RIP SV Ellipsis WS32

[BrianFahey]

My Brother's (Kevin) and my dream of retiring and cruising the world in Ellipsis (WS32) was destroyed beginning of this year; blown across the reef and onto the beach of Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. Kevin's friends, Scotty and Raphael, tried to bring his Ellipsis from Puerto Rico to St. Augustine, FL to rebuild her after she survived both hurricanes in Fajardo. The concrete pier (and all the boats around her) were on the bottom of the bay and only she survived, because her hooks were strung over the pier and way out into the harbor. She had a lot of vessels slammed against her, and she was being robbed, so the boat was ill prepared when it hastily left PR. The unpredicted bomb cyclone was the final nail in her coffin, but she did what she was built to do; survive the absolute worst and bring them back alive. There was no insurance on Kevin's house that was mostly destroyed and then robbed on a mountain near Fajardo, nor was there any insurance on his beloved, restored Ellipsis. With all that said, both Kevin and Himself can now just be armchair cruisers. This forum, and being near a flagpole on a windy day that clangs the flag clips against the aluminum pole, are the closest we'll ever get to living out our childhood dreams.
Thank you,
Brian

[gaucho]

I think I remember the beaching of Ellipsis on this forum. Im very sorry to hear the whole story.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Brian.

[BrianFahey]

Thank you for the kind words. this following was from an account of the Norwegian cruise ship 'Breakaway'... now imagine what this 2 hurricane survivor Westsail went through, and then survived 2 weeks at this sea, before she was finally slammed into the reef sideways at night which finally cracked her 20K# hull and put her on the beach. All of Kevin's new, professional sail making equipment and 3-needle sewing machines were in the hold intending for the business to be re-established in St. Augustine. They were all destroyed and everything had to be abandoned. Here is that report about that large cruise ship in this same storm;
"
"Sincerely, it sounded as if the boat was just going to break in two,” Walsh-Matias said.
On their way back to New York at the end of last week, they sailed through the massive storm. The term "bomb cyclone" (the colloquial version of the more technical "bombogenesis") refers to a storm in which pressure drops rapidly — at least 24 millibars in 24 hours.
"It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced," Walsh-Matias said. "The waves were over 40 feet and it was continuous — children crying, people seasick, vomiting all over the boat.”
The Coast Guard says that waves on the Atlantic were up to 40 feet. With winds howling and the cruise ship rocking, passengers feared for their lives.
" Now imagine yourself in a 32 foot boat with lost engine/lost power, having to tie your hands to the tiller for days and nights, bare poled, drogues out and anchors/chain cut free to keep the bow-plough at the bottom of the trough more under control. The last anchor (not on a chain) chafed then broke and allowed the seas to push Ellipsis over the reef. The Westsail was specifically chosen because of her canoe stern (following/upset sea) and her over-all stoutness. She gave up her life, but she did what she was designed to do; she saved theirs. RIP Ellipsis.
After she was stripped by the locals (including the new Beta Marine), another storm beat her and broke her up that no piece remained larger than a car hood. I should add some pictures of the break up just to show the power of an angry sea. Sorry if I sound so sappy- blame it on the heartache that won't go away.