What Are the Details of this Horrible Sailboat Accident?

[Bark]

What is the story behind this? Why did the sailboat do this? Did they survive? Is that a boy or a dog on the bow on the video?

YouTube - Terrific Boat Crash accident

[David M]

No idea about the specifics. It almost looks like an act of suicide. It's definitely a lack of good judgment.

[syoder]

I believe that was a clip from a longer segment on water safety that was aired quite a number of years ago on 20/20 or one of those shows. Don't know anything else.

[CharlieCobra]

From what I remember, the boat had just been launched after an extensive restoration. The owner had TWO captains and his Granddaughter aboard. They had gotten stuck and the owner was powering fore and aft trying to get loose as the ferry approached. Just as the ferry got there, the keel came loose and they turned in the path of the ferry. The captain forward dove off as did the captain aft. The owner and his Grandchild were knocked off by the impact. The boat was later recovered, rebuilt again and put up for sale on Yachtworld. No deaths or injuries but lotsa money spent...

[Bark]

Originally Posted by CharlieCobra

From what I remember, the boat had just been launched after an extensive restoration. The owner had TWO captains and his Granddaughter aboard. They had gotten stuck and the owner was powering fore and aft trying to get loose as the ferry approached. Just as the ferry got there, the keel came loose and they turned in the path of the ferry. The captain forward dove off as did the captain aft. The owner and his Grandchild were knocked off by the impact. The boat was later recovered, rebuilt again and put up for sale on Yachtworld. No deaths or injuries but lotsa money spent...

Are you sure this is the same incident? First, a boat would not go from stuck on the bottom to full speed ahead in just seconds.

Also, how did three adults not see a HUGE ferry just dozens of meters away?

Also, the person on the bow appears to be a child...if it were in fact an adult "Captain", why did he just sit there calmly while the sailboat veered right into the ferry's path? The person never even moves...

[senormechanico]

By the looks of the bow wave, that boat was underway at cruising speed the whole time of the video. Look at his wake.

Steve B.

[Solitude]

I don't think that was a dog or person on the bow. It didn't move.

[senormechanico]

I doubleclicked on it to watch it directly from youtube and expanded it. I watched it several times, and I think it's a person who is kneeling and hanging onto the port lifeline. They turn their head back and forth as if to say WTF are you doing???

Steve B.

[CSY Man]

They had gotten stuck and the owner was powering fore and aft trying to get loose as the ferry approached.

Hmm, if they were stuck on the bottom, and even with a deep draft of 7 to 8 feet, a big ferry boat at cruise speed would not be close to the area.

Judging from the nose of the ferry she is big enough to draw 12 to 15 feet of draft and a prudent Captain would want at least 20 feet of depth and if so, sloooow speed.

[Stillraining]

I have watched that thing many times over the past year...I believe in a moment of panic the tiller was thrown the wrong direction...pointing the tiller in the desired direction instead of opposite is instinctive and takes some getting use to.

Think about sitting on the high side and a gust comes by knocking you on your beam...it takes practice to push the tiller away from you to head up instead of instinctively pulling it.

[Bark]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

Think about sitting on the high side and a gust comes by knocking you on your beam...it takes practice to push the tiller away from you to head up instead of instinctively pulling it.

I could maybe see that if they were under sail in big winds, but they were motoring under bare poles...and the water looks pretty calm, no whitecaps or other evidence of windy conditions.

[Stillraining]

I know...but it still has merit as like I said ..an inexperienced crew on the helm getting rattled pulling or pushing it in the way they wanted to go (like wheel steering ) instead of the opposite way ( Tiller steering )..

Just a theory..

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

I know...but it still has merit as like I said ..an inexperienced crew on the helm getting rattled pulling or pushing it in the way they wanted to go (like wheel steering ) instead of the opposite way ( Tiller steering )..

Just a theory..

yep, totally doable I think... based on my own humbling experience with jamming my rudder by using the tiller backwards and upside down... a little fluster can go a long way.

[rebel heart]

A vivid reminder of "make your turns early and obvious".

[Bark]

Originally Posted by sarafina

yep, totally doable I think... based on my own humbling experience with jamming my rudder by using the tiller backwards and upside down... a little fluster can go a long way.

This is, he WAS turning (correctly) to starboard at first, then abruptly changed course...he didn't need to do anything to avoid the accident, except keep doing what he was doing.