Sailboat Sinks After Hitting Cape May Jetty

[smj]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Yes, we’ll probably not learn.
That is a plausible scenario- hitting outside of jetty and trying to get in the inlet while taking on water..

If they hit inside the inlet, my guess is one of these things happened:
1. They were too close to the right side of the channel/jetty. Perhaps all the cockpit LED lights made distance difficult to gauge
2. Someone let go of the wheel and the boat spun suddenly to starboard into the rocks (balanced spade rudder can do this with prop wash)
3. Autopilot pulled a “crazy Ivan”
4. They just got too close and hit underwater rocks from jetty.

Still an unfortunate issue. Regardless, looks like the boat sank in the inlet channel so hope they were able to remove soon after to keep inlet open and safe

It’s good for all of us to consider all possibilities as none of us are immune to mistakes

Could also be they were relying on the chart plotter to keep them in the middle of the channel instead of using their Mark One eyeballs to watch their surroundings.
Sometimes according to our chartplotter, our boat travels at the same speed whether on land or water.

[CaptTom]

I'm surprised no-one from the area has chimed in with the facts.

If this happened in my home waters I'd know all the details by now. I'd hear it from the first responders, commercial fishermen, anyone passing that way, and people going out to gawk first-hand. Surely some boater in the area knows the TowBoat operator or one of the many LE folks who responded, or anyone who was actually there.

This armchair speculation has gone too far!

[Kd9truck]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Yes, we’ll probably not learn.
That is a plausible scenario- hitting outside of jetty and trying to get in the inlet while taking on water..

If they hit inside the inlet, my guess is one of these things happened:
1. They were too close to the right side of the channel/jetty. Perhaps all the cockpit LED lights made distance difficult to gauge
2. Someone let go of the wheel and the boat spun suddenly to starboard into the rocks (balanced spade rudder can do this with prop wash)
3. Autopilot pulled a “crazy Ivan”
4. They just got too close and hit underwater rocks from jetty.

Still an unfortunate issue. Regardless, looks like the boat sank in the inlet channel so hope they were able to remove soon after to keep inlet open and safe

It’s good for all of us to consider all possibilities as none of us are immune to mistakes

On an up note, can you please start a post with the origin of “crazy Ivan” I believe. A great many (me) have experienced this without knowing Ivan was responsible 😭.

[hpeer]

Jim Cate

Aquamaps screen shot.

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by Kd9truck

On an up note, can you please start a post with the origin of “crazy Ivan” I believe. A great many (me) have experienced this without knowing Ivan was responsible [emoji24].

Lol!!

This is the only (fictional) origin I know and it suits well

https://youtu.be/DRUpAipGu5w

[requiem]

Regarding the vegetation, my initial thought was the possibility of telephoto lens compression, but this article does indicate the west jetty was hit (apart from the quote, note the green daymark). The chart also indicates the jetty extends 50 meters past the light.

[Jim Cate]

The chart also indicates the jetty extends 50 meters past the light.

Now that's awkward! Makes an approach from the side at night kinda risky if not very familiar with the entrance.

Jim

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by requiem

Regarding the vegetation, my initial thought was the possibility of telephoto lens compression, but this article does indicate the west jetty was hit (apart from the quote, note the green daymark). The chart also indicates the jetty extends 50 meters past the light.

Well there’s the pictures proving it is on the outside of the entrance. The vegetation must be telephoto compression and a different angle.

Amazing, they just went up the jetty. I have seen boats oblivious of reefs, heading straight into them at full speed. It’s hard seeing that. And it happens often.

[HeinSdL]

I have a question wrt that chart. Red light on the starboard side of the channel, green on port, when seen from offshore. Is that different in the US compared to Europe? My studies as well as having experienced countless port entries tell me you line up your boat lights with the shore lights when ENTERING a port.

This agreed standard means you have some confidence that you're on the correct side of the shore lights. Even in the case of a light being out of action.

So without a chart it should be possible to not do something too stupid. However, if the lights are placed as shown on that chart above AND I did not actually have a chart AND the green light was out of action, I could well end up on the wrong side of that breaker.

Interested in the answer on this!

EDIT. Googled it. Yes there are differences, interesting: https://www.safe-skipper.com/an-expl...-a-and-iala-b/.

So maybe the boat which crashed had just arrived form IALA A and did not realize they were in IALA B.

Greetings from IALA A!

[Chotu]

Now it's clear!

from the pictures, it’s definitely clear that they hit the southernmost jetty. On the outside and not in the channel.

from the chart, it’s looking somewhat possible that they were tired and did not notice the little indication for the sometimes submerged riprap or end of the jetty area out there.

take a look. It is a little bit ambiguous. You can see the red arrow I drew where they were located in these pictures sunk. You can also see on that same chart the indication of the slight extension past the green marker.

In the pictures of the boat in the water in this post, you can clearly see on the right hand side picture that it is sunken next to the green marker on the outside of the channel and the outside of the jetty. You can see the square shape of the green daymark on that marker.

then on the other picture on the left side, you can kind of make out the triangular shape of the red looking across the channel.

still completely a navigation error. There’s no other explanation for that one.

even if they didn’t notice that little oblong shapefd sometimes submerged rip rap or jetty extension around the green marker, they cut it way too close anyway. That is assuming they didn’t just plow right into the main part of the jetty.

like we set up thread, you always start out at the safe water area. I would have personally started around the pair of number 39s in the middle of the channel entrance on the chart at the very minimum.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by HeinSdL

I have a question wrt that chart. Red light on the starboard side of the channel, green on port, when seen from offshore. Is that different in the US compared to Europe? My studies as well as having experienced countless port entries tell me you line up your boat lights with the shore lights when ENTERING a port.

This agreed standard means you have some confidence that you're on the correct side of the shore lights. Even in the case of a light being out of action.

So without a chart it should be possible to not do something too stupid. However, if the lights are placed as shown on that chart above AND I did not actually have a chart AND the green light was out of action, I could well end up on the wrong side of that breaker.

Interested in the answer on this!

EDIT. Googled it. Yes there are differences, interesting: https://www.safe-skipper.com/an-expl...-a-and-iala-b/.

So maybe the boat which crashed had just arrived form IALA A and did not realize they were in IALA B.

Greetings from IALA A!

Yes, Franziska guessed this at the very beginning of the thread. She said it might be a European person making a mistake.

and instead of lining the lights up like you are talking about we have an expression in English to do it since it is the other way around.

"Red right returning"

[Kd9truck]

Originally Posted by malbert73

Lol!!

This is the only (fictional) origin I know and it suits well

https://youtu.be/DRUpAipGu5w

Well done Sir 🫡, I will add that to my repertoire of technical terms now that I have situational context.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by HeinSdL

Interested in the answer on this!

EDIT. Googled it. Yes there are differences, interesting: https://www.safe-skipper.com/an-expl...-a-and-iala-b/.

So maybe the boat which crashed had just arrived form IALA A and did not realize they were in IALA B.

Greetings from IALA A!

Very unlikely. I believe all European sailors are certified and were subjected to this IALA A/B difference again and again, incl. during exams.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Very unlikely. I believe all European sailors are certified and were subjected to this IALA A/B difference again and again, incl. during exams.

Licences are not obligatory in all European countries afaik. Only in some they are, unless legislation has changed.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Licences are not obligatory in all European countries afaik. Only in some they are, unless legislation has changed.

I had to have three certificates: government certificate for operating pleasure craft, a Marcom A for radio and a coastal navigation certificate which counts as a certificate of competence.

The operator certificate is the International one that all (EU?) sailors that venture out to sea must have afaik.