Salvaged yacht does a runner...

[MarkJ]

He didn't go far.

[Lizzy Belle]

Still a whole lot of guessing to be done in this thread

For $11k I wouldn't even let my little boat go down on a reef, so I can't help but wonder why the skipper figured $11k was too much for his yacht ..

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Lizzy Belle

I can't help but wonder why the skipper figured $11k was too much for his yacht ..

We don't know if it was.
Why just go to the next island? A better legal system?
Was the fee 'only' $11,000? Or is that what the salvors are saying now?
Did the salvors want the money instantly or legs will be broken?
Antigua can have some corrupt officials. The French islands much less so
PTSD? (I'm serious)


There's too much here we don't know.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Damn.. I'm in the wrong game..

Friend broke down a couple of miles north of Cherbourg when the battery failed on his rib. French SNSM towed him in a couple of miles and then gave him the bill, Euro 1900. To make matters worse we even advised him to have a second battery fitted before he crossed the channel but CBA

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by malbert73

So i've seen this pic a lot. Real? If so, what're the chances that fender cushions the boat if it topples because the person decided to move around....��
Bottom of that bulb must be broader and flatter than it looks.

Photo is genuine, yacht was parked on the gravel bank here, camera is facing north. Its the entrance to one of the Solents busiest rivers but at high tide you can't see the gravel bank that extends half a mile out into Southampton Water. Whilst it is bouyed there is so much other clutter and boats about it is easy to miss one or the curve in the channel.





Pete

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Juho

A twin keel boat would have been nice. If I'd sail regularly in shallow waters with tide, I might get a boat that can stand on dry land (twin keel or some other approach).

Sailing in the Solent meant it was one of the must haves when we bought our yacht. Photo taken about 2 miles SW of the SO40 aground on her fin keel.

Originally Posted by Juho

One option would be to drag the boat to the side from the top of the mast (or to use weights there to tilt the boat).

You can't do both if you have twin keels. Yes on a flat sand bank she will dry out nicely and we do every year. However, catch the edge of a channel with a steep under water bank and we could be in real trouble as she might go over a lot further than a fin. Also you can't careen her over to get off, so as Boatman says, put the kettle on and relax tide will be back in 6 hours.

Pete

[Orion Jim]

I'm glad the skipper who skipped out has been located but it would be nice to see a factual account of the entire incident, from grounding to paying the piper. His reason for fleeing would be of special interest.

[alansmith]

My big mouth says he will be rode hard and put away wet. No matter what the story "running" is not a smart thing or moral thing to do. If u can afford a 70 foot luxury boat u have some business acumen and worldly knowledge. Hope we get to hear both sides of the stories. It really is such a small world these days.

[El Pinguino]

All supposition but maybe he knew he would be in a friendlier jurisdiction.
Back in the day if your owners went broke and you knew your ship was going to be arrested in the next port it was best to head for Rotterdam if you could as that was where the master and crew had the best chance of recovering wages and entitlements before the vultures got to pick over the carcass.

[DumnMad]

Quote:
Originally Posted by monte
The charts for that particular channel are wrong, the correct passage has you sailing over the windward reef. Salvage charges are generally 10-15% of the yacht value in that situation so figure around $200,000.

Sounds like a pirate scam - ???? The chart should have been corrected long ago. I would be suspicious of any salvage firm operating near a channel with a false position on the charts. Might explain why his "runner" was not a real runner.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Finally some details... If it truly was only $11k, I have a hard time figuring out what the thought process was to run... Even if the owner didn't have 2 nickels to rub together, obviously he has the means to obtain funds...

Completely different than a $3k boat in this situation...

[steamgoat]

Two sides to most stories, lots of salvor bashing here, sometimes they are the only ones available to save your ass !! The op may have suffered serious damage if the salvors had not got him off. I was involved in one,late 70's ,a 80ft ketch went on the reef at south end of Nevis, we left English Harbor in the dark with a hastily assembled crew and managed to get him off and towed back to E Harbor. Don't know how the finances panned out,but, if we hadn't done it,it would now be just another wreck snorkeling spot !!! He was pounding and starting to open seams.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by monte

The skipper was caught up with in Guadeloupe. The bill as around $11000.00

From “Marine Salvage at a Glance”
by: Keith S. Brais, Esq. Brais & Associates, P.A. Cruise Ship Injury Attorney - Miami, FL Boating Accident Lawyer - Maritime Crew Member Law Firm

“... It would be a rare case in which the salvage award would be greater than 40 percent of the value of the vessel. More commonly, salvage awards amount to 5 to 25% of the value of the vessel and property salvaged ...”

➥ http://www.braislaw.com/files/salvage.pdf

[valhalla360]

Not buying the story until we hear both sides (probably never will but...)

The obvious thing: when was the bill established at $11k and was it clear that that was the full and final bill.

Also did they really "do a runner" or did they send it in to the owner and proceeded on to the next port expecting the owner to send a check in the next week or two.

So far all the info is second hand from the salvager. When you only hear one side and it doesn't make sense, I tend to believe there is something that side isn't sharing.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Not buying the story until we hear both sides (probably never will but...)

The obvious thing: when was the bill established at $11k and was it clear that that was the full and final bill.

Also did they really "do a runner" or did they send it in to the owner and proceeded on to the next port expecting the owner to send a check in the next week or two.

So far all the info is second hand from the salvager. When you only hear one side and it doesn't make sense, I tend to believe there is something that side isn't sharing.

Yes, wise post.

English Admiralry Law is still all Common Law isn't it? And French Codified?
The French legal option may be far the best idea. I dunno.