Lost Yacht

[matt h]

I heard they found the yacht that was apparently sunk of the south side OF the Isle Of Wight in August, it was eventually found today or yesterday in or near Haying Island,
my thoughts go out to their friends and family in this tragic event!! does anyone know how it got sunk???

[jackeen]

A sad story that one.



K & P

[codprawn]

I think that's the one they think MAY have been hit by the Pride of Bilbao.

[Nos4r2]

Some news reports.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/h...re/5366434.stm
http://www.portsmouthtoday.co.uk/Vie...icleID=1911713

[AndyB007]

Yacht debris washed up on the Hampshire coast is "unlikely" to be from the missing yacht Ouzo, police have said ....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/h...re/6206122.stm

[Bern Hanreck]

http://www.maib.gov.uk/publications/.../2007/ouzo.cfm

The report highlights many safety concens from which we can probably all learn . Whilst it's true that incident relates to a yacht travelling at night , it confirms that whenever things do go wrong , they tend to go wrong very quickly . If you haven't got time to read it all ( 49 pages ) , read the last four . There are comments about ( amongst others ) navigation lights , night vision ( photochromic spectacles ) , radar reflectors and well-fitted life jackets ( with crotch straps ) . Very sad loss of three lives .

[codprawn]

Read the report last night. I think it's rather harsh to be trying to prosecute the watch officer for manslaughter. Accidents happen. The crew of the yacht made mistakes as well.

For once the MAIB couldn't moan about lack of lifejackets. It is horrific to think they were in the water so long with no chance of being rescued despite being so close to land. It was August and the sea was as warm as it gets - 18C - and yet they eventually died of hypothermia /drowning.

They had plenty of safety gear but it's no use in the cabin. There are many similarities here with the sinking of the fishing boat I was attacked over earlier.

One thing that is pretty obvious is that big ships should be avoided at all costs - they often just don't see a small vessel on radar - even if you do have a reflector.

The most valuable lesson from this is that it is VITAL to carry some form of comms with you at ALL times because you never know what could happen. Ideally a waterproof VHF but also something everyone carries in their pocket - a mobile phone. Something as simple as putting it in a plastic bag could easily save your life. Some flares in your pocket could also be a good idea BUT the thought of them going off accidently doesn't bear thinking about.

Thoughts obviously go to the poor familes - it's bad enough knowing someone has died but knowing they were in the water so long must be unbearable.

[Stoo]

An interesting read with interesting findings. With the unfortunate loss of the lives of the yacht crew, their "side" of the story will never be known. In spite of the many findings, I still can't help but wonder why the yacht didn't contact the ferry on VHF as they approached. I supect that they simply didn't see it coming either because their view was blocked by sails or other factors. Even though the ferry involved is very large, I know from experience how quietly these ships approach. At night, I can understand how the yacht crew simply would not have seen, nor heard, the ship coming, especially if their watch-keeping was relaxed.

I live across the harbor from where a 105m ferry docks. In the summer, watching it come and go is a favorite passtime from my front porch. It constantly amazes me at the number of small boats that try to "beat" the ship as they come into the harbour. The sound of "5 or more blasts" on the ferry's horn is heard frequently.

Because "our" ferry crosses the lake four times daily in the summer, it is a regular sight when we are on the water. At cruising speed, she runs about 22 knots I believe. Needless to say, that's a lot faster than many would assume.

Since this particular accident happened at night, I think even if the yacht had seen the ship approaching, it would have been difficult to judge her speed and distance accurately. Sound practise would suggest that a radio contact would have been dictated, which to me suggests again that the yacht crew didn't see the ferry at all.

I feel badly for the crew of the ferry, even though there is clearly room for improvement in their proceedures. What I find difficult to understand though, is why they wouldn't have established radio contact with the yacht following the "near miss" and if they were unable to do so, they should have come to a full stop and initiated a search while notifying the Coast Guard.

In my opinion though, the yacht must share some of the blame for their fate.

Incidently, as someone who spends a lot of time searching for wrecks (albeit with much less sophisticated tools than were used in this case presumably) I don't find it at all suprising that the yacht hasn't been found. I couldn't tell from the charts in the report how deep the water is, but presumably it's pretty deep! A small "plastic" yacht would be a challenging target in any search.

Very sad tale none the less and lessons to be learned for all...

[codprawn]

To be honest I don't see how they can have missed the pride of Blibao - it's HUGE!!!

At night it's lit up like a funfair - which makes it difficult to see out - light pollution is terrible but that should make it pretty easy to spot from another boat.

These photos were taken 3 yrs ago when I was last on the Pride of Bilbao - the other ferry is a sister ship of a similar size.

The things that really scare me are the fast cat ferries - some of them do almost 50kts cruising these days!!!

[mdt]

According to the “debate” on Radio 2 today the watch keepers reactor-light glasses are being highlighted as one possible reason why he did not see the yacht approaching.

Yes power gives way to sail but we always switch on the motor and move when ever there is any doubt when the ferry and or tankers are coming up, just as you say they are quicker than you think when you are only doing 4-5 knots.