The full timeline of what went down (besides the boat) of the Polina Star

[Dulcesuenos]

Interesting story from the Owner of the Polina Star.
Some seriously poor decisions from Oyster.
HOW IT WENT DOWN: The Oyster Story

[SailsWithFists]

What a sad read that was.

[BlackHeron]

Some pirates operate on dry land...

[IslandHopper]

It's already been argued about here vvvv post #74 onwards....

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2582335

[CSY Man]

The only time I bought a brand new boat I made sure it was surveyed before delivery.
Not sure the Polina Star was surveyed until weeks or months after delivery.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

The only time I bought a brand new boat I made sure it was surveyed before delivery.
Not sure the Polina Star was surveyed until weeks or months after delivery.

Even if surveyed it was impossible to find find out that the keel calculations and building were improperly done.

[Paul Kelly]

That is quite some indictment and very clearly and well presented too. I imagine it could cause current Oyster owners quite a lot of worry both about hull/keel integrity and resale value.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Thank you for posting. It is a well done site and is a sad story.

[ferrailleur]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Interesting story from the Owner of the Polina Star.
Some seriously poor decisions from Oyster.
HOW IT WENT DOWN: The Oyster Story

very informative..... thank you
must be read from top to bottom.

[danielamartindm]

Wow. It sounds like at some point, Oyster lost its mission and its way. To be so cavalier about sailors' lives? I don't know how long this sort of customer service was going on, but the attitude described herein often results when a company is already on the skids. What a sad situation all around!

[achil]

Originally Posted by danielamartindm

I don't know how long this sort of customer service was going on, but the attitude described herein often results when a company is already on the skids. What a sad situation all around!

My thoughts as well. If they were funneling money out of the company before filing they will be looking at jail time.

[Cadence]

Maybe I didn't catch it? How long did the individuals taking off the top own the company or have a major interest. It sounds like a buyout using a good name and going cheap for profit

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Maybe I didn't catch it? How long did the individuals taking off the top own the company or have a major interest. It sounds like a buyout using a good name and going cheap for profit

I've seen this all too often. A company with a great reputation is sold and all the new owner sees are profits.

[NevisDog]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

I've seen this all too often. A company with a great reputation is sold and all the new owner sees are profits.

Yes I believe this is very common practice, but is this what happened to Oyster? Was it under new ownership? That would certainly explain the turnaround from flagship to sinking ship.

[hellosailor]

Very interesting. I wonder if part of the decision to liquidate involves unseen communications from Oyster's insurer though. I know UK law differs from the US, but over here there are varying standards for negligence and error, versus "gross negligence" and actual criminal misconduct. If Oyster's insurer were to say "You were notified in a timely manner, you were grossly negligent to allow the vessel to remain at sea, and since you likely knew of a defect and intentionally tried to deny it...You have no coverage, you eat the loss."

That's more or less what any US insurer would be allowed to say.

From the linked description, rashly assuming it is entirely accurate, it would seem that folks at Oyster were beyond grossly negligent and I shouldn't be surprised to see UK criminal charges brought, since their behavior damned near killed the crew.

Counterbalancing that some very little, I have to say that I'm surprised that an experienced sailor would take a boat across open seas--after he had extensive reasons to believe the keel was not securely attached! The prudent navigator would have left it in the slings and commenced legal action, not risking the loss of the yacht and all crew. I'm sure that will complicate the court actions as well.