Scuttle The Boat When Abandoning Ship?

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by s/v Moondancer

Six good friends and past crew on my boat abandoned a boat between Bermuda and the USA because of a lost rudder. The boat had the Bermuda race tracking system on board. The owner went out with a commercial tug to get the boat 200 to300 miles offshore.

The cost of the tow $28,000 cash up front before the tug left the dock.

Cost of the tow a resonable investment, if he wanted the boat back. That's a long salvage tow, but at least it would follow the tug, unlike the boat we saw that had lost its keel.

Ann

[robbievardon]

If the boat is not sinking why are you abandoning it? I won*t go into detail, but a friend of mine lost a lady friend as a result of abandoning their boat in rough seas. The boat washed up on shore more or less intact some time later. A large floating object is much easier to spot than a couple of people from the air or a cargo boats deck. As I recall a fellow Cornishman survived inside an upturned hull for 3 or 4 days before it was spotted from the air and he was winched to safety,

[JPA Cate]

If the boat is not sinking, why are you abandoning it?

Of course, a most valid question. But if you are a family with children, and the boat is not controllable, the idea of being rescued, rather than attempting a self rescue, worried about failure and the consequences to the child and your partner.....Tough call.

It's just my opinion, but I think it is something people should talk about as a "What if?" and make plans for the commonest catastrophes, like losing the rudder, or dealing with smaller water ingresses, or extreme illness or incapacitation of crew. Plans, fall back and re-group positions.

If you think about the abandoning of the Rebel Heart, the owners came to the realization that their boat was self-destructing, and at the same time their small child became ill. The father decided to stay with his wife and children when they abandoned, rather than complete a long passage in a severely damaged boat. Probably the wiser decision, but still not an easy one, I'm sure.

Ann

[Steadman Uhlich]

I just posted the report of a 60 foot boat abandoned and scuttled in North Atlantic. Crew of 14 sailors on the boat. The boat was dismasted by a "rogue wave" and crew rescued by a Royal Navy Destroyer.

Details via this link:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post2326192

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Of course, a most valid question. But if you are a family with children, and the boat is not controllable, the idea of being rescued, rather than attempting a self rescue, worried about failure and the consequences to the child and your partner.....Tough call.

It's just my opinion, but I think it is something people should talk about as a "What if?" and make plans for the commonest catastrophes, like losing the rudder, or dealing with smaller water ingresses, or extreme illness or incapacitation of crew. Plans, fall back and re-group positions.

If you think about the abandoning of the Rebel Heart, the owners came to the realization that their boat was self-destructing, and at the same time their small child became ill. The father decided to stay with his wife and children when they abandoned, rather than complete a long passage in a severely damaged boat. Probably the wiser decision, but still not an easy one, I'm sure.

Ann

One can never( or rarely) be sure such a decision was correct, but under the described facts, although skimpy, if your family survives, the decision was correct. For an older (usually) solo sailor such as myself, the correct decision determination may or may not involve different facts and different judgment criteria, although since I love my wife, who is wise enough not to sail with me, I prefer survival AND not losing the boat.