New lifestyle; New to sailing; New for me boat

[Don C L]

That was one of my scenarios, a hard broach that weakened the skeg (with hidden corrosion) and then the later beating to windward opened up a hole at the skeg/hull joint, or maybe the strut but that is more of a long shot.

[wannabeSA]

Good day all

Thank you all for the good messages on previous posts. I was the master of the vessel at the time of loss, after more than one year after the event I still wonder what i could have done better, and what the exact reason was that the vessel sank.

I am not a man of many words on forums, was just doing some research and stumbled upon this thread, so herewith a couple of details.

The damage was not at the skeg, the skeg and rudder post was mounted inside an aft lazarette, that also acted as a water tight compartment.

The water ingress did also not come from the stern gland.

I had very limited time on board the vessel that rescued us, and no way of contacting the owner, as I only had boat papers and my passport with me ( it was all in the grab bag). I proceeded to contact a fellow sailor and my girlfriend to set the process of returning home in motion, although we still had no idea where we were going.

I contacted the owner as soon as I got back to South Africa.

There are various inaccurate news reports and blogs that speculate wrong information about this event, the skipper was definitely not the young man on one of the news articles, he was merely a crew member.

Should anyone want more information regarding this you are most welcome to contact me privately.

We are very grateful for our rapid rescue, and all 4 of us still work in the maritime industry, one of the crew members on board is in actual fact a deckhand on the vessel that I am a captain of in the Caribbean.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by wannabeSA

Good day all

Thank you all for the good messages on previous posts. I was the master of the vessel at the time of loss, after more than one year after the event I still wonder what i could have done better, and what the exact reason was that the vessel sank.

I am not a man of many words on forums, was just doing some research and stumbled upon this thread, so herewith a couple of details.

The damage was not at the skeg, the skeg and rudder post was mounted inside an aft lazarette, that also acted as a water tight compartment.

The water ingress did also not come from the stern gland.

I had very limited time on board the vessel that rescued us, and no way of contacting the owner, as I only had boat papers and my passport with me ( it was all in the grab bag). I proceeded to contact a fellow sailor and my girlfriend to set the process of returning home in motion, although we still had no idea where we were going.

I contacted the owner as soon as I got back to South Africa.

There are various inaccurate news reports and blogs that speculate wrong information about this event, the skipper was definitely not the young man on one of the news articles, he was merely a crew member.

Should anyone want more information regarding this you are most welcome to contact me privately.

We are very grateful for our rapid rescue, and all 4 of us still work in the maritime industry, one of the crew members on board is in actual fact a deckhand on the vessel that I am a captain of in the Caribbean.

Welcome here WannabeSA. Thank you for filling us in on the facts. Sounds like you did an excellent job in a very tough situation.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by wannabeSA

Good day all

Thank you all for the good messages on previous posts. I was the master of the vessel at the time of loss, after more than one year after the event I still wonder what i could have done better, and what the exact reason was that the vessel sank.

Hi wannabeSA

From experience, I can tell you that the sinking will remain an almost daily poignant reminder to never take anything at face value, for the remainder of your career at Sea.

That is a good thing and makes you a safer, better captain!

I've Saved and been Saved.

The former makes you a hero for a day and the congratulations and news media accolades is fun, but not lasting and teaches you very little.

The latter is a confirmation that you did not crack under pressure and a takeaway of valuable life lessons as you replay it over and over again.

Welcome to the club!

[Boatsie]

Originally Posted by wannadrift

After three years of should-I-or-should-I-not, I took the plunge and bought a beautiful (To me at least) Lavranos 40 mono-hull sail boat (Steel and 19 years old)
It is currently on route from South Africa to me in Seychelles, ETA mid-November. I'll be moving onto it as soon as it arrives.
Goodby nice showers, tv, housekeeper.......yep, I'm nervous, but very excited :-)
Now the learning starts. Oh yes, I'm 61 and know absolutely nothing about sailing or living on board a boat . If you have any words of wisdom, please let me have them
On the bright side, I have four years to learn before I retire and go cruising

Neville

Welcome Neville,

Knots and splicing.
Every sailor knows a BOWLINE: A line end loop that will not tighten.
Eg. Sail clew. Man overboard.
A double turn CLOVE HITCH is also useful with shade covers. The double turn at the deck attachments end will allow a slide to tighten and knot against loosening.
Splices are really really useful to know.

Enjoy.
Nathan