Posted on 06/14/2010 8:12:08 AM PDT by jimbo123
You are clueless. Not even corporate-sponsored fully-crewed (by professinoals) boats try the Southern Ocean in winter. For a reason. The same reason that Everest has a “climbing season” and not even pro climbers with ten sherpas try to summit in January.
Abbey’s parents sent her out for a winter passage of the Southern Ocean only because “Abbey16.com” would “age out” of record consideration if she waited for spring.
There is a concept of prudence involved in all aspects of voyagine, even ocean racing. You don’t do Everest in winter, and you don’t do the Southern Ocean in winter.
Unless you are a crazed fame-whore who is willing to throw your daughter’s life onto the craps table for a shot at the brass ring.
You know, if she turned on the EPIRB, the global fix on the boat is known. If the weather is as bad as I think it gets, taking aboat in tow in those waters could be very dangerous.
The beacon is generally only good for 24 hours (golden hour) for rescue, but unless they turned the beacon off, it could be jury rigged to the main batteries to extend the signal life. My guess is that they did not take it in tow because, according to the view from the Quantas, she was dragging her rigging aft, and did not cut it away. In those seas, the possible damage to the tow boat, and possible danger having a seaman cut away the rigging was just not worth it...Its an insurance problem, not theirs. Since the hull is designed NOT to sink, it may wash up on the shore, or rocks, but they should be able to Geoposition its location from the beacon until the signal dies out. Man, I would have hated to leave my maps, and reference material. But, don’t we all feel that way??
The more I read about this trip, the worse it gets. Her father lassoed the deck-stepped carbon fiber mast and used it to heel the boat over in Cabo to make repairs, because he didn’t want to wait for a cradle. Now, it wasn’t a heavy boat, but that isn’t smart if you want that mast to last. And it sure enough didn’t.
And I was wondering why she hadn’t cut away her rig after losing it. Thats a sea anchor you don’t want in a storm.
Towing was never an option, see 206 for my explanation.
A ship towing a sailboat is only an option for a few miles into a port, with the ship moving at 5-6 knots max. This won’t happen across an ocean, and especially not in big seas.
I don’t know how deep under the WL the repair was, but I’m inclined not to mind heeling the boat to even 45 by the masthead, assuming proper halyards and fair leading spi blocks are used at the top.
This is sometimes done by “scrutineering” committees before major races as a test of the boat’s stability. The pressure on the mast is the same if it’s pulled over by a halyard, or pushed over by wind force on sails. The force is translated downward along the mast column in compression and upward on the rigging wires/stays in tension in either case.
Any hour in the southern ocean will stress that rig 10 more than a static dockside pull. In the ocean, the rig is going WILD with loads and unloads and ocsillations that have the entire mast shuddering, whipping and slamming. Hour in and hour out for days in bad conditions in waves.
By comparison, the dockside test was a gently pull and release.
“They don’t understand that I’ve sailed my whole life and I do know what I’m doing out there.”
She is full of it. I’ll give her plenty of leeway because she’s 16, but she’s still full of it.
First: the winter crossing of the Southern Ocean was INSANE. Professionally crewed, multi-million dollar fully-sponsored raceboats don’t do it in winter, for the same reason mountain climbers don’t try Everest in January. So right there, “I know what I’m doing” rings the BS bell. She was out there in winter for one reason only: her age. Her website is Abby16.com for a reason. Next summer, she won’t win the prize for youngest. So her father decided to throw her life onto the craps table to exploit her for an age-record try.
Second: She didn’t have a wind vane. Two electrical autopilots only mean that if your power goes out (and it will!) you will only have two dead autopilots. A 40’ ocean sailor should, must also have a Monitor or Sailomat or similar quality wind vane self steerer. My Sailomat has steered my much bigger and heavier 48’ steel boat across oceans week after week, with no need for electricity. In the event Abby loses power, she loses auto-steering, and NO solo sailor can hand-steer a 40’er in the Southern Ocean for more than a half day. After that, fatigue takes you down, and you broach and roll and dismast. Which may have been the sequence of events.
Third: She didn’t cut away her rig, which is Voyaging 101, to prevent the rig from holing and sinking the yacht. After ditching the rig, the standard EXPECTED procedure of REAL SAILORS EVERYWHERE is to erect a jury rig and sail downwind to a safe port. In her case, Western Australia. Not to just push the EPIRB and scream to the world, “Mommy! I can’t hack it! I’m not a real sailor! Come and save me, because I can’t do it!”
See 247.
I missed that post, very well written. Thank you. I have has tows in the past, no wind on a day sailer, and was fine at slow speeds, while i handled the tiller...
I’d hate to try to tow anything in the giant waves of the Southern Ocean! The towed boat, among other disastrous ways to come to grief, would constantly be getting out of sync with the towing vessel on the waves. Surfing and going slack one moment, then dropping back on the far side of the wave. Then all of that slack in the tow line goes BANG, and yanks the sailboat. Like tying a rope around your waist to a diesel locamotive that’s passing by at high speed. Just won’t work.
I agree, the tugging happened even at slow speeds because the hull speed was different. A ship is not nearly as slick as a sail boat hull. Like trying to tug a hobie cat with a barge..LOL
Ok
Now we have FACTS! Your earlier conjector was just knee jerk reaction.
NOW I would agree that they are working outside their means.
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