French yacht sinks

[30boat]

A french sailing yacht,apparently a racer,sank off the coast of Portugal today.One of the crewmembers is presumed dead and two survived.
It is too soon to know the reasons for this tragedy but almost every year something like this happens.
This coast can be very dangerous in the winter,in this case there were force 9 to 11 winds and 9 to 10 meter waves.
This was a well forecasted storm.I knew of it two days before.
Can it be said that it is reckless of people to sail in these conditions?
They where rather close to the shore when they sank.Shouldn't they have headed offshore?I know I would have.
What does the forum think?





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[poter]

Do we know where it was going?
Was it actually racing or going to join a race start at the time?
And big question was it sponsered?

Yes of course any prudent yachtsman would head offshore, but they may have been under pressure....just a thought maybe a delivery crew trying to meet a deadline?


poter.

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[bedouin]

It is difficult to judge what they should have been doing without knowing more of the conditions. But in many circumstances when out in a storm seeking shelter in the lee of a land mass can be a very good option - that necessarily involves getting close into shore - but a windward one.

Closing a lee shore in a storm is rarely a good idea

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[30boat]

There is no lee shore where they were when the boat went down.Actually the entrance to Aveiro is notoriously dangerous with shifting sandbanks and strong tides.
They were going to Portimão in the Algarve to take part in a race.

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