‘Medicane’ First Hand

[pks1702]

Though this may be of some interest here.

On our recent cruise on ‘Norwegian Star’ around the Adriatic and Greece with little internet connection we were largely unaware of the “Medicane” sweeping in.


Leaving Athens on 27/09 bound for Split the Captain announced that the open decks would be out of bounds that night as we were expecting some winds.....Leaving Athens wind speeds were around 20 knots so relatively light.


At about 1am we heard the wind start to get up to the point it was screeching outside, the wind was on the beam and we gently rocked. I turned on the TV to check details from the ships system to find it registering Hurricane Force winds reading over 70 Knots and peaking above 80.


The ship handled it very well without any drama I was surprised how little movement there was even given its size. The following morning as the nearest ship to a distressed yacht Star was tasked to give assistance. She found the yacht which due to the White crests as far as the eye could see made spotting it difficult. Star stood by for 40 minutes using her size to help shelter the yacht in her lee.


The Hellenic Coastguard and Captain decided it was too dangerous to effect a rescue given the disproportionate size of the two vessels and the swell running and had a coast guard cutter on its way. As the yacht was intact and with no immediate threat to life Star was released.


We later found out that the cutter had transferred the lone sailor but he had to abandon his yacht.


Some video footage which shows the yacht, winds had started to calm and were down to 40-45 knots.

 

[RichardS]

Very interesting but a bit confusing. The strange thing is that unless the yachtsman is injured in some way or very seasick, he seems to have survived the worst of the storm and just needs to sort out/cut away that mainsail and then he can sit out the rest and save the boat. If he has now lost his boat that seems like a tragedy in the circumstances.

Thanks for posting because it should make an interesting discussion.

Richard

 

[pks1702]

The details I have reported are those the Captain broadcast I know no more, I would be very interested to know what happened.

The footage and a raft of photos I took but posted here in the event someone knows the full story.

I agree having survived the night the winds had eased and while uncomfortable he was over the worst and while rough it was calming so I don’t understand why he would have abandoned.

 

[Tiger Rag]

Without knowing the full story (perhaps the skipper was injured) and without wishing to criticise unduly it seems a bit baffling. The boat looks like a decent (sort of HR?) type of the sea state is hardly remarkable. Surely it is ten minutes of faffing to get the main under control with some sail ties, set a little Jenny to make some progress put the kettle on and carry on?!?!

He even still has the bimini up so cant have been that bad!!

 

[Spyro]

Without knowing the full story (perhaps the skipper was injured) and without wishing to criticise unduly it seems a bit baffling. The boat looks like a decent (sort of HR?) type of the sea state is hardly remarkable. Surely it is ten minutes of faffing to get the main under control with some sail ties, set a little Jenny to make some progress put the kettle on and carry on?!?!

He even still has the bimini up so cant have been that bad!!

That was my thoughts too but I guess there may be other facts we don't know.

 

[AndrewB]

Once the Greek Coastguards get called to a situation they will insist on taking command. Possibly he was ordered off.

 

[SV Kittiwake]

Does seem a shame to abandon the boat in those conditions, would love to hear his side of the story to find out more. Hopefully he's ok and can retrieve his boat.

 

[GHA]

The boat looks like a decent (sort of HR?) type of the sea state is hardly remarkable.

Looking at a youtube sitting warm indoors of a boat the lee of nearly 100,000GT 300m cruise liner when the winds have died from hurricane force to 45Kt doesn't tell you anything of what it was really like out there, likely very few of us can even imagine.

 

[Yngmar]

The boat looks like a decent (sort of HR?)

It's a Malö, and a recent model (mainsheet on the cockpit arch). Available in various sizes, starting at £200k for a used 37 footer. Hope the boat can be saved and didn't have to be scuttled.

And never underestimate the effects of exhaustion, fear and stress, especially when single-handed. Not everyone is cut out to be a Vendee Globe contestant, lashing their broken mast together with bits of string and laminated cereal boxes while surfing down 15m waves and cracking jokes on the satphone to keep the spectators from worrying unduly.

 

[pks1702]

Once the Greek Coastguards get called to a situation they will insist on taking command. Possibly he was ordered off.

I really hope he can be reunited with his yacht, he had clearly been through a lot. He had from what we are told made a distress call of some type to Olympia Radio. The guy on the face of it seemed to be moving around the boat carefully at one point going to the bow and pulling on the twin furlers which did not appear to be moving.

He appeared without propulsion, I wondered if the main he had lost had become fouled on the prop and the furlers jammed. Perhaps as Andrew has suggested once the CG is involved they take control.

Very sad and one can only hope yacht and owner can find each other again.

 

[Caladh]

It's a Malo - hence the M on the bow ! Please don't confuse with a HR ……...

 

[westhinder]

It's a Malo - hence the M on the bow ! Please don't confuse with a HR ……...

Correct. At least as fine a craft as a HR.
I hope we find out more. It may well be that his mainsail has fouled the prop.
I agree that we can’t judge the real situation sitting safely at home, but it does not look like he is in imminent danger. He does not appear to be wounded either as he moves round the deck. There is no doubt though that his situation was most uncomfortable and frightening.

 

[rib]

Hr and m's are the same really ???

 

[Seajet]

As a pro photographer and experienced sailor I can absolutely say without doubt, in situations like this the camera DOES lie; it always looks much calmer than reality, it's difficult to get shots or films of rough stuff which look like it.

Speaking as a sailor though, I think the old No.1 enemy got him - Fatigue - the poor sod was singlehanded, apparently at the end of his tether ( pun intended ) and unable to gather the main in, which in those conditions would make a rugby team think twice.

Last - it's well documented the most dangerous seas occurr when a hurricane / storm force wind is subsiding; possibly as the boat is then underpowered with sails still reduced.

I hope the poor bloke gets his boat back.

 

[sailaboutvic]

As a pro photographer and experienced sailor I can absolutely say without doubt, in situations like this the camera DOES lie; it always looks much calmer than reality, it's difficult to get shots or films of rough stuff which look like it.

Speaking as a sailor though, I think the old No.1 enemy got him - Fatigue - the poor sod was singlehanded, apparently at the end of his tether ( pun intended ) and unable to gather the main in, which in those conditions would make a rugby team think twice.

Last - it's well documented the most dangerous seas occurr when a hurricane / storm force wind is subsiding; possibly as the boat is then underpowered with sails still reduced.

I hope the poor bloke gets his boat back.

Thank you seajet , I been holding back from commenting , we had to sail 35 miles in that weather winds top 45 kts and seas touching 3 mts and by the time we found a safe harbour we was knacked , And we both use to sailing in rough weather , I have nothing but saddness for that poor guy and armchair sailor here who probably never seen any thing but a F5 if that should hold back on their comment which they clearly have no idea what it's like in them condition .
Once a sail blows out in them conditions, one guy on his only it very difficult to get it back under control and it's no five min job , as for going and putting the kettle on , That don't deserve a reply .

AndrewB is spot on , once the CG get involve in Greece you lost all control and have to do what ever they say .

 

[pks1702]

As a pro photographer and experienced sailor I can absolutely say without doubt, in situations like this the camera DOES lie; it always looks much calmer than reality, it's difficult to get shots or films of rough stuff which look like it.

Speaking as a sailor though, I think the old No.1 enemy got him - Fatigue - the poor sod was singlehanded, apparently at the end of his tether ( pun intended ) and unable to gather the main in, which in those conditions would make a rugby team think twice.

Last - it's well documented the most dangerous seas occurr when a hurricane / storm force wind is subsiding; possibly as the boat is then underpowered with sails still reduced.

I hope the poor bloke gets his boat back.

Absolutely right Seajet. I took the footage from our ‘cabin’ which had a balcony on the bow just under the bridge and another at the side. This was on deck 10 way up on the ship so significantly above the yacht.

When I reviewed the footage I thought the seas looked half as dramatic as they actually were. I guess the height and zoom foreshorten the perspective on the camera. There is one piece of footage when the ship had gone alongside and the swell was at 90 degrees to the ship that starts to give some sort of perspective. As I note in the video wind speeds had dropped from over 80 knots to 40-45. One must feel absolutely fatigued being in that sort of weather for an extended period surviving the night must have been his primary motive.

The guy did look absolutely out on his feet we were relieved to hear he had been rescued. It would be great if he is able to reunited with his yacht.

I came across this which shows ‘Zorbas’ forming and tracking.

 

[RichardS]

Very interesting but a bit confusing. The strange thing is that unless the yachtsman is injured in some way or very seasick, he seems to have survived the worst of the storm and just needs to sort out/cut away that mainsail and then he can sit out the rest and save the boat. If he has now lost his boat that seems like a tragedy in the circumstances.

Richard

Having read the most recent posts I'm now wondering whether there is anything I said above which might be considered inappropriate?

Richard

 

[Seajet]

RichardS,

after going through that - in fact still in it - I doubt you, I or anyone else could ' just sort / cut away and sit out the rest ' - not singling you out, but all such comments like this and ' just put the kettle on ' show a complete ignorance of what he had been and was going through.

If the sail hadn't gone over the side he may well still have to take positive action with drogues or running before it trailing warps, which is the achilles heel of all singlehanders including me - autopilots probably won't cope and laying ahull is too dangerous in conditions like that.

It's not rocks, fog or big waves that'll get you, it's Fatigue. Fatigue is the killer.

 

[RichardS]

RichardS,

after going through that - in fact still in it - I doubt you, I or anyone else could ' just sort / cut away and sit out the rest ' - not singling you out, but all such comments like this and ' just put the kettle on ' show a complete ignorance of what he had been and was going through.

If the sail hadn't gone over the side he may well still have to take positive action with drogues or running before it trailing warps, which is the achilles heel of all singlehanders including me - autopilots probably won't cope and laying ahull is too dangerous in conditions like that.

It's not rocks, fog or big waves that'll get you, it's Fatigue. Fatigue is the killer.

But he seemed to be quite active on the deck and still capable of running a blade down the boom. In fact, once he started the cut, I suspect that the sail would have just ripped along itself and gone over the side.

If I had to choose between losing my mainsail or abandoning my boat, I know which I'd choose, all other things being equal.

As far as I can see, if we are not allowed to have discussions like this about what the best tactics might be in very difficult conditions, then the Forum is dead.

Richard

 

[capnsensible]

Thank you seajet , I been holding back from commenting , we had to sail 35 miles in that weather winds top 45 kts and seas touching 3 mts and by the time we found a safe harbour we was knacked , And we both use to sailing in rough weather , I have nothing but saddness for that poor guy and armchair sailor here who probably never seen any thing but a F5 if that should hold back on their comment which they clearly have no idea what it's like in them condition .
Once a sail blows out in them conditions, one guy on his only it very difficult to get it back under control and it's no five min job , as for going and putting the kettle on , That don't deserve a reply .

AndrewB is spot on , once the CG get involve in Greece you lost all control and have to do what ever they say .

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