A Boat in Trouble in Bass Strait

[GILow]

Very rough down there at the moment, my thoughts are with the skipper.

Yacht in trouble off Port MacDonnell coast - ABC South East SA - Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Matt

[Jim Cate]

Not a good place to be without a rudder. Hope that they can get him in safely... those cray fishermen are pretty good with bad wx, 'cause they deal with it all the time.

Wonder what sort of boat it is?

Cheers,

Jim

[boatman61]

Fingers crossed for a happy/successful end to the story..

[leftbrainstuff]

Our thoughts are with the skipper. Adelaide is our home town so we know how rough that part of the world can be. There are lots of capable commercial fisherman along the coast so if they know he is in trouble I'm sure he'll be in good hands.

[GILow]

Very frustrating, can find no updates yet. At least the weather and waves appear to have calmed considerably since yesterday morning.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by GILow

Very frustrating, can find no updates yet. At least the weather and waves appear to have calmed considerably since yesterday morning.

Let's hope that "no news = good news"

[GILow]

Spoke to AMSA and they tell me he is safe and sound now.

[Wotname]

[Jim Cate]

Meanwhile we have a report of a close friend lying to a parachute anchor east of Flinders Island somewhere. Winds reported at 50-55, but so far the seas have not built too badly.

Their boat is a Laurent Giles Vertue (24 foot traditional design) and last report is that they are fine and relatively comfortable, but we still have some concerns for them.

Other friends, sailing in company in an Adams Knot 40 were able to continue onward and have made Wineglass safely. Draw your own conclusions about the Pardey manifesto.

Cheers,

Jim

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Meanwhile we have a report of a close friend lying to a parachute anchor east of Flinders Island somewhere. Winds reported at 50-55, but so far the seas have not built too badly.

Their boat is a Laurent Giles Vertue (24 foot traditional design) and last report is that they are fine and relatively comfortable, but we still have some concerns for them.

Other friends, sailing in company in an Adams Knot 40 were able to continue onward and have made Wineglass safely. Draw your own conclusions about the Pardey manifesto.

Cheers,

Jim

That's probably the same bit of weather that hit the chap who lost his rudder. Quite a blow, I hope they are not too uncomfortable.

Can you elaborate on the Pardey reference? I have only read tidbits of their rough weather sailing guide. Are you saying this is a case of the faster, possibly less weatherly boat being an advantage in that it can at least escape the weather system?

Matt

[boatman61]

Hmmm... bit of big is better in that statement Jim... small boats reef earlier but I still feel they're inherently safer for that very reason...
Rarely see under 30ftrs calling for rescue offshore.. but the over 30's..

[Oregon Waterman]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Hmmm... bit of big is better in that statement Jim... small boats reef earlier but I still feel they're inherently safer for that very reason...
Rarely see under 30ftrs calling for rescue offshore.. but the over 30's..

And that is why I took a chain saw to the last two feet of my boat. I am 29'11" now and I feel much safer.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Oregon Waterman

And that is why I took a chain saw to the last two feet of my boat. I am 29'11" now and I feel much safer.

LOLOL... and if I'd said 35ft someone else woulda been the wise guy...
But I'd rather ride out a December gale in the Biscay in a Hurley 22 than a Beneteau 40 any day.. even if it is wetter..

[Jim Cate]

OK, here's how I see it:

Bigger MAY be better!

The Vertue is a pretty sea worthy design, and I believe our pals are safe, but they are (as of last info) drifting NE at about 30 mpd, dragging their 'chute with them. If this goes on for another day or two, they will be poorly situated to get to a sheltered anchorage in Tassie before the next frontal system comes through with more bad wx. The Adams and a Catalina 42 which left Eden at the same time both were able to press onward when the wx deteriorated, and have been sitting comfortably in Wineglass Bay whilst the Vertue is going slowly the wrong way.

The Pardeys, who have much to admire in their accomplishments, advise going small. In such cases as this, I reckon I'd rather be in the larger, faster boat. YMMV. We're not talking about ultimate survival here, but the ability to make useful passages under stiff, but not dire circumstances. I think that it is a matter of both speed (read LWL) and power to drive onward with poor conditions. Both factors are important to me.

The Adams (Ann advises that it is a Naught 40, not a Knot 40!) is around 30 years old, has completed one circumnavigation in the hands of the PO, and a Oz-Alaska-Oz cruise plus many other shorter Pacific cruises in the hands of her current owners. I think that her seaworthyness is well established, despite not being as small as Boatie likes!

And Phil, not sure about your statistics, but if true, perhaps it is because there are far more >30 foot boats out in harms way than those <30 these days! I dunno myself, and I surely agree that it seems like too many >30 foot boats are being lost at sea.

I have a lot of respect for those that voyage in smaller boats, folks like our friends and Phil and the Pardeys. I don't personally want to join them in their endeavours (though I did do so in the past) .

Cheers,

Jim

[GILow]

So perhaps you could say that when coastal cruising at least, the bigger, faster boat has the advantage of being able to get to the next anchorage in time to escape the next blow?

This being a different issue to open ocean cruising where speed is no particular advantage when there is nowhere to run to for shelter, then the seaworthiness of the boat is more critical?

Matt