Sailing New England to Australia in February

[Coastal]

I agree the comments made here have been the least nasty. But I have a news feed and it's world news at this point with the Brits, Aussies, Canadians, Americans all weighing in. I started this thread out of concern, not to bash anyone. So, it just feels bad...... There are worse things than being stupid.

[cwyckham]

Originally Posted by Coastal

Some final thoughts.....

Jason's Interview:
After Coast Guard Rescue, Australian Defends Doomed Sea Trip - NBC News

Also:
Yes, they were cautioned. Pretty much everyone they had contact with prior to their departure expressed their concerns.

"They had acknowledged the risks ahead before they left"

Aussies abandon ship - NewportRI.com l News and information for Newport, Rhode Island: Page One

I don't know these men. But I do want them to know that despite their misadventure & the justified anger over the danger they put themselves & the CG in, that we wish them well. And that they and others learn from this. This story could have been truly tragic with lost lives but now its over.
These men are reading these comments & other forums online. As well they should, they should certainly be aware of the severity of the situation. But they're getting a real non-stop & in some cases outright hateful bashing & it's enough for anyone.

Thanks for the links.

So it seems that, as somebody speculated earlier in this thread, they were concerned about the Southern Ocean window, so felt that they needed to get down south asap.

That shows that they actually did have a clue about seasons in different parts of the oceans, but didn't have a clue what a storm in the North Atlantic can look like.

They actually seem to think that they had little choice but to depart.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Thanks for the links.

So it seems that, as somebody speculated earlier in this thread, they were concerned about the Southern Ocean window, so felt that they needed to get down south asap.

That shows that they actually did have a clue about seasons in different parts of the oceans, but didn't have a clue what a storm in the North Atlantic can look like.

They actually seem to think that they had little choice but to depart.

I'm completely inexperienced. I'd have far less knowledge and experience than this skipper. But even I would not have headed off to Burmuda across the North Atlantic.

If they needed to get down South asap, then why did they not coast hop down towards Panama and across to Australia that way, enjoying the sunshine and coconuts as they went?

And to take an elderly man who's never sailed before on a trans Atlantic crossing as your only crew ?

[roland stockham]

The wonderful thing about sailing is that we still take responsibility for ourselves. If you are worried offer to buy them a drink (if they refuse they are not Ozzies!!) and talk about there boat and plans. If they won't talk about boat and plans they are not even sailors!! If they still want to go wish 'em fair winds, give 'em your email and ask for a post when they get in port.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

Dude! That's a now quite famous picture by Brett Costello who one a Walkley award for it. It's not in the Southern Ocean. I think it was off the East coast of Tasmania approaching the finish.

Close enough to the southern ocean for me.

[downunder]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I'm completely inexperienced. I'd have far less knowledge and experience than this skipper. But even I would not have headed off to Burmuda across the North Atlantic.

If they needed to get down South asap, then why did they not coast hop down towards Panama and across to Australia that way, enjoying the sunshine and coconuts as they went?

And to take an elderly man who's never sailed before on a trans Atlantic crossing as your only crew ?

Elderly man

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by downunder

Elderly man

....

[Jim Cate]

The father is active in the volunteer Marine Rescue (Australian equivalent of USCG but only in close local waters),

Ummm, as a Yank who has been sailing in Oz for over 20 years now, I'd have to disagree strongly with the above statement.

The Aussie VMRs are full of, well, volunteers. They are pretty much funded by subscriptions and a bit of gov money. They don't have any rescue helicopters, C-130s,
150+ foot cutters, or folks trained in the use of such assets. The VMRs are full of good ole boys, some of whom are pretty good seamen, and they have done a lot of good work over the years.

But they are not in any way the equivalent of the USCG. They could not have even considered this rescue, even if it had been nearer to shore.

The crew of the Sedona is damn lucky to have had the real CG at hand! And I'm glad they did... even though I am still an American tax-payer!

Jim

[D&D]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Ummm, as a Yank who has been sailing in Oz for over 20 years now, I'd have to disagree strongly with the above statement.

The Aussie VMRs are full of, well, volunteers. They are pretty much funded by subscriptions and a bit of gov money. They don't have any rescue helicopters, C-130s,
150+ foot cutters, or folks trained in the use of such assets. The VMRs are full of good ole boys, some of whom are pretty good seamen, and they have done a lot of good work over the years.

But they are not in any way the equivalent of the USCG. They could not have even considered this rescue, even if it had been nearer to shore.

The crew of the Sedona is damn lucky to have had the real CG at hand! And I'm glad they did... even though I am still an American tax-payer!

Jim

Spot on Jim...and well put too.

The differences in immediately available men and machines for marine rescue is frequently noted around OZ as we deal with -- Some would say 'barely', but always with committed effort -- the world's largest marine rescue 'jurisdiction'. Australia's maritime (and aviation) search & rescue zone stretches through parts of the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans and amounts to 52.8 million square kilometres, or roughly 12% of the Earth’s surface.

Oh boy...we would sure love some (a lot!) of those USCG assets!!

[boatman61]

Funny thing is.. had they made it they'd have been hailed the 'New Mottesiers'..
It's a 50/50 crap shoot.. and they crapped out.. seen it in better boats with much more experienced crew.. hell a 2.5 million$ boat did not make it across either and that had a ton of back-ups.
Sails tear.. electrics fail and unless you can crank.. there goes the engine.. from there on its make and mend your way.. if you can.. or hit the button.

[clownfishsydney]

My comments comparing MR to USCG were meant to clarify simply for US readers what the MR's role is here. I am fully aware that we do not have anything to really compare, USCG service here is provided by a combination of MR, Police and Navy.

From my experience, most MR members have a background in private boating, so should have some knowledge of weather etc.

[Sea7King]

So, two guys decide to take on "Neptune", starting on a Friday.... the thirteenth, to sail to the other side of the earth in an old racer which has never seen the thirtieth parallel, in 20 degree weather, because it's snowing? I went to a rock concert in Miami like that a long time ago!

[JPA Cate]

None of us knows why they chose to leave when they did. Given the normal trauma of losing a boat, the skipper may purely be hurting to begin to face up to his folly yet, and may not do so, ever. Some people find it harder to admit mistakes than others.

[Mirage Gecko]

As I posted earlier you guys are so lucky to have your USCG and its assets.
I am a recently past operator and a current member in a VMR facility.They are all basically volunteers and a lot have no boating experience at all.In comparison just a dads army operation .
Not knocking them they do a resonable job for local waters and are great for keeping radio contact coastal cruising ,weather forecasts and promoting safe boating practices in local waters not to mention providing a conduit for radio licensing etc.
Chris

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by cwyckham

Thanks for the links.

So it seems that, as somebody speculated earlier in this thread, they were concerned about the Southern Ocean window, so felt that they needed to get down south asap.

That shows that they actually did have a clue about seasons in different parts of the oceans, but didn't have a clue what a storm in the North Atlantic can look like.

They actually seem to think that they had little choice but to depart.

This is the post by JMSAILING (Jason McGlashan??) on Sailing Anarchy

There was a substantial amount of time and money invested into the boat to make it search worthy, a lot of people say what they want and believe what they think. There is over 25 years of sailing and racing experience for Jason. There was extras on board including a wind generator, that was purchased from a local shop that ended up not working. Almost 200 miles was sailed in the first day heading to Bermuda, then problems started, the alternator on the yanmar stopped functioning properly, wind generator wasn't charging correctly, making it hard for the auto pilot to operate, which was also brand new for the trip, the sails were lowered going into the second night to resolve a remedy, whilst the sails were lowered both the main and smaller headsail were torn,they then started to motor south after around 1 hour of this the motor decided to stop working. The call was put out on the radio, it was not answered, they tried the sat phone and at the same time the epirb was set off, the conditions were only around 15-20 knots at the time the epirb was activated, around 1 hour later the storm hit and both were airlifted off for there safety. If the problems had not happened they would of been around 250 miles from Bermuda when the storm hit, most likely missing any of the storm. There is more detail but not needed for a blog

It seems to me that one of the biggest mistakes was not having a shakedown cruise. Maybe in good conditions Bermuda could have ok for that, but given the conditions, hugging the coast I would have thought better. A storm is not the best place to discover that newly fitted items are not working.