Main Cat Crew Rescued Off Oregon Inlet NC

[caradow]

Does anyone know the details about this Maine Cat being abandoned?
Looks like it was in sailable shape even with a twin engine failure.

[leecea]

I assume that with the wind and waves they felt unable to sail safely and/or had no save place to sail to without being able to get into the inlet. I wonder why they were out?

Boat abandoned, 4 rescued from 12-foot waves off the Outer Banks

[Manateeman]

The anchor line failed. Catamarans just can’t carry enough chain. It’s really that simple.
Captain Mark

[SailFastTri]

Picture shows sails were stowed. It’s tempting to pile on the opinions here but there’s just not enough info here to make judgments. There’s got to be more to this. I wonder why they were there? (AFAIK Oregon inlet isn’t navigable for sailboats under any circumstances, and is at best a fair weather inlet for shallow draft powerboats). Why anchored in open ocean heavy seas, on a lee shore, if they could sail or power?

[Sparx]

I have no info about this situation.

The boat looks like a Maine Cat 30. Thirty foot boat in some very big waves does not sound like fun.

The wind has been blowing hard from the north east, so this was a lee shore situation. That had to be a rough ride. Running Oregon Inlet in those conditions would would be a risky move requiring solid local knowledge and huge courage. I imagine the entire inlet was a wall of big breakers. Anchoring out was surely a more prudent choice than running the inlet.

Running the coast was likely the only other possible option. North into Chesapeake Bay is an 80 mile sail in an angry ocean. South to Morehead City is 60 miles in an angry ocean which also requires rounding Hatteras in a strong wind against the Gulf Stream situation while heading directly into the hurricane. So South is not really an option.

On the bright side everyone survived and the boat is surely repairable.

[Manateeman]

The report states their line snapped. Therein lies the root cause. Line vs chain.
All the catamaran fans are going to howl about our post but we see this as rather a simple case. Catamarans just can’t carry the equipment necessary.
The USCG did a great job but there is one fact about this rescue which should not be glossed over. They put their lives on the line to do it.
There are miles and miles of shoreline with no inlets so this is not a unique case.
Weather and sea predictions are pretty good but not perfect. Getting caught out can happen to anybody who spends enough time off shore. Engine failure, rigging failure, steering failure...doesn’t really change things as you drift to the surf.
Maybe you can anchor. That requires a suitable anchor, a suitable connector and a strongpoint on the boat. All this stuff cost money and weight...a good amount of weight. And that’s the elephant in the room with catamarans. They just can’t carry the load.
We don’t love carrying two bow anchors and chain, plus storm anchors, storm line Kodiak floats etc. It takes a lot to have two bollards and a stem fitting strong enough to take huge loads but our first priority is safety...not speed.
We carry enough gear to anchor another vessel our size because we might loose or need to ditch our gear or another boat might be in desperate need.
As a professional Mariner, we are under a legal standard to aid in distress. We hope we will never have to ask others to risk their lives to save ours.
You feel the need for speed...fine. Leave your radio at home ...that will save a few pounds and will help your catamaran outrun the storm.
Mark and the manatees

[fourlyons]

With respect Mark,

First, not all people choose cats for speed, there are other perfectly legitimate reasons including draft, stability, livability, and others.

The chain thing. It's perfectly possible to carry line that is stronger and lighter than chain. For all we know, their line chafted through.

Furthermore I'm impressed that the boat is sitting there nicely. I think it's a strong argument for safety that they could have just rode the boat in and stepped ashore. In a mono they would be stuck in the surf line.

I do wonder how they found themselves there though.

[SailFastTri]

All boats and equipment have limits. I don't think this is about chain vs rope. The root cause probably happened in decisions before they departed. I don't want to be too harsh or presume too much, but this might have started with an innocent misjudgement or inexperience concerning the implications of a well-forecast Northeaster on that coast. A trip around the Outer Banks and Hatteras must be carefully considered.
I'm happy to read that the crew survived, and thankful for the first responders who rescued them.
"The Coast Guard is using this incident as an opportunity to remind mariners that they need to be aware of incoming weather conditions where they are sailing."

[smj]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

The anchor line failed. Catamarans just can’t carry enough chain. It’s really that simple.

Captain Mark

An untrue blanket statement.
There are plenty of catamarans that carry 300’ of chain and large anchors. There are also some catamarans that choose to carry less chain and nylon rode.
I’m sure there are some monohulls that do the same.

[Manateeman]

Line can be stronger and lighter than chain. We carry hundreds of feet as part of our storm gear. You are correct...it probably chafed through. Would chain have just cut through the boat? Maybe. I’ll grant you catamarans have a “living aboard appeal” to some, but at what cost. When I was at TPI, we just didn’t build catamarans, we sailed them and a great deal of thought went into what system of anchoring would work in rough conditions.
What capacity do you need to carry sufficient anchoring gear. Well first one must define sufficient and that brings us back to where you sail.
I look at a lot of boats and am shocked by the insufficiency of the deck gear. Next the trend to aluminum anchors with a short length of chain. I love Fortress anchors. We have four really big ones, but they are useless if you can’t get them to the bottom. So what we see are boats with minimum size anchors, line without chafe gear, and attachment points too weak to handle the loads. When we ask catamaran owners if they feel their gear is sufficient, the reply almost always returns to the discussion of weight.
OEM builders play to the market. Anchor builders assure you their one anchor can do all jobs. We’ve been to a good number of boat shows and read a lot of new vessel reviews. Anchoring is not on the top of the sales pyramid.
Every vessel design is a compromise. We would be happy if both mono and cat owners would think a bit more about the feasibility of anchoring in such conditions...because it is possible.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Line can be stronger and lighter than chain. We carry hundreds of feet as part of our storm gear. You are correct...it probably chafed through. Would chain have just cut through the boat? Maybe. I’ll grant you catamarans have a “living aboard appeal” to some, but at what cost. When I was at TPI, we just didn’t build catamarans, we sailed them and a great deal of thought went into what system of anchoring would work in rough conditions.

What capacity do you need to carry sufficient anchoring gear. Well first one must define sufficient and that brings us back to where you sail.

I look at a lot of boats and am shocked by the insufficiency of the deck gear. Next the trend to aluminum anchors with a short length of chain. I love Fortress anchors. We have four really big ones, but they are useless if you can’t get them to the bottom. So what we see are boats with minimum size anchors, line without chafe gear, and attachment points too weak to handle the loads. When we ask catamaran owners if they feel their gear is sufficient, the reply almost always returns to the discussion of weight.

OEM builders play to the market. Anchor builders assure you their one anchor can do all jobs. We’ve been to a good number of boat shows and read a lot of new vessel reviews. Anchoring is not on the top of the sales pyramid.

Every vessel design is a compromise. We would be happy if both mono and cat owners would think a bit more about the feasibility of anchoring in such conditions...because it is possible.

So TPI are the only catamarans designed to carry a sufficient anchoring system?
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by smj

So TPI are the only catamarans designed to carry a sufficient anchoring system?
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

I think both of you are missing the main issue.

[smj]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

I think both of you are missing the main issue.

Patiently waiting………

[contrail]

Originally Posted by smj

So TPI are the only catamarans designed to carry a sufficient anchoring system?
[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Plenty of cats can and do carry significant anchoring gear, and still sail well. Just less likely in the really light, high performance ones, same as with monohulls. Designs have evolved considerably since the TPI Lagoon days! The cat I had from 2005 until last year had 300 feet of chain and a 100lb Spade anchor, as primaries. Also a Bruce and a Fortress, with rodes, which were a combination of chain and line.



She also sailed well, against other cats and mono's.



Then again, I have lived aboard for a long time and like to sleep well.


I think it comes down to what another poster said about planning, regarding weather, and I will add planning, regarding equipment.


I certainly agree that many boats of all types have very light anchoring gear.

[smj]

Originally Posted by contrail

Plenty of cats can and do carry significant anchoring gear, and still sail well. Just less likely in the really light, high performance ones, same as with monohulls. Designs have evolved considerably since the TPI Lagoon days! The cat I had from 2005 until last year had 300 feet of chain and a 100lb Spade anchor, as primaries. Also a Bruce and a Fortress, with rodes, which were a combination of chain and line.



She also sailed well, against other cats and mono's.



Then again, I have lived aboard for a long time and like to sleep well.


I think it comes down to what another poster said about planning, regarding weather, and I will add planning, regarding equipment.


I certainly agree that many boats of all types have very light anchoring gear.

I agree