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Butler · 08-06-2012, 20:07

Wasn't too long ago that a center cockpit Irwin christened Twelfth Step left Los Angeles Harbor for Australia with a lone Czech sailor and his terrier. Just got word today from the previous owner who was registered on the on-board E-PIRB (new owner had not changed the registration) that he was called by the Coast Guard regarding an activated E-PIRB.
Come to discover that, though the boat was lost, happily the Czech and his dog are fine... rescued and brought ashore, where, I don't know.

Obviously I am missing a lot of details and am wondering if anyone on-line here has heard or seen any reports regarding the incident.

RobWebbYachts · 29-06-2012, 13:44

I sold Twelfth Step to the Czech last year. Great boat and he got a great deal but there were obviously things that needed to be done prior to sailing the boat half way around the world (like updating EPIRB info as I advised him). Upon receiving the EPRIB signal, the USCG in Hawaii sent the info to the French and they immediately sent a Lear Jet to fly over. The boat was adrift 250 miles off the Marquesas Islands in 3 ft seas and 10 knots of wind with no sails up but the rig looked fine. The Lear Jet attempted to make contact on VHF 16 but he did not answer (assume batteries were dead) but he was on deck and looked healthy. They dispatched a cruise ship 150 km away to go pick him up. He was fine but said his sails were all ripped up and he could not start the engine. The boat is now floating abandoned somewhere and there are a lot of simple lessons to be learned here (like having a Honda Gen and a few extra sails). Unfortunately this is the 2nd boat he has abandoned at sea so he did not learn those lessons the first time and did not listen to my advice.

Rob Webb
Flying Cloud Yachts

sy_gilana · 29-06-2012, 13:59

Rob, was his first name Pavel by any chance?

RobWebbYachts · 29-06-2012, 16:58

No that is not his name. He is a Czch who lives in Australia.

RobWebbYachts · 29-06-2012, 16:58

That is pretty close to his last name though.

bobconnie · 29-06-2012, 16:59

Connie and I found a abandoned 41ft Morgan about 250 miles off Ensanada in 1978 or 1979, batterys dead, sails shredded, no one aboard, log missing or never had one !we stuck one of our spare bagged sails on the jib wire and Connie and our oldest daughter sailed it back to Cabo as that was the way the wind was blowing, turned it into the local athorites, and went on our way to the Hawaee Islands. Never heard who owned it or if they ever got it back I guess theres a bunch of boats bobbing around out there ! Do the owners ever get them back ?? we always wonderd why it was abandoned, and if he ever got it back? anybody ever hear of something like this??

Jbaffoh · 29-06-2012, 17:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Connie and I found a abandoned 41ft Morgan about 250 miles off Ensanada in 1978 or 1979, batterys dead, sails shredded, no one aboard, log missing or never had one !we stuck one of our spare bagged sails on the jib wire and Connie and our oldest daughter sailed it back to Cabo as that was the way the wind was blowing, turned it into the local athorites, and went on our way to the Hawaee Islands. Never heard who owned it or if they ever got it back I guess theres a bunch of boats bobbing around out there ! Do the owners ever get them back ?? we always wonderd why it was abandoned, and if he ever got it back? anybody ever hear of something like this??

Why not claim salvage rights? You know the owners probably never got it, and it was probably auctioned off or destroyed. Such a waste.

Capt.Fred · 29-06-2012, 17:27

Around the mid 60's or so I recall a commercial Salmon fisherman acquaintance of mine who found a Hans Christian 42 floating just merrily along the Northern Coast of California. The mast was in the water, lying on a broken gunnel. A shroud was wrapped around the prop. The owners had jumped into their rubber dinghy and made a short trip to Hawaii.

The fisherman got full salvage rights, and he did not know how to sail. To this day, I'm sorry but, I've resented that guy. "Resentment is like stabbing yourself, hoping the other guy will die" Anon. Well, I just can't help it!

bobconnie · 29-06-2012, 18:15

We did not do it for gain ! we had a better boat !!LOL I would still do the same today ! just an Old timers 2 cents

Blue Stocking · 29-06-2012, 18:18

At least 2 of the 7 boats abandoned near Bermuda last Oct-Nov have recently been sighted by passing ships or other yachts.
In the past few years I know of 2 that have been towed in by local fisherman.
Sailed on 1 of them, a Southern cross 31 IIRC.
I have been told that another of a group which left here last weekend for the US, against experienced weather advice, has been abandoned NW of Bermuda.

Jbaffoh · 29-06-2012, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobconnie

We did not do it for gain ! we had a better boat !!LOL I would still do the same today ! just an Old timers 2 cents

Yeah, you sailed a derelict boat 600 miles to turn it over to the government? Why? If returning it to it's owner, cool! But to turn it over to a government??? No! Sell it!

Celestialsailor · 30-06-2012, 07:12

Bobconnie...If it was taken to Mexico, I doubt the owner would have even been notified.
As far as "Twelve step"...if this was his second abandon, there is a great likelyhood this guy is an idiot. Just a guess, but down below sleeping while sh*& is hitting the fan on deck. Darwin was right!