Boat ablaze at Leros

[vyv_cox]

Yacht C'est la Vie anchored in Lakki Bay, Leros. We hear she is French flagged but lived aboard by a Norwegian couple for the past 15 years. The owners don't seem to be around, maybe touring the island. Terrible sight to return to.

The amount of smoke generated was tremendous, filling Leros marina with very unpleasant fumes.

 

[Noahsdad]

Heart Breaking to come "home" to what's left.
From what you can see she looks tidy.

 

[noelex]

That is very sad news.
I hope there is no chance that there was someone on board.

 

[vyv_cox]

We know a little more now. The boat had been hauled out for two days for antifouling, relaunched this morning. The owners came back into the yard to lunch with friends, when the fire started, so fortunately nobody hurt.

What is astonishing is that although the SAR boat sprayed some water, very ineffectively, they have not damped it down so it is still burning, six or seven hours later. It is almost down to the waterline now and will sink before long, causing major and expensive problems. That's assuming the anchor, cleats and windlass hold and it doesn't blow away, still burning.

 

[KellysEye]

That's two, one in Grenada and on in Leros, in about the last four weeks, I've never heard of that happening before.

 

[noelex]

Thanks or the update Vyv.
Unfortunately it sounds like its going to sink. If it does could you perhaps note its location and post it. It will be a hazard for any boat anchoring in the bay and these things are not often marked well by the local authorities especially at night.

Very sad to see a boat like that.

 

[jellyellie]

That is a very sad sight indeed, especially given it is somebody's home.

Too early to speculate about the cause?

 

[Seajet]

Very sad, she looks a lovely boat.

I don't know Leros but maybe the SAR boat could have dragged her to the shore to minimise problems ?

 

[vyv_cox]

At 2050 we have finished our meal, I checked outside, the boat has sunk. Will try to log coordinates in a day or two.

The SAR performance has been pathetic. It is impossible to understand why they left it burning, knowing it would sink. We understand that the owner has complained to coastguard HQ about their lack of competence. It would have been a relatively simple matter to tow it to deep water or even into the marina once the fire was out. I doubt very much that the previous owners of the SAR boat, the RNLI, would have behaved in such a risible manner.

 

[oldbilbo]

Boat ablaze at Leros. Started by vyv_cox...... Today 12:46

Some sort of confession?

 

[ribrage]

Unless someone left a bun in the oven, its most likely an electrical fault , really sad to see that , every live aboards nightmare !

 

[vyv_cox]

Some sort of confession?

not guilty, and I can prove it!

 

[vyv_cox]

Some more information. The boat was towed into shallow water near the promenade last night. It rests on its keel, flooded and with very little remaining. A sad sight.

 

[MASH]

It must be pretty difficult to extinguish a fire like that, especially at anchor. You'd have to board the boat for a start which would be hazardous with collapsed or collapsing decks and then get inside (or get the extinguishant inside) to put the fire out. Really can't see how that is done without some very specialised equipment.

A report below indicates how even the Aussies had trouble dealing with a fire on a marina berth in Melbourne. It is clearly not an easy task so hardly surprising they struggled in Leros.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/boat-on-fire-at-docklands-20120321-1vjrv.html

Sad.

 

[rbcoomer]

It must be pretty difficult to extinguish a fire like that, especially at anchor. You'd have to board the boat for a start which would be hazardous with collapsed or collapsing decks and then get inside (or get the extinguishant inside) to put the fire out. Really can't see how that is done without some very specialised equipment.

Sad.

Assuming there were no gas canisters aboard (possible) why would they need to board? Could they not swamp with water? That close to shore, surely they would have been better holing her below the stern waterline and sinking her? The fire would have been extinguished and they could have salvaged later rather than letting the fire gut her.

 

[NornaBiron]

Vyv, if you see the owners could you please pass on our condolences. We've met them and been on board a few times, she was a lovely boat.

 

[VO5]

It is very sad. I think every owner is affected on learning of news like this.

Actually for a boat to catch fire is not that difficult.

I remember being at anchor once and relaxing in the cockpit reading a book, SWMBO listening to music...

I caught a whiff of burning...

I thought...."funny"...."that's odd...considering this is a sea breeze and not a land breeze"....

So I went below to investigate and this is what I found:~

SWMBO had forgotten to turn the gas off at the main....she had put the cooker cover on that doubles as a worktop that is laminated on both sides.

Now she gives the worktop a wipe....and a wipe also across the cooker controls....and in doing so, turns one a fraction...causing one of the hobs to re ignite with a tiny tiny flame....that began to cook the underside of the laminated worktop...hence the burning smell.

If the boat had been on a pontoon and we had gone ashore without checking, certainly we would have had a really serious fire.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Fire started two slots away from me in the marina a couple of winters back, on a small Moody. Smoke spotted by Marina staff - fortunately pretty much under their office windows - and extinguished before it caught hold. Cause - a dehumidifier. Since them Madame won't allow me to have one aboard. Dehumidifier, that is.

 

[Seajet]

Fire started two slots away from me in the marina a couple of winters back, on a small Moody. Smoke spotted by Marina staff - fortunately pretty much under their office windows - and extinguished before it caught hold. Cause - a dehumidifier. Since them Madame won't allow me to have one aboard. Dehumidifier, that is.

I had a fire on my Carter 30; I was with a chum sailing off the Eddystone in a F6, went below to check the chart and by habit put the kettle on...

When I turned away from the chart I was met with a jet of flame, the second word I yelled to the crew was " FIRE ! "

He turned off the gas at the bottle regulator, while I was busy with an extinguisher; the only damage was the powder extinguisher being a powerful corrosive on the woodwork, if I'd known I would have wiped it clean earlier but we were both tired, short on sleep after gales on moorings then this little trauma.

We were quite badly placed, no liferaft and a dinghy which took minutes to inflate, if floating in lifejackets I think it would have been curtains.

It turned out the spiral metal 'armoured ' flexible gas pipe to the gymballed cooker had ruptured, I think these armoured jobs are illegal now but check in case you've got one, a visual inspection won't show anything, they're lethal; I now change my gas hose every year, it has the year stamped on it, best value is from caravan shops, only a few quid.

 

[Liz_I]

An Update

Yacht C'est la Vie anchored in Lakki Bay, Leros. We hear she is French flagged but lived aboard by a Norwegian couple for the past 15 years. The owners don't seem to be around, maybe touring the island. Terrible sight to return to.

The amount of smoke generated was tremendous, filling Leros marina with very unpleasant fumes.

We are pleased to say that our friends Svein & Caryn have finally taken delivery of their 'new' home. After the disastrous fire that destroyed C'est La Vie in Leros.

We wish them the very best of luck with their new/continuing adventures.

The new 'girl' is a Bruce Roberts 48 which, strangely enough, Caryn sold when she was in P.Napoleon. How strange is that? Lovely looking boat, we wish them luck.