Sailor Lost; 406 EPIRB Activated 30nm N of Key West

[Astrid]

I suppose his passenger, if he has one, could be a non-sailor and therefore not able to stand watch.

[maxingout]

I hope it turns out well for him. The story just doesn't sound right especially if the EPRIB was kept on a bulkhead.

[Kettlewell]

Any updates? Has the CG been informed about Jay having been seen anchored in the Marquesas? I'm a bit confused as to the timeline: he was sailing from Ft. Myers, then went to the Marquesas where he was spotted? How did the EPIRB get to be 30 miles north of Key West?

[Autumns Wind]

Wow... so sorry to hear of your friend. I know of at least 15 sail boats that departed today for the keys in the Bone Island Regatta from Sarasota. So just maybe someone might see something. Hoping for a safe return.

[capngeo]

1200 Update:
The USCG search continues with air and surface assets. So far no wreckage or survivors spotted. The navigation tower near the EPIRB posit has been checked.

The timeline is
8 May 1038 hrs filed a float plan to go to Ft Jeff via Marquesas from KW. Jay told me he was "alone on the tri"
13 May 0500. Stated he was 15 miles off FT Myers Beach due to inability to sail east to KW

13 May 1248 departing from 10 miles off FMB rhumb line to KW, expected Tuesday noon

14 May (exact time unknown) EPIRB triggered 34 nm of KW

[SVNeko]

This is a confusing story, perhaps due to snippets of information coming out. Has the CG said the signal from the EPIRB stopped? If not, they should have found the boat by now. If it stopped, he could have turned it off or the boat sank. Someone said tris don't sink, but many will. I guess we'll see. Hope the boat and sailor turn up safe and sound.

[Mambo]

Originally Posted by SVNeko

This is a confusing story, perhaps due to snippets of information coming out. Has the CG said the signal from the EPIRB stopped? If not, they should have found the boat by now. If it stopped, he could have turned it off or the boat sank. Someone said tris don't sink, but many will. I guess we'll see. Hope the boat and sailor turn up safe and sound.

See post #3 - the CG located and retrieved the EPIRB.

So, the confusing question becomes: what were the circumstances leading to its deployment (and what model was it with what auto broadcast mechanisms). I think most multi's have enough positive flotation in them that sinking is unlikely. Even so, it is hard to imagine either a collision or a holing which would sink the boat in such a fashion as to permit the EPIRB to be launched but not result in any other floating surface debris. Could the EPIRB have been set off in response to criminal activity? Could it have mistakenly been lost (say if he carried it in his cockpit bag)? Because of the location, it is hard to imagine that CG or other S&R wasn't on the scene within an hour or 2 of the beacon being activated. I'd be interested in knowing when it was activated and when it was recovered.

I find this just odd enough to be hopeful.

[SVNeko]

OK, I see that now. Still unclear. Did they find it, and only it, out on the water? With no sign of the boat? That's odd. And, yes most modern multis will float if built with foam sandwich construction. But those old plywood hulled multis, especially if homebuilt, are really heavy and probably not going to float.

[Kettlewell]

But those old plywood hulled multis, especially if homebuilt, are really heavy and probably not going to float.

Plywood floats by itself. There have been numerous accounts of chunks of Pivers and other plywood boats floating for long periods of time.

[Boatguy30]

So this guy is in Cuba or Mexico right?

If this is an insurance scam, would be best to toss your EPIRB in deeper water and have the disappearing boat be a steel one so not so strange not to find wreckage.

Of course they never did find any of Pivers boat either.......

[SVNeko]

I agree. If wrecked you'd see pieces floating. If holed, I think its a good chance it would sink. Even modern multis can sink.

[Boatguy30]

I don't think it would sink unless was really waterlogged to start with. That's sort of the whole thing with the search in such a small area they would have found something.

[capngeo]

Boatguy... this is no insurance scam; the boat was uninsured and the owner was not a man of means. The vessel was not waterlogged, nor was it unsound. The rig was questionable, but the hulls were strong. I have sailed and worked on this boat with the previous owner. 2 years ago, it was yarded and extensive below the waterline work was done. Then the PO sailed it to Costa Rica and back with no issues.

Considering the location of the EPIRB (below in the main cabin) there is ZERO chance it was activated unintentionally unless there was a catastrophic collision, which of course would yield a large debris field. Even in the unlikely event the vessel sunk completely there was much buoyant material that would have surfaced. Jay even was carrying a kayak on deck. If he if found alive, it will be in that kayak!

Don't forget, I KNOW this guy; he is not some random news report. He has no reason to disappear, he was planning to take his son to Alaska for the summer, he is very happy with his life in KW. On Monday we spoke for an hour on the phone about options as to what he should do with his boat while away for 3 months in Alaska. Ultimately, he decided to sail back to KW and leave his boat on his mooring.

[Kettlewell]

WARNING: Pure speculation. It is easy to imagine scenarios where the EPIRB could end up in the water even if the boat was still seaworthy. Maybe he lost his rig, and decided he'd better get the kayak ready in case he had to abandon ship, and then those things blew overboard. Maybe he needed to activate the EPIRB to call for help, and therefore brought it up to the cockpit for better transmission, and again over the side it went when the boat took a lurch. In any case, just pointing out that stranger things have happened. The vast majority of EPIRB signals and searches are false alarms--like 90+%.

[Coops]

This is a friend of one of ours on this forum. Can we keep posts to help and support ones in this case please. He is genuinely concerned and does not need any angst or aggravation thrown his way, it would be a good thing to say we have helped or assisted him find out information, hopefully of a happy ending.

Coops.