Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 18-06-2006, 21:00   #1
Registered User
 
SkiprJohn's Avatar

Join Date: May 2006
Location: Nicholasville, Kentucky
Boat: 15 foot Canoe
Posts: 14,191
Nauticat 33 adrift for 6 Months

Chaton de Foi a Nauticat 33 was found offshore on the Big Island of Hawaii here last week. The Captain, Walter J. Teper, abandoned his boat in a storm off Costa Rica December 2nd. Last time it was seen was off the coast of Mexico several months ago.
Sails were shredded, electronics had been cut out of the cabinetry, refrigerator was missing but the boat was intact.
Makes you think about what you would do in that type of situation. Engine out, sail shredded, not enough food or water.
Regards, --John--
SkiprJohn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-06-2006, 00:01   #2
Kai Nui
Guest

Posts: n/a
Reinforces a point I make to my wife whenever she gets nervous on the boat. Boats are designed to float. That is their primary function, and most do it very well. Under the circumstances, if no other alternatives were available (engine repair, borrowed sails etc.) I imagine the skipper made the right choice. Just goes to show, can't have too many spare sails.
  Reply With Quote
Old 21-06-2006, 12:30   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,594
when do you abandon ship?

When you have to step UP to get into the water.

Randy Cape Dory 25D
rtbates is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-06-2006, 19:36   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: San Francisco, CA
Boat: Nordship 40ds
Posts: 3,864
Images: 9
The story of that boat was in Latitude 38 a few months ago. The weather got so nasty that the skipper had to abandon ship. From there all of the equipment was taken off as a salvage claim but the boat that salvaged her was too far from shore to bring the hull back. Seems like it should be scuttled to prevent a danger at sea. Will need at least two holes.
__________________
Fair Winds,

Charlie

Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere, the bond of the sea. Besides holding our hearts together through long periods of separation, it had the effect of making us tolerant of each other's yarns -- and even convictions. Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
Charlie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 17:31   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southern California
Boat: Was - Passport 45 Ketch
Posts: 888
If anyone is interested, here are some shots of when Chaton De Foi was found and how she looks today.

Walter spent about $50K refitting her, including a new engine and a years hard labor.

The day the USCG called me that she had been found her (I was listed as the contact wtith the USCG EPIRB registration), I called Walter. He got on a plane that night and has been over there working on her since.

Just a side note.....this boat should not have been abandoned IMHO. He had plenty of food & water and the boat was sailable.....no storm..in fact....no wind for 4 days. He was only 100nm off of Costa Rica.

The USCG badgered him into abandoning that boat...long aggrivating story.











Kanani is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 17:52   #6
CF Adviser
Moderator Emeritus
 
TaoJones's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Montrose, Colorado
Posts: 9,845
Thanks for posting the update and the pictures, Kanani. Your friend deserves a big pat on the back for saving his vessel's life!

TaoJones
__________________
"Your vision becomes clear only when you look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks within, awakens."
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)
TaoJones is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 17:54   #7
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,939
Images: 4
Did he repower again?
Joli is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 17:57   #8
Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: California
Boat: 1980 Endeavour 43 (Ketch)
Posts: 2,457
WOW .......
S/V Elusive is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 17:58   #9
Registered User
 
44'cruisingcat's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,398
Images: 69
Quote:
Originally Posted by rtbates View Post
When you have to step UP to get into the water.

Randy Cape Dory 25D
In that case no-one would ever abandon a multihull.
44'cruisingcat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 18:03   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,939
Images: 4
Quote:
Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat View Post
In that case no-one would ever abandon a multihull.
Umm, in your multi do you provision a ditch bag for your life raft?
Joli is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 18:08   #11
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southern California
Boat: Was - Passport 45 Ketch
Posts: 888
Quote:
Originally Posted by TaoJones View Post
Thanks for posting the update and the pictures, Kanani. Your friend deserves a big pat on the back for saving his vessel's life!

TaoJones
I think that he paid his dues. That's for sure.

Just to set the record straight......when Chaton De Foi was found drifting 3 miles off the tip of the big island, she had been thoroughly gutted. Everything of any use (and some things of no use) was taken. Even the steering wheels, siks, port lights, engine covers, ground tackle, dishes tools, you name it, it was gone.

Chaton De Foi's bottom was clean as a whistle. It was obvious that whoever found her, cleaned the bottom so that they could tow her to the lee of the island to work on her. Evidently, they put a pump on board and pumped out a lot of water too because there was water up over the engine at one point.

Don't get me wrong, if someone finds a boat adrift at sea, they have rights to anything they find. Hovever, leaving her adrift, after they stripped her was down right cruel OR down right clever.

When Walter got to the small village that some fisherman and his son towed the boat to, the fisherman demanded a $10,000 salvage fee. Walter told him to keep the boat and started to walk away. The fisherman said, "How about $7,000. I risked my life, the life of my son and damaged my (piece of junk) fishing boat getting your boat to anchor for you". Walter paid him his salvage fee and had to have the boat towed by a commercial tow boat, to Kona (25nm).

I'm not going to state what I think....let your imagination do that.
Kanani is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 18:13   #12
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,939
Images: 4
Ouch! That would be a tough and miserable job to bring a boat back that had floated around for that long.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kanani View Post
I think that he paid his dues. That's for sure.

Just to set the record straight......when Chaton De Foi was found drifting 3 miles off the tip of the big island, she had been thoroughly gutted. Everything of any use (and some things of no use) was taken. Even the steering wheels, siks, port lights, engine covers, ground tackle, dishes tools, you name it, it was gone.

Chaton De Foi's bottom was clean as a whistle. It was obvious that whoever found her, cleaned the bottom so that they could tow her to the lee of the island to work on her. Evidently, they put a pump on board and pumped out a lot of water too because there was water up over the engine at one point.

Don't get me wrong, if someone finds a boat adrift at sea, they have rights to anything they find. Hovever, leaving her adrift, after they stripped her was down right cruel OR down right clever.

When Walter got to the small village that some fisherman and his son towed the boat to, the fisherman demanded a $10,000 salvage fee. Walter told him to keep the boat and started to walk away. The fisherman said, "How about $7,000. I risked my life, the life of my son and damaged my (piece of junk) fishing boat getting your boat to anchor for you". Walter paid him his salvage fee and had to have the boat towed by a commercial tow boat, to Kona (25nm).

I'm not going to state what I think....let your imagination do that.
Joli is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 18:18   #13
Registered User
 
44'cruisingcat's Avatar

Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 9,398
Images: 69
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joli View Post
Umm, in your multi do you provision a ditch bag for your life raft?
The boat will be provisioned, yes, Why, do you?
44'cruisingcat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 18:24   #14
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,939
Images: 4
Crusingcat, it's really an old concept. Have you ever heard of fire?

Dumbass!
Joli is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2007, 18:28   #15
CF Adviser
Moderator Emeritus
 
TaoJones's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Montrose, Colorado
Posts: 9,845
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kanani View Post
. . . when Chaton De Foi was found drifting 3 miles off the tip of the big island, she had been thoroughly gutted.

<snip>

Chaton De Foi's bottom was clean as a whistle. It was obvious that whoever found her, cleaned the bottom so that they could tow her to the lee of the island to work on her. Evidently, they put a pump on board and pumped out a lot of water too because there was water up over the engine at one point.

<snip>

. . . leaving her adrift, after they stripped her was down right cruel OR down right clever.

<snip>

When Walter got to the small village that some fisherman and his son towed the boat to, the fisherman demanded a $10,000 salvage fee. Walter told him to keep the boat and started to walk away. The fisherman said, "How about $7,000. I risked my life, the life of my son and damaged my (piece of junk) fishing boat getting your boat to anchor for you".

<snip>

I'm not going to state what I think....let your imagination do that.
I've taken the liberty of condensing your post so that I might ask what seems to me to be a rather obvious question, Kanani; i.e. Does anyone else think that those who first found the drifting vessel, pumped her out, cleaned her bottom, towed her to the island's lee, stripped her and set her adrift might just be the same fisherman and his son who "later" found her and towed her in to safe anchorage before reporting their discovery so they could claim another windfall from a grateful owner?

Am I too suspicious?

TaoJones
__________________
"Your vision becomes clear only when you look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks within, awakens."
Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961)
TaoJones is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 23:58.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.