Missing yacht reward offered

Malo37 said:
The fact that they are offering a large reward would seem to confirm that had no insurance.
The whole incident raises the question of suitability of a lightweight modern yacht for ocean crossing.
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I have sailed across with only third party insurance. Difficult to get full insurance shorthanded. I was singlehanded.

Many years ago on a crewed boat we lost the rudder on a ferro boat, I doubt it was a light weight racer. It could happen to anyone.

Rudder delaminated over a few hours in a gale. It was possible by changing headsails and reefing eth main to balance the boat and maintain a course. Not where we planned to go, but we could proceed. Over a few days we built a rudder on the spinnipole. Slung it over the back, added ropes to control it in rough seas and sailed to the Cape Verde Islands. Fitted a new rudder there but could not lift the boat so fitted this from below under water!! It did another 800 Miles till we lost the bottom bearing which had not been tightened enough using only a snorkel. A bit later the shaft 2.5" stainless broke. Again we sailed a course towards South America as best we could make. This is why the log says "passage towards" any town would do. With time on our hands, on a calm day which so happen if you wait , a crew member went over the side and we completed a controlled lowering of the remaining bit if shaft and fitted a 3/4 size rudder with bunk boards. This allowed us to make a selected port. Making a course sailing is comfortable , taking the sails down is not.

We did this because we had planned what to do and had all the bits. We were 6 blokes. Were patient lying a hull when necessary in bad weather. Even pan pan messages on SW 2182 did not get a response. We were on our own and had to be self sufficient enough to make VHF calling distance of land, it would have been a month before we were late anywhere.

We could balance the boat with sails and accepted we could make a port but it could be a long time if the weather was against us, and the port of arrival would change according to the weather. We had little option unless another vessel passed and contacted. We planned what to do and had agreed to eat the first person to die if we run out of food. The boat would not sink we just had to survive and make passage towards civilization

Different with small kids on board and easy contact with the outside world.
 
In their blog they do say that they were particularly annoyed because 3 people had inspected the rudder and said it was ok. My impression was that there may have been earlier damage to the rudder hence all the inspecting.
 
The mobile app, which has recently changed , now deletes messages when I try to edit spelling and I can't be rs'ed to rewrite them. Lesson learned and no more editing attempts.

Edit: This message has not been edited
 
BTW, the latest deleted post was querying how Malo rudder blades differed in construction (I know the rudders are skeg hung) from "lightweight" designs. I thought all rudders were essentially a metal frame in a GRP shell.
Judge for yourself if this is an inaccurate or unhelpful post.
 
Quiddle said:
The mobile app, which has recently changed , now deletes messages when I try to edit spelling and I can't be rs'ed to rewrite them. Lesson learned and no more editing attempts.

Edit: This message has not been edited
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And the daft thing is that many of us have complained about this over the last year or so ..... but YBW seem to be unable or unwilling to do anything about it. :(

Richard
 
Quiddle said:
BTW, the latest deleted post was querying how Malo rudder blades differed in construction (I know the rudders are skeg hung) from "lightweight" designs. I thought all rudders were essentially a metal frame in a GRP shell.
Judge for yourself if this is an inaccurate or unhelpful post.
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I'm not sure that Malo yachts differ greatly from "lightweight" designs. If you look at hull weights (ie displacement minus ballast) the 11.55m Malo 37 is 5400kg, the slightly shorter Hanse 385 is also 5400kg. So is the Malo a "lightweight" design?
 
Quiddle said:
BTW, the latest deleted post was querying how Malo rudder blades differed in construction (I know the rudders are skeg hung) from "lightweight" designs. I thought all rudders were essentially a metal frame in a GRP shell.
Judge for yourself if this is an inaccurate or unhelpful post.
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You are right. The basic design is the same. It is the detail and particularly the quality of construction that is the problem. As you see from my earlier post, rudder failure is not confined to boats at the lower end of the cost spectrum.

There is an argument that says skeg supported rudders are more robust, but are still subject to splits and water getting in that might lead to delamination or corrosion of the reinforcing web.

Most builders (including Malo and HR) are gradually moving towards unsupported spade rudders such as those used by the mass producers for the last 25 years or so.
 
Wow

I have just read the account of the rescue at https://westerlyadventures.wordpress.com

They certainly tried to rig all sorts of jury rudders and the story at the end of the mainsheet breaking and wrapping around the prop is heartbreaking.

Having cruised with two kids, I really feel for them.

They have a go fund me page at https://www.gofundme.com/coombes-family-rescued-at-sea

As a sailor who lost a boat in a Hurricane I know how they feel and have donated.

Let's hope their boat is recovered.
 
nzrick said:
Further info re this sad tale.

https://youtu.be/e8bfj2Mx65k
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Very interesting video .... many thanks for posting.

One thing confuses me from the video ...... the family were set adrift in the liferaft and picked up by Tilly Mint once they had been released. However, when the Skipper of Dove decides to abandon the boat he seems to be using the liftraft again to make the transfer. How did he get the liferaft back after the first transfer? Would a 50ft yacht carry two liferafts?

Richard
 
Wondered the same thing. It looks like the same life raft so maybe they transferred it back to the husband. Towed it close and threw a line across? or towed it in front and let it drift down on a long line with a fender on the end.

These things always raise so many questions. I wondered why they didn't take it under tow. I think they were 3 days out?
 
nzrick said:
Wondered the same thing. It looks like the same life raft so maybe they transferred it back to the husband. Towed it close and threw a line across? or towed it in front and let it drift down on a long line with a fender on the end.

These things always raise so many questions. I wondered why they didn't take it under tow. I think they were 3 days out?
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I guess by "it" you mean the abandoned boat. The answer will be that they would not be able to sail with a 50 foot boat in tow so would have to use the engine for 3 days. The motor would use a huge amount of fuel and the pace would be very slow towing a large rudderless boat, and that's assuming that the condition were calm enough to even make it viable. I don't think that Tilly Mint would be carrying that much fuel.

Richard
 
RichardS said:
I guess by "it" you mean the abandoned boat. The answer will be that they would not be able to sail with a 50 foot boat in tow so would have to use the engine for 3 days. The motor would use a huge amount of fuel and the pace would be very slow towing a large rudderless boat, and that's assuming that the condition were calm enough to even make it viable. I don't think that Tilly Mint would be carrying that much fuel.



Richard
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The reported sea conditions were 4 to 6m swell - if true, that would be untenable for towing by another yacht.
 
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