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Boat in distress of Gt Barrier


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888 was anchored with 2 anchors at GB. Both failed in some way, and she hit rocks on being blown out to sea. This would likely account for the one hull being flooded, and also for the rate of drift, which was much slower than I'd expect for a light carbon race cat.

It will be interesting to hear the story and sequence of events that resulted in the loss of a fine vessel.

The top sentence is 2nd hand, but from the rescue services.

Please guys, wait until we hear what happened before critiquing. There is often/usually more to a news item than it appears.

After all, this boat "grew" another hull during the media story, starting off as a cat and ending up a Tri! 

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1 hour ago, alibaba said:

Gently chaps, gently. The unemotional facts are that 1] 95% at least of people on the water are reasonably sensible, and sometimes make mistakes through ignorance. I certainly have.

2] we always remember the odd one who really gave us a fright.

3] yes, its a pity that there is no size/power limit for people buying and operating their first boat. MOst of us have worked our way up from dinghys to keelboats or launches and therefore mostly know what we are doing. let's not lable whole groups because of a few idiots.

Well said but one point missing,is the racing yacht fraternity which think its there god given right (in some cases) expect those anchored.Be it in a yacht or powerboat,to pull pick so they can continue sailing out of the tide so not having to go about and there is also those running under kite,creating a wake sliding down the side,less than 50m doing more than 5knts. Faults on both sides. Guess the blame game needs its own thread.

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Jeezus, reading some of these comments make me embarrassed to be a boat owner... its like listening to my kids scrapping. Quite a stray from the original post, should all be glad the guy is OK, and (I'm assuming as you all obviously have Internet currently) be grateful your house isn't buried under 5 foot of silt in the Hawkes bay..... plenty of other things to worry about besides who (in your opinion) is an idiot on the water. 

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9 hours ago, Zozza said:

You forgot the "beer in one hand, fishing rod in the other"

I too detest the 'Boatie' term.  I detest 'Boaties' full stop.  I have no respect for anyone on a stinkpot.
But, unfortunately, the term is embedded in the media.

Plenty of top yachties and designers own launches mate. 

And they didn't get there on their junk rigged racing boats.

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1 hour ago, BNG said:

Plenty of top yachties and designers own launches mate. 

And they didn't get there on their junk rigged racing boats.

Well done, good for you, and a absolutely fair comparison with a junk rigged, heavy displacement, non racing folkboat clone .
My sincere apologies...mate.

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On 16/02/2023 at 2:36 PM, Island Time said:

888 was anchored with 2 anchors at GB. Both failed in some way, and she hit rocks on being blown out to sea. This would likely account for the one hull being flooded, and also for the rate of drift, which was much slower than I'd expect for a light carbon race cat.

It will be interesting to hear the story and sequence of events that resulted in the loss of a fine vessel.

The top sentence is 2nd hand, but from the rescue services.

Please guys, wait until we hear what happened before critiquing. There is often/usually more to a news item than it appears.

After all, this boat "grew" another hull during the media story, starting off as a cat and ending up a Tri! 

Getting back to the thread...

From Facebook...

Was anchored off our stb side when at 10.30 pm his head sail became unfurled. He lifted anchor and drifted down wind trying to furl up the head sail. 7.00 am was on rocks with head sail destroyed. only way he could have got there was to beach the vessel. Floated off with help from some one off the land after the head sail was got under control.  Went around towards Fitzroy. Came back 2 hrs later and anchored behind us. Stayed about 1 hr. Last we saw of him.  There were moorings or pontoons he could have picked up,or gone to Fitzroy wharf,but no he went to sea, !!!!!!!!!. Go figure.  Shure it was 45/ gusting 60 but had he secured the head sail furler drum, and wrapped the Jib sheets around  the foil he May have been safe. 15 other  boats came  through that storm by staying where they were.

As a fellow boatie im glad he is safe, but what a massive risk he put our SAR and Navy people to, let alone himself. He was bloody  lucky to come out of that alive. Qudos to all involved in his rescue.

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Given all the different stories it's hard know what actually happened.  I decided to ask ChatGPT.  

What do you know about the sailor that was rescued during cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand?

I'm sorry, but I don't have information on a specific sailor being rescued during Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand. However, I can tell you that cyclones are a common occurrence in the South Pacific region, and New Zealand has experienced several cyclones in the past.

In general, sailors and other people who are on the water during a cyclone or other severe weather event can face significant danger. It's crucial to stay informed about weather conditions, heed warnings and advisories, and take appropriate precautions to ensure personal safety. In the event of an emergency, the New Zealand Coastguard and other authorities work to rescue people in distress and provide assistance as needed.

Do you know anything about cyclone Gabrielle?

Yes, I can provide some information on Cyclone Gabrielle.

Cyclone Gabrielle was a tropical cyclone that affected parts of the South Pacific in February 2023. It developed east of Vanuatu and initially moved in a westerly direction. As it intensified, it changed direction and moved southward towards New Zealand.

The cyclone caused heavy rainfall, strong winds, and high seas in parts of New Zealand, particularly in the North Island. Several areas experienced flooding, landslides, and road closures as a result of the storm. Some communities were cut off by floodwaters, and power outages were reported in some areas.

Despite the damage caused by the storm, there were no reported fatalities or serious injuries. The New Zealand government and emergency services worked to provide assistance and support to affected communities, including evacuations and providing emergency supplies.

Cyclones are a common occurrence in the South Pacific region, and New Zealand is vulnerable to their effects. The country has a well-developed system of weather monitoring and emergency response, which helps to mitigate the impact of these severe weather events.

So you are not very up to date then. What would you say if I told you that so far 9 people have died as a direct result of cyclone Gabrielle?

I apologize for the misinformation in my previous response. As an AI language model, my knowledge cutoff is in 2021, and I do not have the ability to access up-to-the-minute news or events that have occurred after my knowledge cutoff date.

Thank you for informing me that, as of your information, nine people have reportedly died as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle. It's essential to acknowledge the devastating impact of natural disasters like cyclones and the human toll they can take.

My main goal as an AI language model is to provide accurate information to the best of my ability based on the information I have available. However, my responses are only as accurate as the information provided to me, and I appreciate any updates or corrections that can help me provide more accurate responses in the future.

If your knowledge cuts off in 2021 how do you know about cyclone Gabrielle that happened in 2023?

I apologize for the confusion. I must correct myself. To the best of my knowledge, there was no Cyclone Gabrielle that occurred in 2023 in New Zealand. However, if you have any other questions or if there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

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Neither do any of the other stories when bought together... 

Last seen without a rig floating out to sea

Broke it's mooring

Had two anchors out

Left the bay on purpose at 7am

Floated out at 2am

It's a mish-mash of information and no two stories align... 

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3 hours ago, CarpeDiem said:

Given all the different stories it's hard know what actually happened.  I decided to ask ChatGPT.  

What do you know about the sailor that was rescued during cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand?

I'm sorry, but I don't have information on a specific sailor being rescued during Cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand. However, I can tell you that cyclones are a common occurrence in the South Pacific region, and New Zealand has experienced several cyclones in the past.

In general, sailors and other people who are on the water during a cyclone or other severe weather event can face significant danger. It's crucial to stay informed about weather conditions, heed warnings and advisories, and take appropriate precautions to ensure personal safety. In the event of an emergency, the New Zealand Coastguard and other authorities work to rescue people in distress and provide assistance as needed.

Do you know anything about cyclone Gabrielle?

Yes, I can provide some information on Cyclone Gabrielle.

Cyclone Gabrielle was a tropical cyclone that affected parts of the South Pacific in February 2023. It developed east of Vanuatu and initially moved in a westerly direction. As it intensified, it changed direction and moved southward towards New Zealand.

The cyclone caused heavy rainfall, strong winds, and high seas in parts of New Zealand, particularly in the North Island. Several areas experienced flooding, landslides, and road closures as a result of the storm. Some communities were cut off by floodwaters, and power outages were reported in some areas.

Despite the damage caused by the storm, there were no reported fatalities or serious injuries. The New Zealand government and emergency services worked to provide assistance and support to affected communities, including evacuations and providing emergency supplies.

Cyclones are a common occurrence in the South Pacific region, and New Zealand is vulnerable to their effects. The country has a well-developed system of weather monitoring and emergency response, which helps to mitigate the impact of these severe weather events.

So you are not very up to date then. What would you say if I told you that so far 9 people have died as a direct result of cyclone Gabrielle?

I apologize for the misinformation in my previous response. As an AI language model, my knowledge cutoff is in 2021, and I do not have the ability to access up-to-the-minute news or events that have occurred after my knowledge cutoff date.

Thank you for informing me that, as of your information, nine people have reportedly died as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle. It's essential to acknowledge the devastating impact of natural disasters like cyclones and the human toll they can take.

My main goal as an AI language model is to provide accurate information to the best of my ability based on the information I have available. However, my responses are only as accurate as the information provided to me, and I appreciate any updates or corrections that can help me provide more accurate responses in the future.

If your knowledge cuts off in 2021 how do you know about cyclone Gabrielle that happened in 2023?

I apologize for the confusion. I must correct myself. To the best of my knowledge, there was no Cyclone Gabrielle that occurred in 2023 in New Zealand. However, if you have any other questions or if there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

On the basis of that exchange, I can confirm that IRD have been using AI systems in their call centres for at least the past 20 years.

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Inspired by ChatGPT's eloquent lack of information I just had to try out a much, much older chat bot called Racter. Here are a few lines of our conversation:

Racter: "Hello, I'm Racter. Are you Martin?"

Me: "What do you know about the silor that was rescued during cyclone Gabrielle in New Zealand?"

Racter: "I may call you Silor, then?"

Me: "Well, yes"

Racter: "Hello Silor. I believe you're interviewing me. Are you continuing Martin's interview?"

Me: "yes"

Racter: "Well, Silor, Martin and I were talking about depression last time. Martin had just asked me whether is. Shall we continue?"

Me: "If the depression is called Gabrielle"

Racter: "Excellent! Excuse me a minute while I attend to some business - I'll be right back. I'm back."

Me: "Where have you been_"

Racter: "Ask a question, please."

Me: "Where have you been?"

Racter: "I have been in the funny farm. Did you say 'Been'?"

etc (Racter steering the conversation towards Genghis Khan via Buckminster Fully...)

Maybe I should point out that Racter dates back to the early 1980s and I run it at a dos prompt under the dosbox emulator. You can easily store Racter on a floppy disk.

Back on topic: 888 is (was) a good looking cat.

/Martin

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We were sheltering from the cyclone at Barrier. Arriving there on the Friday. We have sheltered from a couple of cyclones and storms at barrier over the years. We have learnt not anchor in Kaiarara Bay ( we were saw triple 8 on the Saturday morn) or kiwiriki bay. These bays as well as very strong gusts funnelling down the valleys, also can have a lot of water flow potentially carrying fallen trees etc. Think back to the damage of the June 13 storm that destroyed the Kauri dam and flooded Barrier. All the logs in Forrestry Bay and Kiwiriki Bay you still see today are from that storm. The rain and wind started blowing on Saturday afternoon, registering over 50 knots. We were getting short gusts hitting the boat. A lot of water smoking across the bay.Sunday morning channel isl and mokos were getting peak wind gusts of over 60 sometimes 70. We were getting a few nasty gusts , I was on edge all day due to what would happen if we dragged anchor, I felt safe just anxious how a re anchoring attempt may play out. Sunday morning over radio a person from mainland in Kaiarara bay radioed to say a yacht was dragging anchor and they were on the tri helping them. Barrier radio said it was too dangerous to send help. Person radioed again 10 minutes later to say yacht had dug in itself just before mussel farm . Later on a yacht radioed up asking if anyone knew a better bay to anchor in, not sure what bay they were in. They contacted barrier radio later saying they had anchored further in the bay in shallow water and their anchor was holding. During the night gusts were steady with a couple waking us keeping an ear out for anchor alarm in case it sounded we were dragging.We held fast. Monday morning sar radioed and asked if they could use barrier radio freq instead of 16. They had located a vessel and gave a position. We had our radio on all night but must have been asleep, so we’re not aware of any distress calls. I plotted the position on the chart and yacht was heading to mokohineau’s.They said it was all locked up and no sign of anyone. They were asked if someone was going to go down on the wire to check if anyone was on board. No description was given of the vessel so I assumed it must have been a moored boat had broken free. During that night channel and mok’s had consistent 80 knots. I saw 86 knots at channel around 2am. The cell tower was down when we got up in morning so don’t know if it got any higher. Helicopter advised sea was over 7 metres. They had a chat and decided it was  too dangerous to go check so they headed home as running low on fuel. A few hours later a yacht in kiwiriki ( two isl bay) radioed as had an issue with the down button of there capston and was wanting to know about a mooring at Fitzroy. Was just a precaution as they were safe but would need to move once the cyclone eye had passed. A guy from Nagle cove farm offered his mooring to them or anyone that may need it. Cell tower was down until about 11.30am. We checked nowcasting peak speeds of 80 knots. A few hours later the same guy from nagle cove called up again, to ask about the yacht he had radioed up about at 2.30am Had contacted barrier radio and barrier police. He was worried as could see no one was in control of the boat as it headed out port Abercrombie. He had flashed  a big spotlight on it and said it had a light on half way up mast. He also said it was blowing 60 knots at Nagle Cove. Sar helicopter was heard on radio about an hour later looking around hen and chickens couldn’t find the boat. Ray can remember Barrier radio calling triple8 at some stage, there was no response. Unfortunately he can’t remember the time. Monday afternoon the barometer started to steadily drop although 80 knots at channel and 75 at Moks it was relatively calm, not many gusts in our bay. Our next focus was what to prepare for going through the eye. Predict wind models had one model showing it going to NE at midnight this wasn’t great for us in our protected bay. so hoped it would be the other 4 models. Wind got up again at dark typical but this time gusts had changed we have no doubt we were getting over 55 knots hit us, as have had these wind speeds at anchor before. We don’t have any instruments below deck on our new boat and weren’t going out in the driving rain to check. Ray watched a movie and I went to bed, barometer about 973. About midnight barometer got to 969. Wind changed to that dreaded NE. We up anchor and by the time we leave bay wind was in SW and light. Moved to Smokehouse bay and had a wonderful sleep. Although it took a while to get used to no movement on the boat. The cell tower went down again and didn’t come up again until late arvo. We then read the news that a distress beacon had been activated and one person rescued. The picture in the paper revealed it was triple8. We know the owner of triple 8 and went on the boat when he first brought it showing us his electric motors. Batteries and generator in the pontoons. I only went down one of the pontoons at the time so not sure if batteries and generator was in both sides. We found a piece of foam/ carbon in Stony bay, opposite Kaiarara bay the other day. It looked like it was just on the waterline. We feel for the owner and are so glad he is ok. It must have been a harrowing two days at the mercy of the wind and sea with no means of getting the boat under control. There was a lot of rain and wind before the actual centre of the cyclone came through. Anyone sailing from Saturday morning onwards would have encountered very strong winds. We choose to go to Barrier as there would have been no room at the marina’s where we were as everyone was back in their berths. The other boats sheltering at barrier seem to be unscathed. I didn’t read some of this thread regarding boatie etc. Maybe water loving person would be better for those people that get worked up other what media say rather than worrying about more important things that happen in life. This is my account of those three days as I remember it. If anyone wants to make any corrections or say scathing things regarding decisions we made, I would like to meet them. You don’t come across prefect non error making people everyday. 

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To answer questions from guest, no we did not anchor in Kaiarara bay. We have for a few years.  We anchored there many years ago in our old boat and got gusts of over 55. Causing damage to our wind turbine and solar panels. We went into the bay on the Saturday morning , the little bay on the right after the mussel farm., when the wind started to get up.  But decided it would be too dangerous to anchor there as it would funnel down valley. We when into the third bay along from two island bay. In shallow water. With no fetch it didn’t cause any extra stress on anchor and chain. Was only nerve wracking the Sunday as worried we might drag  was ok after a day of strong gusts and a few tides we figured we were well dug for that wind direction. The problem was when the wind changed. We would had still been sheltered in that bay from SW and a boat stayed there when the 50 knots came from that direction. The issue was the NE change had us in 2.8 metres a Lee shore if no idea how long it was going to blow from that quarter. If we had hung on for another 20mins we would have been fine. We didn’t want to take that risk.  We stayed in our sheltered bay from Saturday morning till 1 am Tuesday morning. Not issues at all. Only a chaffed tee shirt that was wrapped around the snubber.

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I'm aware of at least 1 other boat who sheltered at the barrier during the cyclone. They had a bit of trouble dragging and also had to put out a pan pan after their steering got all mashed up. 
Wasn't the easiest time for them. All worked out in the end, tho. 

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On 14/02/2023 at 2:39 PM, aardvarkash10 said:

damn.  No Sad Face emoji.

That looks to be salvageable and  looks like an old-school  overbuilt  design so hopefully the hull is not breached, damn shame about that beautiful cat though  

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What a tosser Mellars couldn't give a flying fish for those who risked their lives to save his unappreciative hide.

When approached by the Herald for comment on the rescue and the lengths authorities went to save him, Mellars said: “I don’t give a rat’s arse about the rescue, and I have nothing to say to you.”

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