?

Horizon got so much positive PR out of this that the actual costs are inconsequential.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by sailingmonica

All I can say is: I didn't know Canadians sail that far

Vic Maui every two years.

[Cadence10m]

Very interesting news item just appeared. Two men and a boy on the boat Liahona bound from Puerto Vallarta to Hilo, HI we rescued by the freighter, Horizon Reliance.

Evevryone is in good shape.

Sounds like they were dismasted and then the engine overheated and died during a storm.

There's a news item at:
Shipwrecked Canadians call rescue 'incredible' - World - CBC News

And 22 minutes of video at
CBC.ca Player

They give an interesting account of the difficulty in getting onto the freighter in 40 to 45 kn of wind and seas upward of 20 ft. You can also see how a person can freeze up in a situation like that. It sounds like the one man was unable to do much to affect their own rescue but fortunately the other one was able.


Craig

[jacob30]

Glad they made it. De-masting has happened quite a few times this year followed by engine trouble. Had a neighbor loose his boat the same way off Bermuda. 20' seas and 45 Knots does not seem too bad. No fun for sure but a solid rig should easily withstand those forces.

Is the recurring theme old standing rigging? Unforeseen corrosion and failure? Not reefing properly? Should they have put out a drogue earlier? Lets hear what your tactics would be.

Just a few to get it started:

1. Replace standing rigging prior to major ocean crossing if warranted by inspection/periodicity (>10 year old).
2. Para-drogue (or equivalent device) when weather forecast greater than 40 knots.
3. Reef down sails to minimum at sustained 25 Knots wind.
4. Clean fuel tanks with visual inspection prior to ocean crossing and new filters.