You Thought You Hit a Whale

[Steadman Uhlich]

When sailing it is not uncommon to hear people say they hit something unknown (usually at night). Often this is attributed to hitting a whale.

There is another possibility in the Pacific or Caribbean, especially if you are off the coast of Mexico.

You might have hit a Narco Sub!

You should see the sub (video is in the link below) and see the huge stack of blocks of cocaine! Amazing! And this is NOT the only Narco Sub.

Video: US coast guard seizes six tons of cocaine from mini-sub in Pacific - Telegraph

US coast guard seizes six tons of cocaine from mini-sub in Pacific
US Coast Guard release video footage showing the record seizure of a semi-submersible packed with drugs

By Nick Allen, Los Angeles10:00AM BST 07 Aug 2015

A homemade submarine packed with more than seven tonnes of cocaine was discovered floating towards America.
The US Coast Guard seized what it called a "self-propelled semi-submersible" carrying drugs worth $181 million around 200 miles off the cost of Mexico.

___________________

What if it really was a whale you hit?

Read the following thread I posted giving 5 examples of actual yacht sinkings due to whales.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...69#post1885969

[Steadman Uhlich]

News story posted today shows another Drug Sub or Narco Sub that was captured by the USCG off the coast of Mexico. The USCG sank this sub too, as the article states it is too unstable when the cocaine cargo is removed, so unable to tow it into port.

The article mentions that the drug subs are caught far offshore (200nm).

Notice the low lying dark shape in the middle ground of this photo. That would really look like a whale or be unseen at night.

The news story is found here:

Latitude 38 - 'Lectronic Latitude

[category4jay]

So I went to the link above and found the following quote from andy:

"no matter how far offshore you are, remember that it is both illegal and unwise to maneuver without someone on watch every minute of every day.

- latitude / andy"

My question..sorry if this is off topic but is Andy correct? Is it illegal to sail without someone on watch every minute of every day? If it is illegal than every singlehanded vessel that has ever sailed must have broke the law while underway correct?

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by category4jay

So I went to the link above and found the following quote from andy:

"no matter how far offshore you are, remember that it is both illegal and unwise to maneuver without someone on watch every minute of every day.

- latitude / andy"

My question..sorry if this is off topic but is Andy correct? Is it illegal to sail without someone on watch every minute of every day? If it is illegal than every singlehanded vessel that has ever sailed must have broke the law while underway correct?

Hi.

I am not an authority on COLREGS (Collision Regulations) but that topic has been discussed at length recently in the forum.

In short, when a vessel is "underway" it is supposed to have a reasonable watch aboard manning the helm and watching for other ships to prevent collisions.

But, there are different interpretations of what is meant by "reasonable watch" and what constitutes a watch. Is it a person (awake) or is it a RADAR with proximity alarm?

Those discussions are contentious and full of references to rules and regulations. There are distinct differences of opinion.

Then, the issue of "singlehanded" sailing is another aspect of this that arouses disagreements of what is proper or good seamanship.

In my opinion, a boat with a crew should have a crew member "on watch" at all times, and that may include an "anchor watch" when in a questionable anchorage or near a lee shore. I consider that simply "good seamanship."

Now, if I were single handing across the ocean, I might feel a need to sleep now and then, so I would then decide what makes for a safer solution (short naps, RADAR, AIS, heave to).
______________________

Here is a Google Custom Search on the key word "COLREGS" of just this forum. There are many links and comments on them. I have read a bunch, but not all.

COLREGS - Google Search

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

News story posted today shows another Drug Sub or Narco Sub that was captured by the USCG off the coast of Mexico. The USCG sank this sub too, as the article states it is too unstable when the cocaine cargo is removed, so unable to tow it into port.

The article mentions that the drug subs are caught far offshore (200nm).

Notice the low lying dark shape in the middle ground of this photo. That would really look like a whale or be unseen at night.

The news story is found here:

Latitude 38 - 'Lectronic Latitude

G'day, Steady,

Okay, so don't unload it until you've got it to port! No worries, mate.

Whales sleep on the surface, so if they're where you're going, and it's night, you don't see them at all. Friends ran up on one, they think, and slid off, like you slide off the dock if you run up on it. (Don't ask!)

Cheers,

Ann

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

G'day, Steady,

Okay, so don't unload it until you've got it to port! No worries, mate.

Whales sleep on the surface, so if they're where you're going, and it's night, you don't see them at all. Friends ran up on one, they think, and slid off, like you slide off the dock if you run up on it. (Don't ask!)

Cheers,

Ann

G'day Ann!

I thought that was why full keel boats with spoon bows or long overhanging bows were designed, so they could ride up and over anything they hit.

Got your humor.

About the DrubSub?
While I always wanted to be a submariner, I don't use any drugs, so not my kind of boat.

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by category4jay

So I went to the link above and found the following quote from andy:

"no matter how far offshore you are, remember that it is both illegal and unwise to maneuver without someone on watch every minute of every day.

- latitude / andy"

My question..sorry if this is off topic but is Andy correct? Is it illegal to sail without someone on watch every minute of every day? If it is illegal than every singlehanded vessel that has ever sailed must have broke the law while underway correct?

Sounds like he was pushing some inside agenda with that comment because it had zero relevance to the story. Nada.

[markpierce]

A submerged submarine needs to avoid ALL surface vehicles.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by gamayun

Sounds like he was pushing some inside agenda with that comment because it had zero relevance to the story. Nada.

Really?


So you're cruising along, sleeping, and you hit a sub full of drugs. If you don't damage your boat, it's still not an optimal situation to be in far out at sea. Do you think a few paranoid drug smugglers are going to be happy to have met you? Do they think you're going to keep this collision quiet? Even if you swore on your life, do you think they'll believe you? What are the odds that they're smuggling millions of $ of coke completely unarmed?

Using your deepest darkest fears, imagine what they'll do to anyone they bump into before they kill everyone on board.

You can call it an agenda if you want, I'd call it great advice. It's actually a regulation. I'd much rather have someone on watch than have a collision at sea.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by markpierce

A submerged submarine needs to avoid ALL surface vehicles.

Absolutely!

[IdoraKeeper]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

Absolutely!

I cannot imagine troubling about hitting a submarine. I operate in an area where they a common.....these days I would be vaporized before I ever had such a problem.

[senormechanico]

We hit mysterious big wakes often around here in Northern Puget Sound with nobody in sight for an hour with only a 5 mile shore to shore space.
Doesn't take an Einstein to figger it out.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by gamayun

Sounds like he was pushing some inside agenda with that comment because it had zero relevance to the story. Nada.

I agree
I must admit that I slept on a singlehanded 8 day passage to/from Bermuda this year.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by IdoraKeeper

I cannot imagine troubling about hitting a submarine. I operate in an area where they a common.....these days I would be vaporized before I ever had such a problem.

Vaporized?

As big as the ocean is, as few subs as there are out there and as comprehensive as the procedures are for preventing collisions while coming to periscope depth, I'm still amazed at how many collisions there have been.

When you consider that foreign subs probably follow equally safety oriented procedures, it's even more astounding how many collisions have occurred between subs!

The only reason they happen as often as they do is that subs aren't distributed equally throughout the oceans, usually one is trailing the other.

[TitoSoto]

You know, this craziness it is quite amazing what this Mexican engineers have been able to do. And when I say Mexican engineers I mean American PhD's who have been kidnapped and brought down!

No joke, I'm Mexican and I have heard countless stories of really smart guys been kidnapped and brought down to make, for example, an entire cellular network for the narcos at the border.

Simple economics at work really.