Lost for 3 days

lustyd

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Well there we go then, we can stay on board over night, we just need to pretend to be in trouble when found :D It is a little worrying that we keep getting told how robust our border is these days yet it took 3 days to notice this near Dover!
 

38mess

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Before the days when boats needed radios and engines, it was common for us to drift past the harbour entrance with the tide when the wind died, sometimes you were lucky and got a tow, sometimes you could be out for days. It helped to be young and enthusiastic. Never troubled the lifeboat, we would never live that down.
 

Black Sheep

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I have no information on this other than what I've seen on the (conflicting) media reports, but....
- there's no evidence he was ever "lost".
- he may or may not have had a PLB on board. If he did, he might have reckoned that it was inappropriate as he was not in "grave and imminent danger".
He might be one of those Captains Calamity that we all like to scoff at. Or he might be an otherwise competent seaman with a broken engine, who was happy to drift about until the breeze returned.

Nice looking boat, what I can see of it
 

38mess

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I have no information on this other than what I've seen on the (conflicting) media reports, but....
- there's no evidence he was ever "lost".
- he may or may not have had a PLB on board. If he did, he might have reckoned that it was inappropriate as he was not in "grave and imminent danger".
He might be one of those Captains Calamity that we all like to scoff at. Or he might be an otherwise competent seaman with a broken engine, who was happy to drift about until the breeze returned.

Nice looking boat, what I can see of it
The trouble is Joe public with mobile phones, they see something that looks a bit dodgy, next thing you know there is a lifeboat demanding they tow you back to harbour for your own safety.
 

Robin

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Bobbing about for a few days is my idea of heaven right now, although maybe not in the Dover Strait.
I must say, it seems odd that there was no wind at all, for three days, in that area. Maybe.
especially as the tide flow will create a wind on it's own, albeit only very light so won't be easy to work with for MABs maybe?
 

Adios

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Dozens were rescued/ferried in over the weekend, but the desperate starving refugees must have had better comms. than the experienced yachtsman..
I was confused by this tweet "Unfortunately, due to his engine failing, he had no power to his radio." but then I realised he must have run the battery down trying to get it started. But then they said "The yacht is his home so there are no issues re. Covid." so I'm thinking surely he had a leisure battery? But maybe he ran that down before thinking to use the radio. A lesson worth remembering to always keep a bit of juice in reserve. Then I'm thinking why didn't he McGyver 8 AA/AAA batteries with some gaffer tape into a 12v battery :cool:
 
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