How much damage has La Vagabond suffered in Japan collision.

[BurnitBlue]

Considering how many catamarans are simply written off after hurricane damage, i wonder what will happenn to La Vagabond which is a very high tech tri (much more high tech than a cat) when the damage has been examined by the insurers. Carbon fibre 60 foot lightweight speed machine not easy to repair to "as new" than a sturdy traditional built vessel.

 

[Seven Spades]

I have noticed that many YouTubers keep AIS switched off so that they can “monetise” live tracking to “patrons”. I wonder if that is the case here. It may not have made a difference in this case but it might.

I am pretty sure that if you have it fitted you have a duty to use it. If you remember about twenty years ago a boat and ship collided mid-channel in fog and the yacht had radar fitted but it was switched off. The enquiry found against the yacht and. Ade it clear that if it is fitted you must use it, I am sure the same would apply to boats with AIS transmitter fitted.

 

[BurnitBlue]

I have heard this also with the addition that famous Utubers switch AIS off to avoid persistant attention from fans and whannabees.

The last I heard was that the large fishing boat was only moving at 5 knots. This in my experience is fishing speed which, I believe, grants the fisherman right of way. Looks to me like a giant insurance squable ahead with La Vagabond stuck in Japan in the middle of typhoon season.

All crew are safe so my interest is what will happen to the boat. Can she be jury rigged to limp out of there back to Vietnam or shipped out on a freighter? My interest has also spiked after I returned to multihull ownership last year only to learn of the heavy casualty of multihulls because of the enormous cost of repairing vessels with such expensive luxury interior appointments.

 

[fredrussell]

Uncharitable response by me removed. Nothing to see here folks!

 

[Seven Spades]

... I believe, grants the fisherman right of way. Looks to me like a giant insurance squabble ahead with La Vagabond stuck in Japan in the middle of typhoon season.

Ordinarily they won't have any rights over a boat at anchor. If the anchor light is on then the fishermen are likely to lose but the fishermen might be men of straw so the insurance company might not be able to reclaim any damages.

 

[BurnitBlue]

Ordinarily they won't have any rights over a boat at anchor. If the anchor light is on then the fishermen are likely to lose but the fishermen might be men of straw so the insurance company might not be able to reclaim any damages.

I had no idea they were at anchor. From the charted position of the collision that I saw on one report it seemed to me that they were under way. I got it wrong. However, an epic struggle lies ahead trying to repair such a flimsy hi-tech craft locally. It will be interesting, to me, to see what happens.

 

[garymalmgren]

RE; I have noticed that many YouTubers keep AIS switched off
RE famous Utubers switch AIS off to avoid persistant

I live in and sail in Japan. and would like to clear one thing up.
No small Japanese fishing vessel has an AIS transceiver, Nor an EPIRB, Nor a VHF radio.

Because of the beam of La Vagabonde they are unable to enter almost all of the smaller fishing ports. Therefore they anchored outside.
No Japanese vessel would anchor outside a port. The 70 year old skipper of the fishing vessel that smacked them has probably entered this port many many times and in 50 years never come across a vessel at anchor.
La Vagabonde's anchor light would have been just background noise.

Why no VHF, EPIRB or AIS?
In the 40's japan was at war, The military government controlled the issuance of radio licenses and frequencies to prevent spying.
This total control exists today. A VHF operators license will cost you $1200 US and need to be renewed every few years.
You will need to know Semaphore to get that license!!!! And that is also for small low wattage hand held units.
A $250 (AIS applicable) VHF radio will cost you $ 2000 dollars.
Nobody has an EPIRB because of the registration regulations for them.


I sail with none of these modern systems. As does every other sailor and fisher around me.

gary

 

[Seven Spades]

Wow, what an appalling way to manage the safety of life of seamen.

 

[BurnitBlue]

RE; I have noticed that many YouTubers keep AIS switched off
RE famous Utubers switch AIS off to avoid persistant

I live in and sail in Japan. and would like to clear one thing up.
No small Japanese fishing vessel has an AIS transceiver, Nor an EPIRB, Nor a VHF radio.

Because of the beam of La Vagabonde they are unable to enter almost all of the smaller fishing ports. Therefore they anchored outside.
No Japanese vessel would anchor outside a port. The 70 year old skipper of the fishing vessel that smacked them has probably entered this port many many times and in 50 years never come across a vessel at anchor.
La Vagabonde's anchor light would have been just background noise.

Why no VHF, EPIRB or AIS?
In the 40's japan was at war, The military government controlled the issuance of radio licenses and frequencies to prevent spying.
This total control exists today. A VHF operators license will cost you $1200 US and need to be renewed every few years.
You will need to know Semaphore to get that license!!!! And that is also for small low wattage hand held units.
A $250 (AIS applicable) VHF radio will cost you $ 2000 dollars.
Nobody has an EPIRB because of the registration regulations for them.


I sail with none of these modern systems. As does every other sailor and fisher around me.

gary

Thanks for the background. The restriction on width must also apply to haul-out for repairs. Come to think of it deck space for a 60 foot Rapido trimaran on a freighter would be difficult. Jury rig escape-repair or write off? Depends on the extent of the damage of course but information on this seems to hard to get.
I would guess at a write off or two years wasted life for Riley and Elayna and children repairing la vagabond.

 

[garymalmgren]

Hi Burnitblue
This is their location.
34°14'24.9"N 130°06'29.3"E

They are 60 kilos from the west coast of Kyushu island but a long way from the larger city of Nagasaki.
There they will try to find a yard that will undertake a repair on an exotic vessel built of exotic materials that the yards have never encountered before.
On top of that the reputation of foreigners skipping town without paying their bills precedes them.

My guess is that no one will touch it.
What happens after that is anyone's guess.

On top of that they will have to deal with the bureaucrats at the Japanese Coast Guard.
Chichester wrote about that when he crashed his Gypsy Moth on Kyushu in the 30's.
The Japanese were convinced that he was a spy.

In 1931, having fitted a biplane with floats, he made the first east–west flight across the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia. A plan to circumnavigate the globe by air ended in a crash in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, in which he was badly injured.


The saying amongst Japanese sailors is , No matter what happens don't call the Coast Guard.
My berth neighbor was entering a port when his engine failed . He called the Coast Guard and was towed 5oo metres.
He spent the next 5 days writing reports and answering (the same) questions again and again.

The crew of La Vagabonde are not posting because they are virtually under arrest!!

gary

 

[BurnitBlue]

Hi Burnitblue
This is their location.
34°14'24.9"N 130°06'29.3"E

They are 60 kilos from the west coast of Kyushu island but a long way from the larger city of Nagasaki.
There they will try to find a yard that will undertake a repair on an exotic vessel built of exotic materials that the yards have never encountered before.
On top of that the reputation of foreigners skipping town without paying their bills precedes them.

My guess is that no one will touch it.
What happens after that is anyone's guess.

On top of that they will have to deal with the bureaucrats at the Japanese Coast Guard.
Chichester wrote about that when he crashed his Gypsy Moth on Kyushu in the 30's.
The Japanese were convinced that he was a spy.

In 1931, having fitted a biplane with floats, he made the first east–west flight across the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia. A plan to circumnavigate the globe by air ended in a crash in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, in which he was badly injured.


The saying amongst Japanese sailors is , No matter what happens don't call the Coast Guard.
My berth neighbor was entering a port when his engine failed . He called the Coast Guard and was towed 5oo metres.
He spent the next 5 days writing reports and answering (the same) questions again and again.

The crew of La Vagabonde are not posting because they are virtually under arrest!!

gary

Thanks again for the update. Very sad about their situation. I will certainly modify my somewhat cold hearted interest in only the boats future to a more humane reaiisation that the human toll is much more significant. I really wish them well and I hope the cruising community will step up to the plate. That includes me and anything I can do to help them although it seems out of the hands of ordinary folk. This could be an Embassy and Consulate activity. Fingers crossed.

 

[Putchuco]

RE; I have noticed that many YouTubers keep AIS switched off
RE famous Utubers switch AIS off to avoid persistant

I live in and sail in Japan. and would like to clear one thing up.
No small Japanese fishing vessel has an AIS transceiver, Nor an EPIRB, Nor a VHF radio.

Because of the beam of La Vagabonde they are unable to enter almost all of the smaller fishing ports. Therefore they anchored outside.
No Japanese vessel would anchor outside a port. The 70 year old skipper of the fishing vessel that smacked them has probably entered this port many many times and in 50 years never come across a vessel at anchor.
La Vagabonde's anchor light would have been just background noise.

Why no VHF, EPIRB or AIS?
In the 40's japan was at war, The military government controlled the issuance of radio licenses and frequencies to prevent spying.
This total control exists today. A VHF operators license will cost you $1200 US and need to be renewed every few years.
You will need to know Semaphore to get that license!!!! And that is also for small low wattage hand held units.
A $250 (AIS applicable) VHF radio will cost you $ 2000 dollars.
Nobody has an EPIRB because of the registration regulations for them.


I sail with none of these modern systems. As does every other sailor and fisher around me.

gary

Sadly, this might add another reason why not more sailors explore Japan.
I wouldn‘t be able to go to sleep now when at anchor fearing all the boats that literally cannot see mine

I really hope that this gets resolved somewhat quickly for the Vagabonde family, they are such lovely people with an amazing story.

 

[garymalmgren]

If you sail off the beaten track you have to expect that things are different.
In Japan you can tie up at almost any fishing port (as long as it is NOT PEAK fishing season) for free.
As mentioned La Vagabonde is too big to do this.

Because of the (volcanic) geography it is rare to anchor in other than the southern tropical islands.
What do you get in a small fishing port?
Usually a very honest warm Japanese style welcome.
That is what makes all the hassle worth while.

 

[garymalmgren]

The latest report via AIS is that they traveled about 150 miles back into the inland sea to Hiroshima.
34°20'40.1"N 132°26'53.5"E

I imagine now they will be dealing with surveyors, assessors, repair yards, Coast Guard and insurance companies in the MOST bureaucratic country in the world.
Along with the fact that none of these entities have English speaking staff.
A nightmare.

gary

 

[RivalRedwing]

There is an update on YouTube, posted 19 hours ago

 

[Beneteau381]

I have noticed that many YouTubers keep AIS switched off so that they can “monetise” live tracking to “patrons”. I wonder if that is the case here. It may not have made a difference in this case but it might.

I am pretty sure that if you have it fitted you have a duty to use it. If you remember about twenty years ago a boat and ship collided mid-channel in fog and the yacht had radar fitted but it was switched off. The enquiry found against the yacht and. Ade it clear that if it is fitted you must use it, I am sure the same would apply to boats with AIS transmitter fitted.

I was in Gib, La Linea actually, I knew La Vaga was in one of the Spanish enclaves and was leaving one morning. I found their AIS and it was live as they left port. I called them on 16. No answer and the AIS disappeared!

 

[BurnitBlue]

I was in Gib, La Linea actually, I knew La Vaga was in one of the Spanish enclaves and was leaving one morning. I found their AIS and it was live as they left port. I called them on 16. No answer and the AIS disappeared!

I dont't know if AIS has any significance to the collision on la Vagabond but to continue the AIS part of the thread. I kow some sailors sailing round Greece where territirial waters are a bit "thin" then AIS is switched off. There has been one report (uncomfirmed) that if coastguard see a yacht straying outside Greek waters during a sail they have to re-enter and get a travel log at the immigration dock. This is a hassle to be avoided.

 

[BurnitBlue]

I dont't know if AIS has any significance to the collision on la Vagabond but to continue the AIS part of the thread. I know some sailors sailing round Greece where territirial waters are a bit "thin" then AIS is switched off. There has been one report (uncomfirmed) that if coastguard see a yacht straying outside Greek waters during a sail they have to re-enter and get a travel log at the immigration dock. This is a hassle to be avoided.