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Search for missing yacht on East Cape


shanson

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Paul, go well mate. Juanita will live on in your memory. I have many happy memories of sailing in the Pacific. Watching world cup football 2006 in Tonga, Catching a lift in your dingy and running out of fuel in the middle of the night and having to row home a little under the weather!, your truly sensational anchoring techniques!

 

I always knew the boat would be found - it's bullet proof and certainly built to handle any ocean. From the photos it look's like he was using my old jib on the inner forestay. The Genoa was on a furler so he would have furled that from the cockpit. The jib is still tied down. Looking at the pictures it could have been a big wave that picked the yacht up onto it's side and threw him out of the cockpit. He usually had his fenders tied down on the inside of the life lines from memory so my guess is that these have come undone.

 

Go well mate you are missed.

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My guess would be he went forward to reduce sail, slipped and went over. Tyhe fender may have been on deck and slipped over later.

 

I also predict there'll be an enquiry and a 20 page report that says "he probably went forward to reduce sail, slipped and went over."

 

 

Either that or he went forward to reduce sail and slipped over. :crazy:

 

But nothing about SAR doing a quick "budget BAsed" search while the Air force spend millions on training (west of nowhere) and "happen upon the missing sailor) :crazy:

 

and what kind of training do the Airforce do west of nowhere in waters with nothing but a small island???

 

sounds like and expensive waste of fuel and huge carbon deposits (out of sight) being stacked up on our Koyoto "Flybuys" scheme :lol:

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Paul, go well mate. Juanita will live on in your memory. I have many happy memories of sailing in the Pacific. Watching world cup football 2006 in Tonga, Catching a lift in your dingy and running out of fuel in the middle of the night and having to row home a little under the weather!, your truly sensational anchoring techniques!

 

I always knew the boat would be found - it's bullet proof and certainly built to handle any ocean. From the photos it look's like he was using my old jib on the inner forestay. The Genoa was on a furler so he would have furled that from the cockpit. The jib is still tied down. Looking at the pictures it could have been a big wave that picked the yacht up onto it's side and threw him out of the cockpit. He usually had his fenders tied down on the inside of the life lines from memory so my guess is that these have come undone.

 

Go well mate you are missed. Tim Bloy

 

 

ah! southern man :wtf:

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The inner headsail is still lashed down. I don't know much about self steering. But isn't the little wind vane supposed to be point more out. So is the self steering actually connected?

It would be pretty hard to be swept out of a cockpit so enclosed like that. I would say he has gone forward. I wonder if he was below and that front hit suddenly and he went out to get things under control. If he was under full sail, he would have been knocked down.

Maybe the boat crash gybed on him. The boom all the way out like that means the main sheet wasn't hauled right in and locked off.

 

I think we are being a little hard on the Search and Rescue guys. We don't know all the discussions, planning and decisions that are made within the walls of the HQ. They don't call off searches lightly. They also have new Software that can help predict the drift of a boat. But if it was under some form of self control, where the hell do you start looking then.

Rememeber the Airforce are pretty switched on guys also. NZ is very fortunate to have the best crews in the world. If you have never personally been involved in a search from the air, you really must try and do so just once in your life. It is a very very hard task to spot anything from the air, especially if the sea has white caps. I can not over empahasise that. Even a very large vessel can simply disappear in a ruff sea. One reason why I hate the idea of White, Blue and Green as Anti-foul and Blue and Green for topsides.

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The inner headsail is still lashed down. I don't know much about self steering. But isn't the little wind vane supposed to be point more out. So is the self steering actually connected?

It would be pretty hard to be swept out of a cockpit so enclosed like that. I would say he has gone forward. I wonder if he was below and that front hit suddenly and he went out to get things under control. If he was under full sail, he would have been knocked down.

Maybe the boat crash gybed on him. The boom all the way out like that means the main sheet wasn't hauled right in and locked off.

 

I think we are being a little hard on the Search and Rescue guys. We don't know all the discussions, planning and decisions that are made within the walls of the HQ. They don't call off searches lightly. They also have new Software that can help predict the drift of a boat. But if it was under some form of self control, where the hell do you start looking then.

Rememeber the Airforce are pretty switched on guys also. NZ is very fortunate to have the best crews in the world. If you have never personally been involved in a search from the air, you really must try and do so just once in your life. It is a very very hard task to spot anything from the air, especially if the sea has white caps. I can not over empahasise that. Even a very large vessel can simply disappear in a ruff sea. One reason why I hate the idea of White, Blue and Green as Anti-foul and Blue and Green for topsides.

 

Yip. But sorry to have to raise this point / question but...

 

...having a very good harness and solid attachment points and lines is sooo important when solo.

 

as soon as you enter the cockpit (exit the cabin) you should be hooked on and hooked (double clipped)on to a very substaintial piece of kit.

 

 

be interested to see what the investigation show around the saftey kit aspect.

 

I know in the Sydney Hobart disaster a few years ago a lot of kit was found to be substandart and not FFP.

 

Some of the test ratings were miles out! and some clip arrangements failed or "twisted" open!

 

:wtf:

 

Did the find the Dog?

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They did, alive and being taken care of on the fishing boat. That's the Juanita referred to in southernman's post.

 

If only it could talk!

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I sail single handed a lot and I'm not tethered on all the time - it is just not practical. I think that if he went forward he would have been tethered on, hence my reasoning about being swept out of the cockpit. I've been knocked down once where the boat was laid over and the cockpit filled with water. I ended up talking to the wind generator which was almost in the drink also. If I was not tethered I would have been in the water for sure.

 

We all take risks that is sport and sailing but this is sure a wake up call for me and i'm sure others out there to quit being lazy and clip on.

 

I remember once I was up on the boom shaking a reef out just south of east cape when I had a horrible thought of what if I lost my grip? I'd be straight over the side and never to be seen again. After that I've always tried to be tethered when I'm anywhere outside the cabin, however it might be just me but when sailing up in the tropics I would often skip forward on the deck to adjust something or stop something banging and get back into the cockpit as quick as possible. The warm air and nice conditions can lull you into a false sense of security.

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I don't know the answer to this one so this is a real question from me, If you end up in the wet stuff but you are indeed harnessed and tethered via a life line and the boat is doing a few knots, is it posible to pull yourself back in and on to the boat on your own?? Or do you purposely use a life line tether that is short so as not to get into the drink in the first place?

 

When i used to take the Students out on the boat, I would often trail a long length of line in the water and the Kids would jump off and swim to the line and pull themselvs back to the boat. But I tell ya, anything faster than 3kts and it was impossible for them to do that.

 

Also...in the picture, is that a step/hand hold just forward of the fender?? Would he have one each side for an incase of a splash incident, he has something to grab hold of??

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Wheels, I think the question is, if you go over the side, would you rather be dragged along behind/beside your boat with a chance of climbing back aboard and/or attached to a yacht that is easier to spot/rescue at sea, or treading water as your boat sailed away from you?

 

I know where I'd rather be!

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Both options are going to end the same way, whether you are dragged alongside the boat for one hour or the 16 days that it has taken on this occasion.

 

Try it like Wheels suggests, then you will realise the challenge that has to be overcome and will be better prepared. Even it just means resolving to climb back up that tether in the miniscule time you may have before your energy is sapped, you are drowned or pushed under by the boat wake.

 

Or putting a lot of focus on man overboard drills with your crew/family.

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Both options are going to end the same way, whether you are dragged alongside the boat for one hour or the 16 days that it has taken on this occasion.

 

Try it like Wheels suggests, then you will realise the challenge that has to be overcome and will be better prepared. Even it just means resolving to climb back up that tether in the miniscule time you may have before your energy is sapped, you are drowned or pushed under by the boat wake.

 

Or putting a lot of focus on man overboard drills with your crew/family.

 

 

Solo is tricky because you have no control of the boat once you are in the drink.

 

the systems the 60's have seem to be very good for keeping them solo sailors in the cockpit (safe) and of the bow.

 

Pullling down jibs on the bow is not the done thing anymore. furlers and multible "furled jib sizes" is the key.

 

One solution, i have seen, is a harness line attached, via a block, on a fore and aft life line, that is attached to a halyard (via a spring tension arrangement). Thus if you go over the side - the more you go out the more you go UP and thus you can keep clear of the water and get back on board.

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Thing is, the systems are complicated enough as they are. Without a spring tension block halyard whoodacky as yet just one more thing to rig up. And if we get a little laxed about clipping on a harness, how are we going to be any better at setting a system like that up when ever you go on deck.

 

I do wonder about those personal EPIRBs though. Of course we wil never know if it could have have been a life saver in this case.

But then, it's just yet another piece of equipment and expense and of course, you have to wear it. If the situation is such that you haven't a PFC on (not refering to this case) and you haven't clipped on a lanyard, then chances are you haven't fitted your Personal EPIRB either. I would most likely have it in my jacket, but the weather has to be such that you need the jacket on.

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I saw my PLB as a general investment. After needing one while deep in the fjordland bush, I never go without it now.

Basically I've taken (had taken - till I moved) to keeping my PLB on me at all times when I was solo. Although I figured my boat sans self steering will come round without a hand on the helm, I still didn't like to take the chance. With self steering I think I'd clip no matter what the weather.

 

I think that no matter how enclosed your cockpit, a full dunking could pretty much wash out anything. You just can't hold on when there's that much water going by.

 

Go Well Paul.

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Thing is, the systems are complicated enough as they are. Without a spring tension block halyard whoodacky as yet just one more thing to rig up. And if we get a little laxed about clipping on a harness, how are we going to be any better at setting a system like that up when ever you go on deck.

 

I do wonder about those personal EPIRBs though. Of course we wil never know if it could have have been a life saver in this case.

But then, it's just yet another piece of equipment and expense and of course, you have to wear it. If the situation is such that you haven't a PFC on (not refering to this case) and you haven't clipped on a lanyard, then chances are you haven't fitted your Personal EPIRB either. I would most likely have it in my jacket, but the weather has to be such that you need the jacket on.

 

 

Maybe less technology is more Saftey. (the reliance / laziness technology gives may reduce some people ability to think and act safely / smartly?)

 

 

 

Less is more.

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My thoughts go out to his family and friends, maybe we need a salute icon?

 

I have a PLB, personal flares and a Hand held VHF which are either tied to my inflatable jacket or in a pocket all (well most) of the time I'm solo.

 

Anyone know the yacht design? Looks like a Van Der Stadt!

 

SHANE

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Maybe less technology is more Saftey. (the reliance / laziness technology gives may reduce some people ability to think and act safely / smartly?)

 

 

 

Less is more.

 

Very sadly there maybe some truth in that, the tried and true basics served us well

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