Canadian Yacht in Trouble

[Jim Cate]

As has been oft said: Schedules (even self imposed ones) kill yotties and/or their boats".

Sad for the guy, none the less, and well done the Panamanians!

Cheers,

Jim

[avb3]

Lots of scathing comments in this CBC report on the rescue.

Commentators essentially saying,"What the heck were you thinking?"

I didn't know CBC had that many people interested and knowledgeable about sailing.

[SabreKai]

Which is why I never waste any time reading, watching or listening to the CBC.

I love all the comments from the armchair jocks who point out how dumb he was. Spoken like true heroes from the safety of their armchairs.

I'm quite sure he realizes that he made a mistake, No point in rubbing it in anymore.

Hats off to the Panamanians who pulled him out of the drink in such miserable conditions.

[DeepFrz]

I just read the report you linked to at CBC and found no scathing remarks, no criticism, no armchair sailing. Just a straight forward reporting of the incident and the rescue, quoting remarks from Lim as reported by Australian news. Maybe you were reading the comments posted at the bottom of the article, but those had nothing to do with CBC reporting.

[hummingway]

It's not even a CBC report. It's an Associated Press report.

[hummingway]

There's some irony in rushing back to Canada only to find yourself in the Canary Islands instead. Along the way he discovered there are places that have worse winters then Canada.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

Hats off to the Panamanians who pulled him out of the drink in such miserable conditions.

Doubt if there were any Panamanians on the Kohju but a good job of seamanship all the same. The Kohju is pretty big, 172000 tons. (DWT)

[avb3]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

I just read the report you linked to at CBC and found no scathing remarks, no criticism, no armchair sailing. Just a straight forward reporting of the incident and the rescue, quoting remarks from Lim as reported by Australian news. Maybe you were reading the comments posted at the bottom of the article, but those had nothing to do with CBC reporting.

I was referring to the comment section and worded my post awkwardly.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

avb3, it should be something that is checked regularly. Offshore boats (especially boats heading to the high latitudes) should, in my opinion, be equipped with constraints so that if a motor mount does break in stormy seas the engine doesn't break loose. I have seen boats with cables bolted to the engine stringer in such a way as to constrain the engine.

The mounts were checked in his preparation for his circumnavigation, I don't know if they were ever checked afterward.

That's a very sensible precaution..."engine tethers". I'll put some extra holes in my steel stringers to accommodate them. You could simply recycle some SS wire in short lengths and make loops or thimbles for chain or shackles...just enough to keep it mounted if the designated mounts fail, and until you can pick up a tow to port.

I can think of a lot of horrible stuff a loose engine could do besides letting in water from the stern tube, actually...

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by SabreKai

According to the article in the Toronto Sun,

"According to ABC News, Lim got himself into trouble when he took the risk of travelling on rough waters because he wanted to get back to Canada.

“I thought I’d take the chance of a winter trip to try and go South Africa back to Canada non-stop in the Southern Ocean, and of course, it’s taking a big chance because the Southern Ocean in the winter is pretty terrible, as I found out,” he said."


There you have it.

Wait...in the Roaring 40s, that's head to frickin' wind! If he wanted to go back to Canada, he would've done better sailing DOWNWIND right across the Pacific, not a bash to windward.

[MarkJ]

Hats off to the Bulker. Pictured below and some info in this link

Not a small ship! The little pic shows how big.
DWT 172,498 t

LOA 289 m

SHIP KOHJU

Sure he could have given a very nice lee, but that size boat must be a tad difficult to get in the right spot in those conditions.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Wait...in the Roaring 40s, that's head to frickin' wind! If he wanted to go back to Canada, he would've done better sailing DOWNWIND right across the Pacific, not a bash to windward.

Don't think he was going to weather. I think he was sailing from South Africa eastward and headed for the west coast of N. America eventually.

[S/V Alchemy]

OK, that was not clear to me.

Still, wouldn't a half-hour with a pilot book have made the odds (not great) clearer?

I sometimes wonder if the self-reliance needed to be a distance solo sailor doesn't sometimes cloud the judgement. Sure, you've safely done a day of 40 knots and made it, but the problems pile up faster than you can fix them at 50 knots and huge seas. The Spencer 35 is a sound, proven boat, but you have to sleep and you can't steer and block up a loose engine and pump out a 1 inch hole at the same time.

Anyway, I'm glad he's safe and score one for the ship and the Aussie SAR.

[Vasco]

Well the good news is that he will get back to Canada a lot sooner and I understand that was his reason for taking the southerly route.

[Avalon119]

What kind of boat was it?