Catalina 30 Missing Off Atlantic Coast

[Shanachie]

In a nation where many billionaires don't pay any taxes, including a certain former president, I for one am not concerned about the money spent mobilizing rescue services to help people who made a bad call.


Look at it this way: They're practicing so they can do a good job when they're rescuing a deserving person.


People make mistakes in judgment and end up in bad situations all of the time. Mt. Everest climbers. Hikers. Swimmers. Pilots. Drivers. Rescue services of various types save all of their butts. It's one of our society's collective good deeds.


I'm glad we're not in the days of Chay Blyth, the 1960s sailor. When asked what he would do if his small boat was sinking, he replied, "Drown like a gentleman."



One of the curiosities is that when someone does something inadvisable and gets away with it, the world is quick to hail them as heroes. My sailing library is full of published accounts.


When I was in Key West last spring, a middle-aged Scandinavian guy came in on what appeared to be a European version of a Catalina 22-type boat. He had sailed ... from Scandinavia.


His self-steering was some sort of contraption with, I kid you not, a sheet of some type as a steering sail. No running lights. A small outboard. No dinghy that I could see.


He was looking for a cheap boatyard in the Keys (ha, ha) so he could fix his keel, which was wobbling and in danger of falling off. Last seen, he planned to motor into a 25-knot easterly wind to find one in Marathon, 40 miles away.



You could fine him all you want. I doubt that he had $1,000 to his name.


I kept waiting to see or hear a news story about the guy. His plans seemed insane. But I never did. For all I know, he found that boatyard and kept right on sailing.

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I am curious whether you have ever actually tried steering with one on a cloudy night with no horizon or directional reference, for more than a few minutes.

I did once on a friends 30 foot sailboat.
About 50 miles from the Gulf Stream into Beaufort inlet on a pitch black night with 30 knot winds and 5 foot following seas that occasionally washed into the cockpit.
Wet and beat up with on hand on the tiller, one eye on the compass, and one on the sails holding a flashlight in my mouth.
I made it, but I was totally exhausted!
Not bragging, because I certainly did not do it on purpose!

Al, S/V Finlandia

[rslifkin]

Hand steering at night with no visual reference definitely takes some practice, especially with some yaw from following seas. With a bit of practice, you develop enough feel for it to be able to maintain course reasonably with just a periodic check and correction against the compass (or chartplotter). The first time I had the admiral try it on our boat with mild following seas, it took less than 2 minutes to end up 90 degrees off course. Once I turned the compass light on and she could watch that, she was able to do much better (and slowly became less reliant on the compass as she got a feel for it).

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by svfinlandia

I have read several articles by now on this incident, and this is the best one I’ve seen.
As the article states, it underlines the necessity of a EPIRB on board.

Al, S/V Finlandia

worth mentioning that many jurisdictions (in places like australia for instance) require a 406 EPIRB as mandatory equipment for any boat going offshore

cheapest most effective insurance / safety equipment available and anyone who chooses to go offshore without one is a fool

cheers,

[lifeofreilly57]

As for all the scuttlebut about recue service cost, it's basically much ado about nothing. The ships, helicopters, planes and personnel are all on duty, they are a cost which doesn't change, which means they cost money whether looking about or just on regular patrols.
Rescue operations are just a small part of what the coast guard does daily, a drop in the bucket compared to their operating budget, an important one, but not the biggest hit on their funds. They patrol the coasts for security and smuggling issues, fisheries monitoring, port controls and a multitude of tasks outside the rescue missions. Especially since they were tasked with homeland security issues with no additional budget compensation. If you want to complain about costs, complain to your elected officials about properly funding the Coast Guard, instead of continuing to build Abrams Tanks that go directly from the manufacturer into mothballs because it's in a certain legislators district. While the Navy continues to get fat budget increases the Coast Guard is being starved of funds.
So focus on the real issue, rather than the noise.
By the way, the Coasties I've had the pleasure of knowing actually enjoy the rescue mission part of their job, it brings more satisfaction then most of their duties and allows them to learn and fine tune their rescue operations. Most didn't join to count fish.

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by jalmberg

So many assumptions, so few facts!

Here is a fact to chew on: they lost their mast in a Cape Hatteras gale, and had the equipment, knowledge, and guts to cut away the rigging and save their boat. That alone should earn them some respect in a salty forum like this.

And then they endured days of rolling that would reduce many younger sailors to madness.

I’m sure mistakes were made, but I say bravo to these two old Coots, and to the many people who helped save them.

Yes, they did some critical things wrong, but they also did some critical things right and credit is certainly do for that.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

As for all the scuttlebut about recue service cost, it's basically much ado about nothing. The ships, helicopters, planes and personnel are all on duty, they are a cost which doesn't change, which means they cost money whether looking about or just on regular patrols.
Rescue operations are just a small part of what the coast guard does daily, a drop in the bucket compared to their operating budget, an important one, but not the biggest hit on their funds. They patrol the coasts for security and smuggling issues, fisheries monitoring, port controls and a multitude of tasks outside the rescue missions. Especially since they were tasked with homeland security issues with no additional budget compensation. If you want to complain about costs, complain to your elected officials about properly funding the Coast Guard, instead of continuing to build Abrams Tanks that go directly from the manufacturer into mothballs because it's in a certain legislators district. While the Navy continues to get fat budget increases the Coast Guard is being starved of funds.
So focus on the real issue, rather than the noise.
By the way, the Coasties I've had the pleasure of knowing actually enjoy the rescue mission part of their job, it brings more satisfaction then most of their duties and allows them to learn and fine tune their rescue operations. Most didn't join to count fish.

+1
Very good points well taken

Al, S/V Finlandia

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by svfinlandia

I guess it would depend on your income level to call the cost of that piece of kit “almost nothing” at around $400, but even on my low retirement income, I consider it an essential piece of gear and have both it and an EPIRB on my boat.

Al, S/V Finlandia

Well, compared to the cost of dying, compared to the cost of a boat, it’s nothing. $400 is nothing compared to all of that. That’s what I’m saying.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Oeanda

FWIW, generally speaking I don’t get a ‘go for it’ feel from this forum at all. More the opposite. You really should not go for it. You need a naval architect, you need an electrician, your boat sucks, your plan sucks. Stay home, because you’re going to catch on fire, sink and die.

I sleep well in the belief that the average idiot really won’t be unduly encouraged if they start a thread here. From my experience idiots are very hard to discourage anyway.

Idiots do exist though. Especially if they don’t get lucky, learn and grow to become non-idiots. They’re even kind of like us in some ways.

Sometimes the best you can do is say your piece, get some info from them on their plan before they leave the dock, and turn on the vhf to listen to the results.

I was about to make the same post. I’ve been on this forum a really long time. I can remember private messages with Alan Wheeler to put a date on it. Usually the advice is to get a small boat and practice first. That’s always been the advice here. I’m not sure where sailor sailor is getting his data on that.

[Jim Cate]

Usually the advice is to get a small boat and practice first. That’s always been the advice here.

Well, I don't agree that this is always the advice given here, Chotu. All too many folks have indeed advocated buying the "last" cruising boat first. I'm too lazy to do the research and find quotes for you, but this sort of advice is not uncommon at all.

Many of us have indeed advocated the multi-step approach to sailing, but it is often derided as old fogyish. The alternative of three ASA classes and a new AWB 50 footer has considerable support, especially from the younger members. The results are sometimes OK...

Jim

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, I don't agree that this is always the advice given here, Chotu. All too many folks have indeed advocated buying the "last" cruising boat first. I'm too lazy to do the research and find quotes for you, but this sort of advice is not uncommon at all.

Many of us have indeed advocated the multi-step approach to sailing, but it is often derided as old fogyish. The alternative of three ASA classes and a new AWB 50 footer has considerable support, especially from the younger members. The results are sometimes OK...

Jim

OK. I believe you. No footnotes required. Ha ha.

I guess I may be factoring in the entire history of the forum in my mind. Not just the more recent stuff.

I’m kind of mixed on the topic. I don’t know that it’s necessary to start with a small boat other than that you should probably take a laser out first. Or a sunfish. Or something to just understand the basic principle before you get on a large boat.

But then again, there are things like properly using the headsail furler and learning how to not stress your rig out. Learning what kind of power comes with a wind gust on a 50 foot boat tied to a dock. Or getting your finger pinched in the chain or anchor rode or under a cleat.

A lot of those things are good mistakes to make on small boats first. Because making those mistakes on the big boat can be very rough on the finances and the body.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Many of us have indeed advocated the multi-step approach to sailing, but it is often derided as old fogyish. The alternative of three ASA classes and a new AWB 50 footer has considerable support, especially from the younger members. The results are sometimes OK...

Jim

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ts-259381.html

[Sailor Sailor]

Originally Posted by Jammer

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ts-259381.html

I appreciate the fact that you started that thread. However, the premise that anecdotal incidents prove anything is flawed. Exceptions don't prove a rule.

Too many posters here rely on anecdotal incidents as proof of something: "Well, I see XYZ sailboats anchored in a [insert name of Pacific island] anchorage, therefore they are bluewater boats."; "Well, a ship moved out of my way because I had AIS transceiver, therefore AIS is a necessary safety feature."; "Well, we were able to start sailing on a 50' AWB, so anyone can start with a 50' sailboat."

[Spring-Fever]

Found this article, with long TV news story.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/loca...ent=newsletter

[Sailor Sailor]

Well, that ended up being a beautiful, touching, news story, quite a miraculous ending, and nice people all around. It is great to see the families of the survivors and the epilogue of the story, which is rarely seen in these incidents.

Sounds as if they hit a gulf stream storm with all its fury, were disabled, then drifted NE with the stream until the rescue.

Lessons: reef early, expect the worst off Hatterras in Dec. (or any season), carry lots of drinking water, EPIRB, and handheld VHF.

Personally, I like the C30; it should be adequate for coastal cruising. And I don't think people should be charged for a Coast Guard search and rescue.