Coast Guard Helping Sailboat In Distress at Ocean View In Norfolk, VA

[cabo_sailor]

I would really like to hear the story from the owner before passing judgement but the one obvious question I have is: "Why did you wait until the last minute to move? You've known it was coming for a week!"

Rich

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by cabo_sailor

I would really like to hear the story from the owner before passing judgement but the one obvious question I have is: "Why did you wait until the last minute to move? You've known it was coming for a week!"

Rich

A week ago it was thought to be going over the whole length of Florida.

I was going to prep my boat on Wed.

By the time it got that far it would be little to really worry about.

Changed a bit though.

[sctpc]

Originally Posted by mike d.

Hopefully they will get charged for stupidity at it's finest!!!!! considering all the prior information out there on how bad it was going to be!!!!!!

That`s Harsh,

[Hud3]

They had to be on the north side of the Spit, because I-64 blocks the beach on the south side. The spot where they anchored is completely exposed to Irene's northeasterly winds, with a long fetch. Too bad they didn't sail around into Willoughby Bay. At least they'd have had a chance of riding it out.

[Hotel L]

I'm not sure what exactly happened.One clear lesson.....don't become a blog topic!!!!

[storyinframes]

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...ane-irene-hits

[h20man]

There is a full story with the details...

Regardless of the reasons.. or the blame... it is a horrible way to learn and deal with something like this... Sounds like the owner is going to loose out....

Bummer all around...

[OLDSON]

No offense to anyone. But why the judgement? This is a tragic thing that happens, no matter what should have been done, would have been done, I feel for the owners and hope that someone gives them a hand in this rough time. Sorry for your loss.

[atoll]

all i can say is "don't sail into somewhere that you cant sail out of if the conditions aren't right"...............

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Hud3

They had to be on the north side of the Spit, because I-64 blocks the beach on the south side. The spot where they anchored is completely exposed to Irene's northeasterly winds, with a long fetch. Too bad they didn't sail around into Willoughby Bay. At least they'd have had a chance of riding it out.

Maybe it's too shallow in that bay?

And he probably did not understand that the cyclonic wind would come around from the NE. He probably assumed that the wind would be S since the hurricane was coming from there.

Very sad.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Sounds a bit like Skipper / Crew felt safer near the shore.

Not to say that clawing off that lee shore into deeper water under sail (if I have read the story correctly) and then riding out whatever came next would have been easy. Would require skill, confidence (in self and vessel) and a lot of determination......and a prior acceptance that messing about in boats involves some risk / skills, as well as being able to open cold beer whilst sitting in the sun.

Having said that, if all survived - then got to remember it is only a boat / money. Just seems an unneccessary loss..............

[alan_za]

Pretty big screw up. Especially if insurance is not going to pay out and it sounds like the boat is a write-off, plus being a liveaboard they probably lost a lot of other valuables too.

[Dkdoyle]

Wow. Horrible to loose his home.

[hpeer]

Only slightly related comments.

Friday I was having lunch in Delaware City and I saw three boats I assumed to be USCG come up the river, heading for a 'safe harbor.' They were the big RIB's with the oversized pilot house. That struck me as wrong, just wrong.

Sunday afternoon a noobie with wife and three wee one's (under 8) came to the dock and got in their new-to-them 25' sailboat, complete with kid size rods to go out. The sky had just cleared and it was still blowing with hard gusts, but calm in our canal marina. Going out one little girl was doing the Titanic thing on the bow. Luckily the storm lines were still across the canal and his engine started acting up so he aborted. Another guy and I went to help him tie up for he was clearly having trouble; which included a fouled bow line, a fouled stern line, inability to steer backing up, starboard cleat pulled out, etc.

Nice little kids and wife. Kinda makes your heart stop.

[SandySea]

There is a lot to this story so I am going to leave out the comments from other and just stick to what I consider fact even if conveyed to me from a very good source. The couple resided on their boat in a marina in Portsmouth, VA ...per good sources, there was some type of incidence and the owner of the marina asked them to leave. Instead of going into the locks on the intercostal waterway, they proceeded to try to take the boat to Annapolis on a Friday afternoon prior to the storm hitting that night. Annapolis is a two days sail North in the same direction of the storm and there is no way you are going to outrun it in a sailboat.

I was down at the marina at Willoughby at the Naval Base Norfolk until 11pm Friday night ensuring that our sailboat was fully secured before heading home. The winds were not that bad prior to leaving...on Sunday I went down to see the boat after the storm had past. The attached photos show the boat...major damage to the rudder and bow.

A friend of mine who lives in a house on the beach directly in front of where the boat is, noted that the boat dropped anchor about 8PM on Friday night and that he made calls to the city of Norfolk. A boat from the city went out that evening before conditions got worse to take the couple (and cat) off the boat but they chose to remain on-board until the next morning...the rest of the story is on the news about the rescue.

Bottom line - there are many hurricane holes near where they were (Fort Monroe, Great Bridge, etc.) that they could have headed for without making this very bad judgment call.

I feel sorry for them and just glad those that had to risk their lives to rescue them excelled in what they did.

The boat was a Hunter Legend, center cockpit, somewhere about 40 feet...about a 1997 model from looking at it.