Couple and dogs rescued after months at sea

[_andi_]

I guess the believable part is that they were at sea for quite a while and that they were in over their heads. Being out there for that long and fearing death all the time messes with your head. So it might be they didn't get out of this unscathed but took some damage which is not as easy to spot as a broken limb. So them telling factual bs does not necessarily mean intentional lying but might just be a symptom. It's tempting to roast the s*it out of them but always keep in mind that it might just be like laughing about a guy with a broken leg participating in a high jump contest.

... and I'm still wondering how much a missing spreader really affects the structural integrity of the rig if you replace the shroud with a halyard. I'm no engineer but as far as I understand the math behind it, the angle of attack changes by less than 10 degrees and gets into the formula as cosine so I'd guess worst case 50% loss. Plus, many historic ships don't have spreaders in the first place... So if anybody could run some numbers on an example I'd very much appreciate that.

[CatNewBee]

And don't forget the smart sharks that attacked the boat teaching baby sharks how get a tasty bite from fiberglass and the dolphins! in the devils sea. that rescued them...

But they wave had the time to make some video footage and write a book - we'll see them soon on youtube...

[_andi_]

... and the bonus question: What's the best way to jury rig a spreader? Rivet a stanchion to the mast? Shorten a Spinnaker Pole and transfer it's attachment point?

Hmm, at least for short masts that might be another reason to have to spinnaker pole stored on a track on the mast. The upper end is almost at spreader height and if the spinnaker pole is not tapered at the end it's just a matter of chopping it off at the right length, drill some holes and pop some rivets...

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by _andi_

...

- The boat was too large to enter kiribati, so no fix there.


...

Anyone here know this area well? Does their claim make any sense?

[Ishmael]

Just as an aside, I guess, I'd like to just clarify one thing: Just in the first few posts, I saw some less than complimentary references to the "go now crowd". The impression, clearly, is that "we" (because I include myself in that "crowd") and other irresponsible buffoons like Lin & Larry Pardey, encourage anybody and everybody to pick up a 40 year old tub on Craigslist or Ebay and head off into the sunset. Ridiculous.

The idea is that - since it takes many years of education and preparation before untying the lines - that one should stop wasting time with anything that doesn't further that goal. We also tend to believe that the vast majority of human beings are reasonably intelligent and will do their due diligence. And, finally, the "go now crowd" always slips all those admonitions in right behind the "slogan".

Nobody in their right mind - after talking with these two women - would have encouraged them to leave on May 3rd of this year when they were so clearly unprepared. Someone apparently gave them advice to pack lots of food, which seems to have saved their lives, but we don't know if the same sage egged them on, or actively tried to discourage them. Ultimately, the decision to leave (or stay put) is up to the individual.

[malbert73]

This is easy. Publicity stunt is my first choice. Second one is full incompetence- if you can’t jury rig a spreader after months floating around? But that actually supports the first choice. Because you’d think if you were really stranded you’d figure something out after months

[Cavalier]

Originally Posted by malbert73

if you can’t jury rig a spreader after months floating around?

...apparently, with the accessible ease of steps on the mast.

From what I've read and seen of this episode, and with no further knowledge of the details of the situation or the competence or experience of the couple involved, it would appear like the script of "All is lost" played out in real life.

Provisioning is only a small part of the preparation of boat and crew to be performed prior to any major passage. If you listen to their story, assume some degree of a lack of general handiness, and dial-back the hyperbole from many of their claims the story could make sense. Regardless of the apparent embellishments, mellow-drama and port-tavern story-telling, their personal experiences would have been amplified by fear and possibly inexperience.. Sharks idling along the side of the hull would have become sea-monster attacks. 11m/s in a confused heaving sea at night would have become "Fastnet Force 10".

However, their evident lack of attempts to repair anything are most telling. Many years ago I viewed a condo that had been "remodelled", upon pressing the owner regarding details of the remodel, it appeared that a section of a sloping ceiling above the dining table has been re-skimmed and a new light installed. It wouldn't take much for a "total refit" to actually mean only new fixtures, some AWL-grip and soft furnishings, for example. "Total refit" to the major of cruisers/sailors means replacement/rehabilitation of major equipment and systems, plumbing, electrical, electronics and maybe even repowering. Anybody who has done a refit themselves would've had the engine running again (unless the crankshaft was bent from flooded cylinders being turned over) and had the spreader jury-rigged in short order.



As Robert Redford's character hollered into his VHF: "Come in, over. This is a SOS, this is a SOS."

[hpeer]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Anyone here know this area well? Does their claim make any sense?

Elsewhere someone ID’d the boat as a 37’ Starret and Jenks.

I could not find that but did find a 45’er with 6-1/2 foot draft.

STARRATT & JENKS 45 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

And this on Kiribati

http://www.kiribatiportsauthority.co...1&siteid=10036

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

I saw the USCG documentation for this boat.

It is a 1979 Starratt & Jenks 37. 37 feet LOA

do tell what is the document number or at least the registerd to my knowledge there was never a Starratt 37 built.

[_andi_]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

I saw the USCG documentation for this boat.

It is a 1979 Starratt & Jenks 37. 37 feet LOA

Hmm, the press (and the owner if I remember correctly) say it's 50ft.

And somebody started to draw a map with dates, seems their boat was intact for the first 27 days. That adds even more to the mystery, since it was supposedly broke in kiribati.

US sailors and their dogs rescued after five months at sea

And here is a link to NOAA's western hawaii buoy. Smooth sailing, whole month less then 20kn sustained.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/view_text_f...ata/cwind/May/

[newhaul]

So it would seem that it is 37 ft and Starratt did build a few kit versions of the Hunter 37 one of which was a center cockpit arrangement .

http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/pls/webp...vessel_id_list

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Elsewhere someone ID’d the boat as a 37’ Starret and Jenks.

I could not find that but did find a 45’er with 6-1/2 foot draft.

STARRATT & JENKS 45 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com

And this on Kiribati

About Us

Follow this link to see the official registration of the vessel.
It is registered as a Starratt & Jenks 37.

Vessel Documentation Query

[Steadman Uhlich]

Some have questioned the fouling of the topsides of the hull, with some people assuming it indicates a boat that was beached or aground on its side.

Here is a photo of a boat that was sailing for six months. The hull fouling or growth is similar.

IF the boat was not under sail (sails down) and drifting on the open ocean, it would have rocked. The rocking allows water to to go up and down on the hull, allowing growth to form. This is natural, just as some growth occurs on rocks that are constantly splashed by waves.

[svrodeorm]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Some have questioned the fouling of the topsides of the hull, with some people assuming it indicates a boat that was beached or aground on its side.

Here is a photo of a boat that was sailing for six months. The hull fouling or growth is similar.

IF the boat was not under sail (sails down) and drifting on the open ocean, it would have rocked. The rocking allows water to to go up and down on the hull, allowing growth to form. This is natural, just as some growth occurs on rocks that are constantly splashed by waves.

Could that pic be of Rutherfords Albin Vega by any chance?

[GTom]

Originally Posted by svrodeorm

Could that pic be of Rutherfords Albin Vega by any chance?

Yes it is!