Speedboat T-Bones Anchored Baba 40

[TaoJones]

Yohelah, a Baba 40 based out of Seattle, was T-boned last night by a power boater while quietly at anchor in the Bora Bora lagoon. The power boater was, get this, apparently fleeing from a different hit-and-run at the time. Here's a link to the story - isn't that Malibu Barbie's speedboat?

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

TaoJones

[speciald@ocens.]

Damn - I'm too late for the Maltese Falcon; sold for only one hundred million (see same link)

[Cheechako]

Cant escape them even in Bora Bora????? Must not have had his chart plotter on! Hi Hi.... He's still got one good arm though... watchout!...he'll be back (probably in FLorida next time, he'll be living there after the lawsuit about "that sailboat anchoring in the way"...)

[Sailndive345]

I wonder if he has any cousins who live in Lake County, CA?...

[Gene :^)]

Did the sailboat have it's anchor light on??? Could be the sailboat's fault, heck maybe even throw in some fault for the first hit and run.

haha, Lake County could set the precident :^)

[George Wade]

I wonder how the 'Yohelah' will fare in getting compensation. Hope they had an anchor light and friends. How easy will it be getting a good topsides repair job before they sail onwards ?

[svHyLyte]

According to Latitude 38:

At this writing we have few details, except that the powerboat's driver was badly injured and may lose an arm as a result of his recklessness.

Gosh--If the jerk looses his arm, Yohelah will only be able to collect his leg! (BS like that should cost an arm and a leg no?)

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

According to Latitude 38:



Gosh--If the jerk looses his arm, Yohelah will only be able to collect his leg! (BS like that should cost an arm and a leg no?)

LOL
........

[David M]

Last night was a full moon. Was it overcast? I guess it makes no difference if one is stupid.

[GordMay]

Rob and Teresa Sicade's Virtual Home of Sailing Vessel “Yohelah”:
➥ S/V Yohelah

Teresa’s Blog entry (August 04, 2009)
➥ SV Yohelah » A Very Eventful Evening

[George Wade]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Rob and Teresa Sicade's Virtual Home of Sailing Vessel “Yohelah”:
➥ S/V Yohelah

Teresa’s Blog entry (August 04, 2009)
➥ SV Yohelah » A Very Eventful Evening

A searchlight needs to be handled very carefully so as not to blind a drunken speedboat pilot. I hope that didn't happen. But as he seems to have taken the speed boat and to have been a 'Hit and run driver' Rob & Theresa should manage OK. The light should have been a warning to keep away.

Glad the idiot is not as badly injured as feared at first.

[Tnflakbait]

Originally Posted by David M

Last night was a full moon. Was it overcast? I guess it makes no difference if one is stupid.

It wasn't overcast... I'm here on a mooring at the Bora Bora YC. I haven't heard about this incident. There is a lot of boat traffic in Bora. It's a busy place.

Adventures of Aita Pe'ape'a

[TaoJones]

From today's 'Lectronic Latitude, comes another take on the accident that evening in Bora Bora lagoon. This time, it is from the occupants of the other vessel struck by the drunken speedboater, the Nor'Sea 31 Eva out of Cape Mendocino.

From the article:

" 'I heard the launch coming fast through the anchorage. I could tell he was going to come close to us, and I thought, 'Another crazy pangero planing through a crowded anchorage at night.' (The Traums had been in the La Cruz, Mexico, anchorage in February of '07 when a pangero slammed into an anchored sailboat and was killed.) 'Then wham! The impact was intense; it heeled us over and spun us around a bit. Some items fell off shelves that had stayed in place for all our ocean passages.' "

To read the entire update, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

TaoJones

[osirissail]

The sv/Yohelah website states they were on a "mooring" which normally in maritime law means no anchor light is necessary as it is a designated anchorage/mooring field. Lots of blood visible on the speed boat - - and the speedboat managed to also get their dinghy - a two for one shot.
From my experince living in France the French are rather straight forward on the legal area so hopefully - if the responsible folks don't flee the country and have resources - the sailboat shoould be able to get compensation and get fixed. I hope the French will allow them the visa extensions necessary to get the work done.
And most of us set sail to get away from such government paperwork and hassles . . . Oh! well.

[osirissail]

I sent a private email to Yohelah after reading their description of the incident and apparent damage. Here it is as it concerns hidden damage in T-bone incidents:
>> Hi, Just saw the cruising forums references to your unfortunate incident in the collision and read your summary of the incident and damage.
- - I have worked in boat repair for 20 years and have seen quite a few of these T-bone collisions. The damage to the outside of the hull normally looks minimal and rather straight forward - but - you will need to open up the areas inside the cabin at and around the collision site.
- - The hull will flex a lot during the collision - and - the fiberglass "tabbing" from the hull to the transverse bulkheads is normally fractured and split. This will shift the bulkheads and structurally damage the hull's rigidity at the most critical area abeam the main mast. The transverse bulkheads are critically necessary to keep the hull from "canoeing" when the shrouds and mast loads are varied during sailing. Failure to repair and restore the tabbing to the transverse bulkheads will most likely result in losing the standing rigging during heavy seas.
- - It is pain in the ass to get behind interior furniture and lockers to get access to this area, but is critically necessary to insure the integrity of the ship.
Fair Winds and calmer seas, Jim Graham onboard sv/OSIRIS