Lost at Sea for 66 days

[Sinnot]

Anyone know anymore details on this http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slat...t_at_sea_66_days_saved_by_passing_tanker.html

The Coast Guard says when the tanker discovered the lost sailor, the boat was overturned, and he was sitting on the hull. Jordan was last seen in South Carolina, on Jan. 23rd, just under a week before he was called in missing, where he had told a local harbor operator he was going out fishing. He was able to survive adrift in the Atlantic Ocean by drinking rainwater and eating raw fish, according to the Coast Guard. It is not yet known why the boat capsized.

Seems fairly amazing.

 

[Seajet]

Seems rather dubious to me; ' going out fishing ' in a 35' sailing boat, then sitting on her upturned hull, and how did he get the raw fish from that positon ?

Either a lot more to this or BS.

 

[skipmac]

Here's a bit more discussion on the guy. Seems he was a member and posted a few questions on this forum.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ter-being-lost-at-sea-for-66-days-143929.html

 

[Tintin]

Here's a bit more discussion on the guy. Seems he was a member and posted a few questions on this forum.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ter-being-lost-at-sea-for-66-days-143929.html

It seems like he was a complete numpty.

No sailing ability.

A boat that was not fit (and advised as such by the previous owner) to go off shore.

It's cases like this that make mandatory licensing ever closer.

 

[OceanSprint]

Here's a bit more discussion on the guy. Seems he was a member and posted a few questions on this forum.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ter-being-lost-at-sea-for-66-days-143929.html

He looks remarkably healthy and un-sunburnt.

Glad YBW doesnt have all the adverts that the cruiser forum has.

 

[pyrojames]

It seems like he was a complete numpty.

No sailing ability.

A boat that was not fit (and advised as such by the previous owner) to go off shore.

It's cases like this that make mandatory licensing ever closer.

Don't know where you get that from. Ad is here

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/32443
Looks fine to me.

 

[DownWest]

Don't know where you get that from. Ad is here

http://www.sailboatlistings.com/view/32443
Looks fine to me.

James, did you read the link? Previous owner told him it was unseaworthy in current condition.

 

[pyrojames]

The ad is quite clear " ready to sail away today" etc. the quotes on the CF looks like American backside covering from the previous owner.

The quotes from CF from the guy who was rescued are more telling. Obviously no idea how to sail. It looks like he probably got rolled and didn't know how to deal with it, rather than there being any issue with the boat, IMHO.

 

[Cheery]

The thread on CF has the previous owner stating that unless lots of work is undertaken on the boat, it was unsafe to take beyond the breakwater.

Pretty conclusive that.

 

[jerrytug]

Some familiar-sounding posts on the CF..

"it wouldn't have happened if he'd had paper charts.."

"ah but what type of anchor was he carrying?"

 

[pyrojames]

Some familiar-sounding posts on the CF..

"it wouldn't have happened if he'd had paper charts.."

"ah but what type of anchor was he carrying?"

My thoughts exactly!

 

[OceanSprint]

The ad is quite clear " ready to sail away today" etc. the quotes on the CF looks like American backside covering from the previous owner.

The quotes from CF from the guy who was rescued are more telling. Obviously no idea how to sail. It looks like he probably got rolled and didn't know how to deal with it, rather than there being any issue with the boat, IMHO.

That makes more sense, ie the boat rolled and then he spent 66 days in a boat with a sapped mast.

Explains his looks and condition.

Bbc website says he spent 66 days on an upturned hull, after which i would of thought he would look near destroyed.

Same article says mast was snapped, which implies boat was upright so snapped mast could be seen.

 

[pyrojames]

The thread on CF has the previous owner stating that unless lots of work is undertaken on the boat, it was unsafe to take beyond the breakwater.

Pretty conclusive that.

The problem is that the add was posted on October 2012, so presumably from the same guy who is also stating it was unfit, and who's advice to the new guy, was that he needed to add a third reef. Hardly the advice you'd give if the boat was structural unsound!

 

[alant]

Seems rather dubious to me; ' going out fishing ' in a 35' sailing boat, then sitting on her upturned hull, and how did he get the raw fish from that positon ?

Either a lot more to this or BS.

Totally agree.
He walked off the helo without help & full body mass.
I sailed from Cape Town to UK, eating regularly, few land stops en route & when arrived in Plymouth, could not walk properly (wife didn't recognise me, because of weight loss) that was about 45 days.
66 days on an upturned yacht, eating fish + rainwater? Suggests to me, that it was moored alongside a sushi bar next to McDonalds.

 

[dylanwinter]

found this post from the yachtsman in question

"What's the best way to arrange the sails?
Sometimes I had to put a lot of pressure on the rudder to keep the boat from drifting towards shore.

Sometimes I had the jib set so that it would stop the boat from putting too turning too hard towards either shore! That was golden.

Sometimes when I adjusted the jib, the boat wanted to turn more towards starboard, or port.

I'm still not sure how to detect exactly when an accidental jybe is going to take place. Those things are freaking scary! esp. w/ a wooden boom.

Sometimes, the only way I can go forward is w/ the engine, & then both sails are flapping wildly, but being single-handed, sometimes I just have to let them flap.

I still get turned around into a 360 sometimes too.

Learning to sail is fun, but, I got a lot to learn. "

 

[Cheery]

I read that too Dylan, coupled with people's comments regarding his condition after 66 days at sea and something is fishy here. Geddit!

 

[Seajet]

Suggests to me, that it was moored alongside a sushi bar next to McDonalds.

 

[lpdsn]

Should've put the advert into a translation program. Broker-ese => English.

"This is a very well equiped boat ready to sail away today. While she needs some cosmetic touchups, she is a very sound boat."

=>

"Unless he had recently done a complete keel to masthead and stem to stern refit, Angel was in very poor condition. She had soft decks, numerous leaks, her rig was loose (you could not get the stays to tighten) and even had possible hull delamination."

 

[bbg]

I suspect the reports are inaccurate, as often happens with news reports. Some reports say mast had snapped. I can imagine the boat being rolled (capsized) then returned upright. Somehow that has been reported as capsized and remained inverted.

I also cannot imagine him being in good shape after 66 days on a capsized hull.

 

[dom]

Seems rather dubious to me; ' going out fishing ' in a 35' sailing boat, then sitting on her upturned hull, and how did he get the raw fish from that positon ?

Either a lot more to this or BS.

I haven't seen the shots of the boat out of the water/upside down. But from what I can see it optically looks like a boat odds on to have a high AVS Some people are mentioning that he didn't know hoe to right it; how would that work?