Urgent help needed to recover abandoned yacht NW Barbados

[category4jay]

Originally Posted by allwentwrong

Here's a pic of how I left it, minus the life raft Attachment 138782

1. Nice looking boat. Certainly worth trying to find her.
2. What exactly "delaminated"? If you can't fix the problem that made you leave her does it make sense to get back on her? That might entail another S and R effort at considerable cost and risk of life.
3. Who took this picture? And FROM where?

Good Luck Captain.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by allwentwrong

Hi Alex
Cheers for that, I'm in the lagoon up near the Dutch bridge onboard s/v Ballyhoo at the mo. If I get a fix on my boat I may be calling you for help

I would firm up your plan to get out to the boat now. I'd also have an emergency rudder/tiller that you can attach to the transom fabricated now. You could head out on the Leopard now and just sail around as long as you have a way to communicate in case the boat is spotted. If you're in the area you'd be able to get to her quicker & just might spot her yourself although that's doubtful. However, after whatever amount of time you and your wife decide on, the smart move will be to move on & be thankful that everybody is healthy.

[boatman61]

Fair enough.. good enough reasons in your case it seems..
But still stick to my argument for the majority of non sinking abandonments.. a boat with sails up is less likely to be investigated than one with sails down out there.. having investigated two or three in my crossings.. still when the SHTF anything and everything can go outa the window.
Remember getting abuse from the GF for tending the boat first on reaching shore when all she wanted was the nearest Tobacconist.. yesterday..

[boatman61]

True enough.. now if you can find another one or two boats to accompany you and Alex you'll with luck manage to find her..
I may be an ******* but it don't mean I don't wish you every success..

[Bleemus]

Not criticizing the decision to leave the mainsail up but that boat could be anywhere because of it. Needle in the haystack.

[weavis]

It is an interesting exchange of views here on this thread.

As a professional, I often am faced with comments from my colleagues that are blunt and non optimistic simply because I work in a field that engenders a lot of experience in certain areas from others pertaining to certain illnesses that the outcome is less than favourable.

The same with sailing. Experienced sailors have a career of knowing difficulties and the realities of problems, and give their considered advice, not to be dismissive or mean, simply because in weighing the odds, they see the chance of success as being slim.

Im my early days, I worked emergency rescue, and we had a team above us who worked out the statistics and possibilities and directed us to the best chance possible for survivors given the odds....

However, they also allowed us to do what we thought if there was a chance that statistically it was JUST possible... and a few times we got lucky and succeeded.

In this case, there is a chance. Go over your charts and estimates. Take a deep breath and go look.

We all genuinely hope for a lucky break for you. SOme of the guys on the ground are willing ready and able to help. Use them for they TRULY want you to succeed and want to share in your happiness if success is to be had.

Use everyone that offers... everyone.

Best of luck to you from all of us grumpy old men at CF... we want a happy ending..

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by allwentwrong

My estimate is with the drift speed and winds, it's possibly 59'W and between 15'30N-18'N. I know it's a huge area, but all depends on whether the drogue lines have chaffed through. As with the drogue out it was drifting NW and without it was drifting more W with the wind.

Here's a pic of how I left it, minus the life raft Attachment 138782

Hopefully this info is being transmitted to all mariners in the area with requests that they keep a sharp lookout for drifting yacht.

How did you leave the drogue attached?
From the bow?

[Juho]

Originally Posted by allwentwrong

I can't find any pilots that are willing to take me out. So I'm just hanging on the hope that it's spotted then I can go out by boat.

How about the proposed small aeroplane approach?

[a64pilot]

Overwater in a small aircraft is not something to be taken lightly, certainly not the realm of a flight school type of thing.
To be blunt I would not do it to try to save someone's boat, except maybe for significant compensation, whether the boat is found or not.
You are literally risking your life.

[MarkJ]

My thoughts:

A) No mention has been made on VHF by MRCC Fort De France or anyone else, in the last week.

B) I doubt an air search is a useful way of spending money.

C) All islands are visible from each other. For example from Sentry Hill, St Martin you can see 6 countries.

C1) Boat w main up & no rudder is easy to spot as it will be coming up to the wind, stalling, falling off or some unnatural movement.

D) Fishermen are out every day of the week from all islands.

E) $10k to an aircraft owner is bugger all, but to a local fisherman it's a new house or boat or both.

I suggest you work with the fishermen of all the islands clearly offering money for a sighting and a max reward for a tow in. Start by shelling out real $50 notes so people take you seriously.

The islands form a net. Catch your boat in it.

[goat]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Remember getting abuse from the GF for tending the boat first on reaching shore when all she wanted was the nearest Tobacconist.. yesterday..[emoji3]

You remember stuff from yesterday? You're much sharper than I.

[hellosailor]

Allegedly professional SAR personnel with allegedly competent organizations like the USCG and USN have often been asked to look for a boat at sea. Sometimes they find it, sometimes they don't, and that can be despite a hundred hours of C-130's and helos running rigid grid patterns, based on detailed drift charts.

Even then, sometimes a boat turns up two years later, having eluded every eyeball in the Atlantic and beaching itself intact. Or, sometimes capsized. But having eluded all sight for years.

So realistically? The OP does not stand a very high percent of success by just going out there, by plane, boat, or even magic carpet, and looking around for where the boat might be. Sorry, but that's how the numbers roll.

Yes, there's reason to be paranoid about strangers investing their lives rushing out to beat him to it and claim salvage rights if he puts out information. But if that information isn't put out? What, people are just going to check out every aimless sailboat they see? One that is possibly still under sail yet?!

I'm no SAR expert but even Huck Finn had some ideas how to find a lost marble. And time WAS of the essence. I say WAS because with every day that was lost, the search area expanded geometrically and quickly became large enough to probably be hopeless by now.

Not to mention, if we are left to guess at the details, the boat was abandoned some ten days ago. It might have had 200 gallons of diesel with the engine running at idle consuming 1/2 gallon per hour, so, perhaps 400 hours of unattended engine idle. Or perhaps way less...rashly assuming the engine was so well-behaved that it could and would idle for that many days. And we can only guess at how long the hatteries, if they weren't flooded out, continued to supply power to the AIS.

Ten days? Can't reliably forecast wx for that long, now add another five? to go out and look for the boat? Wx in midwinter eventually will be a problem. Going out SOLO and intending to be abandoned out there on a disabled boat in more days of unknown wx, and then assuming whoever takes you out is, well, rational about returning SOLO as well?

Sorry, OP, but I think you have been stacking the cards against yourself. This is one where TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE and you would have been better off risking a salvage claim, than risking the ever-widening search area, the continuous increase of poor wx doing further damage, and the dangers of going out to a vessel in unknown condition SOLO again.

Just one man's opinion, but I think you are putting concerns about the perils of a salvage claim at the top of your list--and ignoring the questions of how quickly you need to act, if you stand ANY chance of recovering it before it is either wrecked or found by a salvor in any case.

Anyone "local" who might see an AIS contact that appears to just be "drifting aimlessly" for a couple of days, might just go check it out and lay salvage claim anyhow. You're not accomplishing anything this way. Think about that. Ask some SAR pros about how less likely it is that you'll ever find the boat, as every added day passes.

[Kemp]

Looks like Hanse 531... Hanse 531 boats for sale - YachtWorld

I wonder how do you loose rudder without hitting UFO on 10 year old boat?

[ak5609]

Could not find you.
Are you on the French side of the Lagoon or near the Dutch Bridge on the Dutch side?

[MarkJ]

I agree with every word HelloSailor says.

Also, the weather over the last 10 days has been predominantly Christmas Winds 20, gusting 25kts on GFS. I always add 5kts at 20 knots.

Yesterday in the Around St Barts race 2 boats, independently told me last night, they both had 38 knots true during the race.

One boat is 108 feet and as slick as any racing yacht can be and If their electronics said 38kts true it was 38!

With the weather over the last 10 days for anyone to be able to calculate anything for drift is, as HelloSailor indicates, far beyond the smartest brains and computers at the USCG.

Deploying assets is not an investment imho