[US navy finds wreck of missing yacht Cheeki Rafiki]

What I find interesting is that no one seems to have considered that the crew may well be in the yachts tender. Any sailboat going or coming from the Caribbean would in all probability have had a good workable inflatable tender on board. Knowing the yacht was in serious trouble, they could have got the tender inflated and in a ready to go position. Certainly in all my offshore cruising, we always considered the inflatable as part of our abandon ship plan. Two floating platforms are better than one.

 

It is quite possible that they were somewhat prepared, when suddenly the keel dropped off. There is the possibility they managed to launch the inflatable and are still floating out there. Unless of information dictates there was no dinghy on board?

 

Possible I agree but 16ft seas and the wind strength at that reported time 50 mph blowing.

 

Perhaps trapped with the air pocket.

 

Just a coincidence the USA waited 48 hrs approx. the time before they mounted the search. The time the PLBS where flat. The next on kin complained why did they wait so long. They uscg had the last lat long co ordinances but claim could not hom.

 

Pure speculation on my part I must admit.

[US navy finds wreck of missing yacht Cheeki Rafiki]

Thanks all you guys - valuable information and very educational.

 

 

The moral on the story re Cheeki Rafiki the Young Skipper obviously did not know all this info and the passed history re the design.

 

The bilge pumps obviously where insufficient like most sailing, and motor vessels. My experience with vessels I have crewed on, visited and during discussions I have determined most vessels seem to have bilge pumps with less than a total capacity 1000 gph,

with a lot having only 500 gph & 750 gph. This is mainly due mainly due to expense and thinking a major leak will not happen to them. I remember a American yacht that lost the propeller drive shaft 3/4 inch and the bilge pump and the NZ regs hand bilge pump, plus bucket bailing could not stem the flow. They almost abandoned ship, fearing water sudden movement instability, should a wave or the vessel tilt side ways causing a instant capsize, as the water level was half way to their knees before successfully tying and tapping a heavy plastic bag around the shaft.

 

Ocean going now I always only sail on vessels with at least 9000 gph ideally prefer minimum 16,000 gph which is 4x 4000 gph auto float switch bilge pumps with a activating light at the helm or at the engine instrument panel for each individual pump.

 

The Cheeki Rafiki where communicating for a considerable period with the charter company ,plus notified them they where heading to the Azores and could not determine where the water was coming from. A crew member also posted a post on a blog on the internet. Then suddenly they lost contact. Obviously insufficient bilge pumps to completely pump the sole dry to see where the entry point was.

 

They should have, at the point when they could not determine entry, abandon ship.

 

The skipper 21 was being paid for the delivery the rest where volunteer crew members, presumably from crew available forums as a guess.

 

Was this a privately owned vessel or a charter vessel?

Any body know?

 

Also they activated their 2 PLBs individually 24 hrs approx. apart as the batteries where drained.

 

Be interested to know if they had a EPIRB on board as some yacht clubs and country safety regs allow 2 PLS instead, avoiding the need for a EPIRB. Charter Company- who knows.

 

The coast guard stated they could not pin point their position as they where using non homing PLBs only a Lat - Long satellite co ordinates as opposed to a EPIRB with position finding homing 121 - frequency. Also the plbs are not designed to float with aerials pointing skyward. However the signals where received and they stated they where not EPIRB signals.

[US navy finds wreck of missing yacht Cheeki Rafiki]

And they didn't notice the keel had snapped off?

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27462450

 

[US navy finds wreck of missing yacht Cheeki Rafiki]

US Navy finds wreck of missing yacht Cheeki Rafiki

 

Saturday 24 May 2014

 

"The US coast guard has confirmed the life raft aboard the capsized sailing vessel Cheeki Rafiki was secured in its storage space in the aft portion of the boat, Friday, indicating it was not used for emergency purposes.

 

It said a US navy warship helicopter crew discovered the overturned hull 1,000 miles off Massachusetts. A close inspection of the debris confirmed the identity of the yacht, which had been flooded.

 

It said: "The swimmer determined the boat's cabin was flooded and windows were shattered, contributing to the complete flooding inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/23/us-hull-missing-yacht-search-cheeki-rafiki

 

Looks like the yacht has hit a submerged object. polluted Oceans and seas on the rise.