Disney Cruise ship rescues stranded boaters off Bermuda

[derfy]

https://nypost.com/2024/11/11/world-...bermuda-coast/

By Isabel Keane
Nov. 11, 2024, 6:55 a.m. ET

A Disney Cruise ship headed for Bermuda rescued four stranded boaters off a sinking catamaran Sunday morning.
The 50-foot catamaran, named Serenity, experienced a gasket failure in the escape hatch that caused the ship to start to fill with water some 230 miles off the coast of Bermuda, according to ABC7.

Panicked passengers aboard Serenity began to call for help, prompting a response from the Disney Treasure, a new cruise line with a base in Port Canaveral, Florida.

The Disney ship answered the US Coast Guard’s call from about 80 miles away, launching one of their small boats and rescuing the four shipwrecked boaters.



“We are pleased that the Disney Treasure was able to provide aid to the boat passengers in peril. Our crew members worked together on the rescue, skillfully demonstrating their training and commitment to safety,” Disney Treasure Captain Marco Nogara said in a statement to the outlet.

[marcjsmith]

Originally Posted by derfy

The 50-foot catamaran, named Serenity, experienced a gasket failure in the escape hatch that caused the ship to start to fill with water

Damn, where's Phil Swift when you need him with the flex seal....

armchair captian and all... would dogging the hatch down and get out the the 4200-5200 and start squirting be of any use. if you could get the devils glue to set up while waters were calmish...

[lestersails]

So, what are the options for this emergency? I can't determine what 'gasket failure' means insofar as the flooding rate. Assume that it must have been greater than their bilge pump pumping rate. I would assume this is one of those positive feedback loop problems where the lower she sits in the water, the higher the flooding rate.
Can someone ID the boat model (and age range) and the hatch design?

[leecea]

would dogging the hatch down and get out the the 4200-5200 and start squirting be of any use. if you could get the devils glue to set up while waters were calmish...

I'm sure there are many variables that determine the best course of action, and the safety of the crew are the top priority, but something like you describe seems to have been tried in at least one situation...

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...re-194102.html

[Orion Jim]

If this info is accurate the hatch gasket “failed” and the bilge pump(s) were unable to keep up with the influx of water. A crew of four could devise no means to stem the flow to a rate which a bucket brigade and the existing pumps could handle.
Can’t help but wonder if any and all means were exhausted before the mayday was issued. Monday morning quarterbacking makes me feel that perhaps a cushion over the leak and blocking to hold it in place may have reduced the flow…just enough.
Hopefully I never get into a similar situation while offshore. Thankfully they didn’t have to “step up” to their life raft.

[yalla]

catamaran noob here... does this mean this cat has an escape hatch below the waterline so you can get out if she gets flipped? is this a common feature on catamarans?

[Capt Clark]

The ones that I’ve seen are a little above waterline but if they are left open in wavey conditions, could let in water.

[Tellie]

That's a huge "Gasket" leak to be sure. Monday morning Quater backing and all, one would think there were some signs a while ago of a bad gasket. No "Is that bilge alarm going off yet again?" or "Where is all this water in the bilge coming from all the time"? A catastrophic gasket failure where a rescue is needed? I know one of the best hatch and window guys in the Florida area. I got to ask him about how often that happens.
Much like bungs and plugs next to every through hull you would think the question of what happens if this or that fails and water starts coming in, would occur inspecting anything under or just above the waterline beforehand. Unless you take a major breech of the hull, plans should be in place to slow leaks down to the point of manageability.
We used to have tons of threads on this subject years ago. Again, Monday morning QBing.

[leecea]

Can’t help but wonder if any and all means were exhausted before the mayday was issued.

Hypothetical question: If the crew want to abandon the vessel but the owner/captain wants to try and save it, how does that play out? I assume anyone can make a mayday call or activate an EPIRB.

[HeinSdL]

A lot less worried about my saildrive now (actually I wasn't even that worried) hearing that there are boats with windows more or less underwater! OK you have glass bottomed boats but that is something a little different to having a fairly standard hatch near the waterline. Must be scary having that hatch fail in a substantial swell with the hatch being half or completely submerged as the boat deals with the waves.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by leecea

Hypothetical question: If the crew want to abandon the vessel but the owner/captain wants to try and save it, how does that play out? I assume anyone can make a mayday call.

In this case the skipper could take the option of staying aboard, he can't be forced off.. however he 'may' be turned down if he calls another Mayday to get him off if things go tits up.
CG have the authority (past posts on CF have suggested) to order all off I am led to believe, unless it's just for a medical emergency.

[SailingHarmonie]

Originally Posted by yalla

catamaran noob here... does this mean this cat has an escape hatch below the waterline so you can get out if she gets flipped? is this a common feature on catamarans?

Yes, these "escape hatches" are actually mandated under EU rules. Although they are not below the loaded waterline, in ocean conditions if they fail they can let a lot of water in very quickly.

They have caused the loss, and near loss, of several boats, and as far as I know saved the lives of exactly zero sailors. (Anybody have an example?)

They are a case of a stupid rule that will not go away. It is of course POSSIBLE to build a robust ocean safe escape hatch, but it is expensive, and because it does not involve a transparent window, does not look cool at the boat show.

For better or worse, these are just one example of what happens when you let a regulatory body run away with rule-making with no real accountability for bad regulations. The best of intentions, gone awry.

[mbianka]

Did a charter out of Belize a number of years ago on a catamaran and was convinced to keep my monohull after watching this scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSFOSR6Wg5c

[Matt Johnson]

Cats can be designed to float high inverted - enclosed buoyancy chambers high in the deck and bow is one option. Emergency hatches can then be mounted high on the hulls and avoid a lot of those problems. All this is calculated when you apply for CE approval, so the designer in this case didn't see it as a priority.

The cat looks to be a Voyage 44.

Matt

[yalla]

holey sheet!

and I'm freaked out about my (3 year old) dripless shaft seal!