Abandoned yacht found

In the heat of the moment the gut reaction must surely be that you would hope that the boat might be salvaged and that you one day get her back. I doubt that many people in such circumstances would have the presence of mind to consider the hazard to shipping the wreck might pose.
 
This sounds a bit drastic but once I'd made up my mind she couldn't be safely salvaged I'd have fired a flare through the open companionway and set fire to her to sink her - in her current state she could still kill someone.

Peter.
 
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I think I'd have beenn tempted to throw a grapnel/spar on a rope/weight on a string through the pulpit to get a tow and set off, see what happens.


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not a good plan until the rigging, mast and sails had been removed
 
I can see your point, but I really cant imagine that I would keep a warship waiting whilst I calmly directed a flare through the open companionway. Unless the conditions were perfect, and I very much doubt that they were, I'd be off in the rib, or up the rope ladder, or in to the raft for a transfer. I dare say the warship would have a capability to scuttle the yacht if they thought it at all appropriate.
 
Re: Lassooing the pulpit? You\'re pulling my chain, aren\'t you?

There was no mast or rigging in the way, as a look at the picute will tell you. But . . .

Are you seriously suggesting towing a 32 ft yacht 180 miles in a 3m swell with a rope round the pulpit? Have you any idea what the snatch loads are likely to be?

No, I thought not, you're winding me up aren't you.

And of course you need to remember the towing vessel is a 27ft yacht with a 13HP engine.

I have plenty of regrets . . . with hindsight I reckon I might have been able to come alongside long enough for Charlie to jump on board with the HH VHF, but he could just as easily have fallen between the two boats and got his head crushed. I am in no doubt that any attempt to come alongside conventionally would have resulted in damage to our boat, possibly damage in excess of the value of the salvaged vessel even assuming salvage had been possible. WIthout boarding her we had no way of assessing the value of the vessel as salvage . . . was the engine U/S? Was there any structural damage from the rollover?

We could have towed her in much gentler conditions, but in this case we reckoned the only practical way of salvaging her would have been to get the engine going. Charlie is an engineer, and if anyone cold have he could have. But . . . we would almost certainly have had to transfer one of our batteries, a nightmare job in itself with any sea running.

What I am more interested in right now is the circumstances in which she was abandoned.

Never thought of firing a flare to sink her . . . it would have been heartbreaking, but maybe a good idea. Of course, firing a flare into a samll hatchway is probably not as easy as it sounds on a bulletin board.

- Nick
 
Re: Lassooing the pulpit? You\'re pulling my chain, aren\'t you?

Possibly you could have put someone aboard and took it in tow.Possibly someone could have got injured in the process ,its what happens next that could be the biggest problem.

You tow it in to a harbour/marina.Who pays the mooring fees etc etc while the question of salvage is sorted out?

IMHO it could have turned into a long drawn out pain in the arse with not much profit at the end of it all.
 
Re: Lassooing the pulpit? You\'re pulling my chain, aren\'t you?

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Have you any idea what the snatch loads are likely to be?



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Weeeeeeeeell, possibly, having towed up to 30 tons with my 14. However, the towed vessel is light, and with a sinker in the tow.......as I said, see what happens. If it fails, think of it not as losing a tow, but gaining a pulpit. Accept your 13hp might make it a long job, probably run you out of fuel.
 
Re: Lassooing the pulpit? You\'re pulling my chain, aren\'t you?

Absolutely right. Even finding a yacht ashore up the Helford I didn't want to touch it, once you take it on you're committed and responsible, a bit like giving first aid. I did in that case, because I thought it could become a considerable loss. My salvage award was 'thank you very much'.
 
Re: Lassooing the pulpit? You\'re pulling my chain, aren\'t you?

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firing a flare into a samll hatchway is probably not as easy as it sounds on a bulletin board.


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Easy for the jedi masters amongst us /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
That would depend on whether I was mitigating losses i.e. if it was likely that other boats could be damged or life endangered my insurers would be very pleased I had rid them of any further problems. PS I would have rung the boat insurers and found out what the situation was from the horse's mouth. I believe leaving it was the best thing if the skipper was unhappy to tow.
 
Exactly Tome, the only thing on your mind leaving a sinking vessel must be safety of all and preservation of things that will help survival, radio, water flares, chocolat etc. I see some clown has taken my idea of running the vacuum over the boat before abandoning ship seriously!
 
Well done Nick. Excellent photo, and very sound decisions in the circumstances not to attempt salvage and endanger your vessel and crew.

Where did you send your email/post from? If from your own boat, what kind of equipment are you using?
 
At the risk of being shot down in flames, I think that all you lot who are advocating sinking the vessel are being very selfish.
OK, so she is a hazard to other vessels.
But only to other 'small' vessels.
If she is hit by a ship they are not going to notice it.
What are the odds of another yacht hitting this abandoned Sadler? Infinitesimaly small I reckon.

And one has to remember all the other hazards out there that are just lying in wait for unsuspecting sailors. Everybody has heard about all these containers that jump overboard on every box ship voyage across the North Atlantic.

And then there are the tree trunks and everything else that can float. I live on the windward side of Barbados, and have just been for a walk on the beach with the dog this morning, and I came across some truly massive tree trunks washed up - they most probably originated from the Amazon. If they hadnt come ashore here, the odds are that they would get into the Gulf Stream (if they don't come ashore on another Caribbean island first) and eventually make their way over to Europe.

Tree trunks and submerged containers are the dangerous flotsam - hit either of these at 5 or 6 knots and there is serious potential for catastrophic damage.

Going back to this poor Sadler 32 - let her keep floating, and in due course somebody else will come across her, in calmer seas and more appropriate salvage circumstances I hope, and rescue her. She might even drift across the Atlantic and end up out here....
I sincerely hope that she does not sink, and that she will become somebody's pride and joy again.

PS - About 25 years ago our Coastguard towed in a yacht called 'Mother Goose' (a home built centre cockpit Roberts 36) that had been found by fishermen abandoned and drifting off the east coast. It was apparent that she had been at sea for a long time, and had probably drifted a long way.
Eventually she was put up for sale by auction, and some pals of mine here bought her for a song and gave her a good re-fit - they still own her today, and have had many wonderful sailing adventures around the islands in the meantime.
 
Re: Lassooing the pulpit? You\'re pulling my chain, aren\'t you?

Nick

She is not in the Sadler Association yearbook but I will take the details to the AGM tomorrow and see if anybody there knows her. Have you heard anything about what happened to the crew yet?

-Dave
 
Probably a smart move to leave her alone and not to try a tow. In many cases your insurance becomes invalid if you attempt to tow another vessel, without prior permission of your insurers. Maybe check the small print of your insurance and see what they say - certainly we are not allowed to tow another vessel without permission.
John
 
Just renewed ours so looked at the small print. We are not insurered to tow or be towed "Except in an emergency or where customary". Sounds like one of those phrases which means exactly what the insurance company want it to mean.
 
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