Sailboat rescue in rough weather

[89zorro89]

Sailboat rescue due to engine failure and concern about staying aboard in rough weather and high seas.

I read this article today which raised the question of when to abandon ship. I’ve been taught to stay aboard the mother ship until she is all but submerged as it is much more stable and safer than retreating to a life raft. In this case they were rescued directly from a perfectly good boat (a 52’ boat at that) by a helicopter air crew. I understand the concern of being in rough weather with no engine power in case of emergency but to completely abandon a perfectly good boat seems a bit premature. I watched the video and it appears they are rescuing something from within the water. But the interview with the captain after words makes no mention of anyone overboard. The captain is quoted as saying “that the boat’s engines had lost power and he was concerned about staying aboard in rough weather and high seas.” What are your thoughts?

https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/vi...iles-offshore/

[Tomodore]

Rough conditions almost always include wind. For sailors that gives options beyond the engine.Rough conditions can stir up crap in fuel clogging fuel filter. Power boats really need redundancy to maintain power, sailors have wind, if winds fail then its unlikely to have rough conditions. Of course having a container ship bearing down on you in calm conditions with no engine is another matter.

[psk125]

Sounds like we don't have the full story here. Reporters are not usually sailors, so the captain mentioning the lack of engines is all they might focus on. Other details like injuries that would make a difference in deciding whether to abandon ship don't get mentioned. The photo of the boat seems to show it with a jib up, so they seem not to have been totally helpless in the waves. Perhaps the crew simply became exhausted. Is there a link to the interview with the captain afterwards? That might provide more information. The video showing people getting rescued from the water is typical. Helo crews do not want to risk tangling their blades or rescue baskets with any rigging. The diver gets to the boat and tells the people to put on lifejackets and jump in the water so they can be helped into the basket more quickly and safely. Leaving what seems to have been a fairly well-found vessel in those conditions is not one's first thought, but we weren't there and don't know enough details to be able to tell if we'd do the same or not.

[Steve Bean]

Good observations by psk125. News reports are OFTEN incomplete. There is no mention of life-threatening circumstances or foundering. The Coast Guard video appears to have been shot from nearby at some height above the water. Must be drone photography.

[89zorro89]

Originally Posted by psk125

Sounds like we don't have the full story here.

I completely agree. There must be more to the story.

[psk125]

Thread on another site suggests winds were northerly, 30-40 knots. That could create quite a sea running against the Gulf Stream. Two people on board. A day or so of that could wear them both out & make continuing untenable.

One Bermuda Race we spent 12 hours beating into a 20 knots of wind & rain that was blowing against the current in a Gulf Stream eddy. The result was essentially an 8' chop that resulted in us sailing off the top of every third wave and dropping 8' into the trough. I slept on the cabin sole to avoid getting thrown against the overhead in my bunk. The carlins (beams that tie the base of the cabin trunk to the deck beams) started to leak. The captain worried that the mast would be driven through the step. It was rough with a full racing crew of 8 on a 42' sloop. Shorthanded on a 52' ketch in what seems likely to have been worse conditions, calling for a helo may have been the right choice for them.

[tenchiki]

The story does leave out a lot of detail. One possible scenario: a couple on a 52ft boat could be relying on powered winches to manage it. If the engine gets disabled, once the batteries run down, no power means no managing the boat.

[Yihang]

Originally Posted by Steve Bean

Good observations by psk125. News reports are OFTEN incomplete. There is no mention of life-threatening circumstances or foundering. The Coast Guard video appears to have been shot from nearby at some height above the water. Must be drone photography.

Footage is probably from a Hercules they also sent out. A lot of hardware was employed...

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by tenchiki

The story does leave out a lot of detail. One possible scenario: a couple on a 52ft boat could be relying on powered winches to manage it. If the engine gets disabled, once the batteries run down, no power means no managing the boat.

Most power winches have a manual option - although if the winches are truly big, cranking them manually is a chore.

I don't completely understand the Mayday. They should have been able to heave to or lacking that turned tail and thrown warps out.

the above assumes that here are no life-threatening injuries

[jim King]

I remember reading an article on this incident and it turned out there was more than just abandoning a boat that showed no signs of sinking. The crew, some of which were older, was spent and maybe in failing health and the captain made the right call on behalf of the safety of his crew.
If you google this incident you can get more of the end story.

[Stewie12]

In the Fastnet race many years ago crews abandoned their boats in a very bad storm thinking that they would be safer in the life raft. They were not and tragically many died. Later on some of the abandoned yachts were found afloat. Staying with the boat as long as possible would seem to be the best bet as the life raft is a last resort.

[Pir8te]

With the mast and rigging swaying in rough seas it was likely safer for the CG crew and craft not to attempt to rescue them from the stricken vessel to avoid getting their gear and craft fouled up.... I presume that why they were in the life raft in the video

Originally Posted by 89zorro89

Sailboat rescue due to engine failure and concern about staying aboard in rough weather and high seas....
I watched the video and it appears they are rescuing something from within the water. What are your thoughts?

https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/vi...iles-offshore/

[B23iL23]

Didn't have any (much) sails up so why would they need powered winches? Bit of a stretch suggesting that was the problem.

Originally Posted by tenchiki

The story does leave out a lot of detail. One possible scenario: a couple on a 52ft boat could be relying on powered winches to manage it. If the engine gets disabled, once the batteries run down, no power means no managing the boat.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by 89zorro89

Sailboat rescue due to engine failure and concern about staying aboard in rough weather and high seas.

I read this article today which raised the question of when to abandon ship. I’ve been taught to stay aboard the mother ship until she is all but submerged as it is much more stable and safer than retreating to a life raft. In this case they were rescued directly from a perfectly good boat (a 52’ boat at that) by a helicopter air crew. I understand the concern of being in rough weather with no engine power in case of emergency but to completely abandon a perfectly good boat seems a bit premature. I watched the video and it appears they are rescuing something from within the water. But the interview with the captain after words makes no mention of anyone overboard. The captain is quoted as saying “that the boat’s engines had lost power and he was concerned about staying aboard in rough weather and high seas.” What are your thoughts?

https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/vi...iles-offshore/

These stories always seem to lack the details for a complete understanding and the follow-on story...what happened to the boat?

What was the captain/crew experience? Many sailors harbor the attitude that it won't happen to me or simply, I would have handled it better! When it does happen to them they are mentally ill prepared. I have found that experience is the best teacher with the learning applications in increasing intensity. Learning from the experience of others is one way to get some insight but every situation is different and self analysis as to how you might have reacted is subjective. Start by not biting off more than you can chew.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[grantmc]

Lovely boat available for a claim of merit salvage assuming she's still floating.

I don't feel it's reasonable to judge the decision of the skipper/crew to abandon from the comfort of our screens.

The OP was correct in that the basic tenet is that you don't leave until the ship is heading below the water, but that assumes a healthy and fit crew.

Also it's always struck me that that tenet sounds such a simple and common sense principle when discussing storms, say on a course, or over in beer in the club bar or on a forum.

But when you've been bashed around for a day or two in an awful sea, thinking, eating, sleeping, even peeing and pooing all become much less clear. The pure violence and noise of a storm in a sail boat is something you can only experience. Trying to describe and convey that experience can never do justice. And for those that get hurt (so easy to do), or become disorientated by lack of sleep, perhaps worried about your partner/crew or for those just terrified I certainly understand the desire to just get off.

For example we all know about lee cloths; great to stop you falling out of bed. But you also need something to stop yourself flying upwards at each wave crest when you're off watch. Being constantly thrown upwards is not conducive to relaxed sleep. And if you're having to sleep in wet weather gear due to being short handed before long your bed is a wet cold soggy mess, also the boat becomes slippery and gets trashed with anything loose thrown to some difficult place. Walking is very difficult. You get the picture. For some people it just all gets too much and they see a single option: get off.

It's understandable so please how about a little empathy and sympathy. Looks like they've lost their boat too. Navy will likely have used her for target practice by now as she'll have been a shipping hazard.