Offshore losses

[NoTies]

Whilst our Maritime Safety Authority in NZ conduct excellent investigations into near misses and accidents in NZ waters, they generally don't investigate problems outside NZ limits.(I've been through the process a couple of times with them & they're 110% fantastic to deal with)
As I've come closer to heading off, I have paid a lot of close attention to things that have gone wrong for cruisers and tried to learn from their mistakes.
A recent case of a 20 metre motor yacht being overwhelmed by a wave & sinking very quickly is the latest to attract my attention. How could this happen? I've spent many years at sea on commercial vessels from 26' to 26000 tons and have pushed the envelope as skipper on numerous occassions but have never come close to foundering. Is this luck, did I really push the envelope? I rate my skills as average so I can't claim to have been entirely responsible for my & my crew's continued existence.
Is there a good resource out there in cyberland where I can find out results of any investigations? Does anyone have first hand experience and wish to share it?
I've always thought the land was responsible for most founderings but there seem to be an awful lot of boats lost well out of sight of land.
It would be all too easy to blame the skipper's in these cases but I feel it's a case of "there but for the grace of God go I". If the errors were human, what were they and how can we learn? If it was structural failure or some other reason, how can we prevent it happening again?
I am all in favour of the man against the elements sort of thing but we also owe a duty to our crew safety and to the thoughts of those we might leave behind.

Pete

[GordMay]

Search for Marine Accident Reports under “Marine Casualty” +”Accident Report”:

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB):
http://www.ntsb.gov/Surface/marine/marine.htm
Accident Reports: http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/M_Acc.htm
Marine Studies and Special Reports: http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/M_Stu.htm

Danish Maritime Authority (DMA):
List of Marine Accident Reports and Reviews: http://soefart.inforce.dk/sw228.asp

International Marine Accident Reporting Scheme (MARS):
http://www.nautinst.org/mars/index.htm

Australian Transport Safety Bureau: http://www.atsb.gov.au/
Maritime Safety: http://www.amsa.gov.au/

European Maritime Safety Authority (EMSA): http://www.emsa.eu.int/

many more ...

[NoTies]

Thanks Gord,
I had already trawled a few of these sites and all the sailboat investigations I could find (not many) were all close inshore, hit the rocks, collision stuff. It seems as if nobody takes any statutory responsibly for investigating outside their EEZs.
Pete

[irwinsailor]

I have a book titled "Total Loss" by Jack Coote. It is a collection of 45 first hand accounts of yacht losses at sea. It think it was a mistake that my Wife read it. I found it interesting.

[delmarrey]

Personally, I think in-experience, the lack of knowlage of the boats capibilities and fear it'self is what sinks boats at sea besides the thruhull problems that seem to be a pleage.

http://cruisersforum.com/showthread....inks+sailboats

And then there are the freak accidents that wouldn't normally happen, like rogue waves and half sunken containers from freighters.

But I think you hit the spot right on the nose: "there but for the grace of God go I".

F uture
E vents
A ppear
R eal

If it were not for "FEAR" the oceans would be covered with people............._/)