Urgent help needed to recover abandoned yacht NW Barbados

[SailMore]

On the blog it says they got a lift up to the BVI following a drift analysis which puts the possible location as being up that way. All fingers still crossed .....

[boatman61]

For those questioning 'Why not a tow by the ship'.. being towed out in the ocean with a functioning rudder is difficult enough involving very active steering to hold position behind a towing boat of similar size.. for the rudderless boat to be towed by a ship would have had it sawing all over the place and doubtless resulted in the foredeck cleats/whatever being torn loose leaving holes in the foredeck..
Its a whole different ball game to a tow a few miles down the ICW.. no swell or waves there.

[GTom]

Btw any chance to add some kind of emergency rudder at sea?

[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by GTom

Btw any chance to add some kind of emergency rudder at sea?

===

Certain ocean races like Newport-Bermuda require boats to demonstrate the ability to rig an emergency steering system as part of the pre-race safety inspection. Typically this will involve something like a passageway door lashed to a spinnaker pole or similar. It's not necessary to actually rig it up to pass the inspection, just demonstrate that materials are on board to make it do able.

[Pete7]

Not convinced this works, but YBW did some trials towing a drogue with lines held out to each side of the cockpit with a spinnaker pole across the stern. Steering adjusted by use of the lines around the winches.

[a64pilot]

I have done considerable thinking, but no actual experimenting. I have no experience with dealing with a lost rudder, none.
Initially I though take my pole and with U bolts attach the companionway door to it and have it protruding out the back like a Yuloh or Oar.
I'm not so sure that would work if I needed much rudder.
I have now taken to the idea that attaching the door to the pole, but sticking the pole straight down and lashing something like maybe the dinghy oar to it to give you leverage so that you could twist the pole would likely provide more steerage than an Oar hanging out way behind the boat. Think Viking long ship rudder.

However I have read instances where a drogue of sort was fashioned out of an anchor and fenders etc. using the sheet winches to pull it to one side or the other, worked well and I think will be what I will try first if Lord forbid it gets to that. I believe being a full keel Cutter will make it more likely to work, on just normal days its not usually too hard to trim the boat to where she will sail forever without rudder input and with sail trim you can make small course corrections, but of course this is with a rudder attached, how will she behave with it missing, or a piece jammed to one side?

The other wild card as I see it is weather, if the weather was bad enough to tear my rudder off, unlikely I will be able to cobb anything together enough to work. I guess then it's best to deploy the sea anchor and try to ride out out the weather and attempt something when it lays down?

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Pete7

Not convinced this works, but YBW did some trials towing a drogue with lines held out to each side of the cockpit with a spinnaker pole across the stern. Steering adjusted by use of the lines around the winches.

Never tried it in person but have read several accounts of boats that lost steering from various reasons that tried drogues to steer. Results were varied according to the articles. Some reported it worked well enough to reach port and even into port, others couldn't control the vessel's direction at all.

Assume the success of this method will depend on the boat, rig, balance, keel configuration, etc. so hard to predict.

From all my research on the subject it seems like the ultimate option is to rig a cassette rudder on the transom as the backup.

[Tall_Sailor]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I have done considerable thinking, but no actual experimenting. I have no experience with dealing with a lost rudder, none.
Initially I though take my pole and with U bolts attach the companionway door to it and have it protruding out the back like a Yuloh or Oar.
I'm not so sure that would work if I needed much rudder.
I have now taken to the idea that attaching the door to the pole, but sticking the pole straight down and lashing something like maybe the dinghy oar to it to give you leverage so that you could twist the pole would likely provide more steerage than an Oar hanging out way behind the boat. Think Viking long ship rudder.

However I have read instances where a drogue of sort was fashioned out of an anchor and fenders etc. using the sheet winches to pull it to one side or the other, worked well and I think will be what I will try first if Lord forbid it gets to that. I believe being a full keel Cutter will make it more likely to work, on just normal days its not usually too hard to trim the boat to where she will sail forever without rudder input and with sail trim you can make small course corrections, but of course this is with a rudder attached, how will she behave with it missing, or a piece jammed to one side?

The other wild card as I see it is weather, if the weather was bad enough to tear my rudder off, unlikely I will be able to cobb anything together enough to work. I guess then it's best to deploy the sea anchor and try to ride out out the weather and attempt something when it lays down?

After coming across this story and what occurred, I played the "What If" game. The one area I was under prepared for was how to "properly" deploy a drogue. I would have had my lines to far aft as it appears. I came across this video in my research and while it was shot is a calm bay, it illustrates on how to maneuver while missing a rudder.

A Guide to Steering without a Rudder: Methods and Equipment Tested >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News

[boden36]

I would think a drogue would work much better if streamed from near the centre of lateral resistance rather than the stern.

Regards,
Richard.

[Alexd83]

Any news on the boat? Let's play "What if..." some more. Suppose that rudder could not be rigged and the boat had to be abandoned. What can be done to ease the search and recovery of the boat? it may be beneficial for new sailors to like me.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Never tried it in person but have read several accounts of boats that lost steering from various reasons that tried drogues to steer. Results were varied according to the articles. Some reported it worked well enough to reach port and even into port, others couldn't control the vessel's direction at all.

Assume the success of this method will depend on the boat, rig, balance, keel configuration, etc. so hard to predict.

From all my research on the subject it seems like the ultimate option is to rig a cassette rudder on the transom as the backup.

Monitor sells their SOS emergency rudder, that attaches to the transom, for about $3000. Sitting in the middle of the Atlantic, with no rudder, I bet that would feel like the bargain of the century.

[mikedefieslife]

If you had a wind vane could that act as an emergency rudder?

EDIT:

In fact yes. Just watched a few videos of windpilot, hydrovane etc.. one the feature is the ability to use it as an emergency rudder. Probably a bit more useful than a dedicated emergency rudder?

[boatman61]

I can confirm from experience that a wind vane rudder will work effectively as an alternate rudder.
Took a boat from Agua Dulce, Spain to the Thames, UK using just the wind vane rudder with a fore and aft facing tiller pilot rigged with a pulley system to operate the rudder.. the wheel was locked central and I only released and used it for close quarters control entering port.
The boat was a 32ft steel CC sloop.. have mentioned this in threads in the past and been pooh poohed by doubters.. but that's the interweb for you..

[Mariano]

In my boat I installed on the center of the transom, just above the waterline, two U shaped stainless rails where the swim ladder was (reinforced with glass inside). There I can slide down the ladder or mount the dinghy outboard in case of main engine failure.

I can steer with the outboard but I´ve only done it in calm waters.

Dont´know if it was the Garcia Exploration or other similar aluminum sailboat that comes with this configuration for the emergency rudder, but I saw it in youtube , liked the easy solution and made one for me.

Mariano

Fair winds

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Mariano

In my boat I installed on the center of the transom, just above the waterline, two U shaped stainless rails where the swim ladder was (reinforced with glass inside). There I can slide down the ladder or mount the dinghy outboard in case of main engine failure.

I can steer with the outboard but I´ve only done it in calm waters.

Dont´know if it was the Garcia Exploration or other similar aluminum sailboat that comes with this configuration for the emergency rudder, but I saw it in youtube , liked the easy solution and made one for me.

Mariano

Fair winds

Placing a heavy OB into a lowish mount in a seaway would be difficult. You need a decent supply of gas as well.

You might be able to use some sort of hardware to drop a barn door type rudder from above and use with a tiller... assuming you lost the main steering.