Ballina yacht sinking.

[skipperpete]

I’m at Ballina in northern NSW, Australia where the Richmond river meets the sea, often violently and there’s a long list of yachts that have come to grief crossing the bar, and although yesterdays latest casualty didn’t actually sink on or while crossing the entrance it was a close call for the crew who were rescued by helicopter 4klm out to sea. Very little news about the incident ( the second vessel loss this week) is available, I only heard about it more or less as it happened while on my morning walk along the north break wall. The good news is that both crew survived and were taken to Ballina hospital but sadly the 14 metre yacht is believed to be on the sea floor 4klm from the end of the north wall.

[Wotname]

What was the weather at the time?

[skipperpete]

Hi Wottie, the weather for the first incident was lousy and not terrific again on Saturday morning when the 14 metre vessel went down but I doubt it’s demise was weather related, the few remaining trawlers here have been going to sea each night to work and anchoring about a kilometer out to sea if the tide was wrong for re entry at dawn, the bar conditions have been horrible on the ebb tide but good on the top of the flood. I’ll pay a visit to the volunteer coastal patrol guys in the tower and see if I can get more info. There have been quite a few sailing yachts headed north recently and 2 superyachts southbound, none choosing to enter the Richmond river though, I can see a lot of the coast AND the entrance from the sun deck where I’m staying.

[Fore and Aft]

This is one of the trawlers crossing Ballina bar last week.
We once crossed Ballina bar in a Roberts 25. Did a wicked broach and peeled the rubber belting right of our deck/hull join. Definitely a brown stain moment.
Cheers

[skipperpete]

That looks a bit like the “Sarah Dane”, excellent photo. It got a bit friskier than that on Wednesday and Thursday but today is pretty good. The east coast current is running fairly fast at the moment, apparently 2-3 knots judging by how long it taking the northbound traffic to get past Ballina and flat rock…. The smart yachties are staying very close to the beach to catch the reverse current , easy to see here when the river does a sharp left as it exits the break walls on the ebb and turns the water brown. No news yet on the sinking though.

[Searles]

It always amazes me that when vsls are abandoned at sea or in coastal waters but still afloat that the last thing to do if possible is to pay out the anchor and all of the chain and make fast the best way possible , the anchor and chain will help keep the vsl head to wind and or tide and may well self anchor the abandoned vsl for later salvage ,a simple enough manoeuvre in mast cases .⛵️⚓️

[skipperpete]

This is starting to look like either “ fake news” or some sort of confusion about 2 completely different incidents, one in 2020 and one on saturday morning. I heard this from a couple of local yachties on Sunday at the moorings/marina in Smith drive but nothing seems to make sense at the moment.

[skipperpete]

I just spoke to the marine rescue people in person and NO YACHTS have been involved in any incidents in the last 3 weeks, both the recent rollovers on the Ballina bar last week were small non commercial fishing boats…. 1 of which sank and has not been recovered and the other was salvaged after the rescue of the people on board….. no injuries other than barnacle cuts. My apologies for posting the fake news, I’ll be speaking sharply to my Yachtie associates later today.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^
Remind them about keel hauling as a response to such fakery.

Jim