Iolaire lost off Ibiza

[GHA]

That's sad, such an iconic boat from yesteryear.

http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2019/08/...HTmI2jHzjLZ56Tog8nS8ieDzKgelAjjcltn_OW4H1aUsM
http://classicsailboats.org/iolaire-lost-off-the-north-east-coast-of-ibeza/

 

[westhinder]

Very sad indeed. Any chance of salvage and repair?

 

[BigJoe]

We herd this in channel 16 yesterday, from Mallorca, so sad, 2 metre sea running and 15 to 20 knots of wind

 

[mainsail1]

Bizarre circumstances. One can only wonder.........

 

[BigJoe]

Taken from, classicsailboats . org

Iolaire was lost on the NE coast of Ibiza because of bad seamanship, running downwind in heavy weather, close to shore, no main boom preventer rigged, inadvertent jibe, she drove ashore sank, crew ashore in life raft. Thus ended Iolaire’s 114 years of taking care of crew thru thick and thin.

Very strange...........................................

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Son sailed with him for the best part of a season on Iolaire. It was toward the end of his stewardship of the boat.

 

[Kukri]

When did this happen? The linked reports say “late July”.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

When did this happen? The linked reports say “late July”.

 

[Kukri]

So, Don Street sold her a few months ago (?) and she was lost on July 26th at 0200 and this “hit the press” on the 15th of August when Don wrote about it.

R.I.P.

A footnote to the boat’s long life history; when she was owned by Robert Somerset and still gaff rigged H.W.. Tilman crewed for Somerset on board her on two occasions “in order to learn from one whom I will always regard as the Master” before buying “Mischief from Ernle Bradford. Humphrey Barton was the broker in the sale of “Mischief.

 

[Motor_Sailor]

So, Don Street sold her a few months ago, . . .

I'm sure Don sold her ten years ago.

 

[Kukri]

I'm sure Don sold her ten years ago.

That is certainly what I thought, too. I am trying to make sense of the reports on the Internet.

It's a rather odd story.

 

[Old Bumbulum]

I don't see anything odd about it.
The situation is clearly described, an uncontrolled gybe and the ensuing broach caused her to strike rocks.

The author of the report was scathing about the seamanship involved, as well he might if such a boat was running dead downwind with no preventer and so close to rocks that a broach would carry her onto them. A Stettino under sail perhaps?

 

[Kukri]

I find it odd that a boat was running that close to a hazard at night in heavy weather, preventer or no preventer, and in my experience, which I dare say is everyone's experience, a boat running will usually edge to windward of her course because of the helmsman's fear of a gybe.

 

[LittleSister]

if such a boat was running dead downwind with no preventer and so close to rocks that a broach would carry her onto them.

Alternatively, it may not have been so close to the rocks, but the damage from the accident gybe was sufficient to disable her, and it may have been some time between the gybe and the grounding (particularly if she still had no engine).

 

[Kukri]

Alternatively, it may not have been so close to the rocks, but the damage from the accident gybe was sufficient to disable her, and it may have been some time between the gybe and the grounding (particularly if she still had no engine).

Possible but she seems to have had an engine two years ago:

https://rnli.org/news-and-media/201...acht-rescued-off-the-needles-by-yarmouth-rnli

 

[Old Bumbulum]

Agreed the timescale between gybe and collision isn't known but dreadful seamanship it must be.

What really is curious though is how this occurred given the weather... Here's Ventusky's 0100 snapshot that night - the sinking is reported to have occurred at 0200. The next frame is 0400 and shows wind had decreased to F1.

How the heck did anyone manage an uncontrolled gybe with that result in such calm conditions?
View attachment 79834

Wave height .3m from SE

 

[sailaboutvic]

The weather in the Med isn't always as forecaster ,
we have a forecaster on no more then a F 2/3 to day , it's been blowing 25kts all day since 10.00
So I wouldn't believe what you read .

 

[Kukri]

The weather in the Med isn't always as forecaster ,
we have a forecaster on no more then a F 2/3 to day , it's been blowing 25kts all day since 10.00
So I wouldn't believe what you read .

Good point. They may have been expecting a gentle sail in light airs and not bothered with the preventer, then perhaps it blew up unexpectedly.

 

[Ohlin Karcher]

A sad and avoidable loss then, with a couple of lessons..in my opinion of course..

1) Don't hug the rocks, give yourself plenty of room in case of the unexpected.
(I saw someone learn that lesson,expensively, a few weeks ago.)

2) If Don Street, no less, considered that a boat needs special attention to gybe risks, and went to the trouble of devising and rigging.. and publishing!..a custom preventer system, then maybe use that system or don't sail so deep.

There was a piece (in YM I think), a few yrs ago when someone sailed with DS in Iolaire, and I remember there was a heavy impact with a dock wall..at a guess, London docks, and a regular stalwart reporter such as Dick Durham?
I'm sure it must have been a memorable article for me to remember it.
(Might have been in Classic Boat mag actually.)

 

[r_h]

There was a piece (in YM I think), a few yrs ago when someone sailed with DS in Iolaire, and I remember there was a heavy impact with a dock wall..at a guess, London docks, and a regular stalwart reporter such as Dick Durham?
I'm sure it must have been a memorable article for me to remember it.
(Might have been in Classic Boat mag actually.)

I believe the journo on board was James Jermain from YM. Sometime around 1996-98.