"The Hood" Adrift North of Bahamas W/O rudder

[forsailbyowner]

My bro has been a bit of a pickle today I guess the title of the post says it all. He has a hunter 466 that left its rudder on the bottom in the deep. His last coordinates were N27.16.72 W 78.08.76, Couple of quick questions. Does BASRA charge for rescue? They tried to tow once but a storm was upon them and they said they had to wait till morning and get a bigger boat to tow. Anybody in the area? Does anyone know the rudder shaft size and protrusion length? Called hunter and foss foam (who built the rudder) but they were out for the weekend. Boats owner and skipper is a member here.

[onestepcsy37]

wow! not a good place. looks like he's less than five miles off the banks. is he able to rig up some kind of steering gear, maybe dragging something off the port and starboard stern?

i don't think basra charges for their service. but they do have limited resources.

[MarkJ]

He wouldnt be drifting onto the banks. He would be drifting north, in a 15 knot southerly.

[MarkJ]

Any news?

[thomm225]

He should be able to rig something (spinnaker pole or drag long line with heavy attachment) if the conditions are not too bad and steer with the sails if he is an experienced sailor.

Worrell 1000 catamaran racers have been known to sail the first mile or so along the beach inside the surf line with their rudders up driving the boat with sails alone.

[Hud3]

Mark noted that the wind is from the southerly sector. The current there is generally offshore, too, so he's probably in little danger of being forced onto the reefs.

[forsailbyowner]

I talked to him last nite. A basra boat had been there and aborted the tow. They were in the middle of a storm and the towboat was too small to handle the 46' boat. They were advised to call every half hour till a larger tow could be sent in the morning. He had set up a sweep using the spinnaker pole but after 5 hrs and a struggle to keep a heading he abandoned that idea. i suggested he try a drogue and steering with the winches while under sail. Should have been doable on a downwind heading. He simply said he had tried everything.

[AnchorageGuy]

Unfortunately rudder loss is not so uncommon with some Hunters. I would suggest you try and arrange a tow by a U.S. company once the boat is out of Bahamas territorial waters. The insurance on the boat should cover it. You may be able to do that for him. Getting repairs done in the Bahamas is going to be very difficult compared to the U.S. Using a combinations of sails and drogues should give steering controls if the skipper is knowledgeable enough. It just takes trial and error. Light SE forecast for today so it would be a good day to experiment. Tomorrow likely to be 10 to 15+ and we find the forecasts are usually short of actual conditions by about 5 knots. we wish him good luck. It's a real bummer for crew and boat. Chuck

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

I would suggest you try and arrange a tow by a U.S. company once the boat is out of Bahamas territorial waters.

Tis probably a good idea to get it out of Bahamas waters and tow to US. Remember a few months ago there was a thread about TowboatUS arriving at Nassau to tow a boat. Bahamas wanted $16,000 or something crazy.

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Tis probably a good idea to get it out of Bahamas waters and tow to US. Remember a few months ago there was a thread about TowboatUS arriving at Nassau to tow a boat. Bahamas wanted $16,000 or something crazy.

Wouldn't be ironic if that same group, who I seem to recall, cleared up the matter satisfactorily, were close by and could do the rescue. jus sayin.

[mbianka]

Heard about a boat that lost a rudder halfway to the Dry Tortugas. I think they used warps or drogues for steering until they got close enough for a tow.

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

Wouldn't be ironic if that same group, who I seem to recall, cleared up the matter satisfactorily, were close by and could do the rescue. jus sayin.

Hmmm with a somewhat erratic course and if they travel without Nav lights perhaps they might get the attention of some of Homeland Security patrols.

[onestepcsy37]

forsailbyowner - any further news on your brothers predicament?

[forsailbyowner]

Some people fall in doo doo and come up smelling like a rose. Last I heard he was towed in and his insurance company was covering all including repairs. They got a quote in the Bahamas for $9k to install. the installation is simple. So now hes looking at maybe doing it himself and having some money left over,

[onestepcsy37]

if they towed him into green turtle cay there's an excellent yard there - abaco yacht services. i was in gtc a few years ago and met up with a couple on an irwin 42 which had also lost it's rudder, although i can't remember how. they had a replacement rudder shipped in and installed at abaco yacht services.