Missing yachtswoman in South west.

[fisherman]

Thanks.
I've just Googled Sennen - a desparate last chance, if thta was her aim.
I suppose in an emergency a 31ft boat could be laid-up against the harbour wall, but getting in? (especially at a low tide), well a no-no.

Yes, just look at the googlemap, and flick through the streetview images.

 

[bitbaltic]

My immediate thoughts when hearing the local news yesterday at 05-30, and the coastguard reports saying how she hadn't had much recent sailing experience, and had only just bought the boat a few days ago, and was sailing solo to Bideford, were that it was an ambitious solo voyage in a vessel in which she'd had no experience, and one that at the age of 65 I'd not want to make alone in the circumstances.

I doubt whether tiredness was a factor, it has been reported that she set off at around 18-00 on Saturday from Mousehole and the wreckage was found at Sennen which is a little over 12nm away. Assuming a cruising speed of say as little as 4kts she'd have reached Sennen area by about 21-00, so I really don't see how she would have been overly fatigued by then.

The inshore waters forecast for 06-00 on Sunday was North 3 or less, backing west 4 or 5 and the seastate slight or moderate, occasionally rough in far west. So I imagine there was a fair swell running, as there usually is down there, which could easily break up a boat if it was on the rocks. The chances of a gas explosion are pretty minimal, I can't recall a boat blowing up when at sea. Not impossible but unlikely. And being run down, and then for the wreckage to drift into Sennen, she'd have to have gone a reasonable way off to be in the shipping lanes, again not impossible but unlikely. However there are lots of offshore dangers around Lands End which she might have come to grief on, all near Sennen.

Of course, all assumptions which could be very wrong. The fact of the matter is that we will probably never know exactly what happened. A very sad loss.

+1 finally a sensible summary

So far the only pics of wreckage I've seen show some bits of nondescript fibreglass- some that look like cross members from beneath the cabin floor and some bits that look like panels perhaps from interior mouldings or the coachroof, together with some of the interior fittings (table, cushions). Although a Moody owner would be better placed to comment, none of them look like an chunk of heavy hull layup. I don't see why they're being interpreted as evidence of being run down or an explosion, it looks just like what I'd expect from breaking up on rocks.

I think it's an example of a self-confident lady, with past sailing experience which was clearly in some parts rusty in the Brokers' opinion, under-estimating the degree of preparedness required of both herself and the boat (the boat had no nav or safety equipment in its inventory worth mentioning, and she has been reported as setting out without foulies, which makes it unlikely IMHO that she specced up anything else before going). Setting out in this way, into dangerous waters with which she was not familiar, it's easy enough to see how things might have ended up this way without invoking collisions or explosions or MOB or other deus ex machina. It's a tragedy, but a preventable one.

 

[maby]

Thanks.
I've just Googled Sennen - a desparate last chance, if thta was her aim.
I suppose in an emergency a 31ft boat could be laid-up against the harbour wall, but getting in? (especially at a low tide), well a no-no.

Not necessarily so desparate - it is the lifeboat station. Reports are that her radio was unreliable. Under those circumstances, intentionally grounding on a sandy beach overlooked by the lifeboat might seem an attractive way out of danger. Fire off a flare or two and hope to be seen?

 

[fisherman]

News quote:

Jayne Hobkirk, from Falmouth Yacht Brokers, said: "She said she had a captain's ticket, but it sounded like she hadn't done any sailing for many years.

"I told her to get a refresher course, but that would normally take some days."

Mr Unwin described his wife as "very, very independent" and "headstrong".

Before the search was called off, he told the BBC: "She knows what she's doing and at the moment she's probably moored up somewhere.

 

[jimi]

It was a very short way into the proposed voyage and I suspect that had she wanted shelter, she would have tyrned round and gone back. I can see a couple of likely scenarios. 1) Navigational error leading to grounding or damage. If damage she may have tried to run ashore at Sennen and got caught on the reef.
2) Fallen overboard, maybe with dying wind she had tried to shake out a reef and slipped?

All speculation and I suspect we could add our own pet theories. However it is a tragic occurrence and reminds us all of the potential dangersof our chosen hobby. I must admit that I admire this lady's pluck in attempting this.

 

[Robert Wilson]

Not necessarily so desparate - it is the lifeboat station. Reports are that her radio was unreliable. Under those circumstances, intentionally grounding on a sandy beach overlooked by the lifeboat might seem an attractive way out of danger. Fire off a flare or two and hope to be seen?

If that was the case, what a desparate and possibly terrified state the poor woman must have been in.
If she did run herself aground, somewhere nearby, then hopefully at least she'll be found.
Alive? Doubtful by now

 

[starboard]

South West news last night reported she learnt to sail in the Navy!!

Whatever happened another sad day in the sailing community. "For those in peril on the sea"

 

[ukmctc]

+1

The woman may be a very competent sailor who simply hasn't sailed for a while before she set out, hence the refresher course advise. That doesn't mean she is now incompetent.

I wouldn't want to make any judgement on her decision to sail based on the information so far.

+1

yep. hope she's still ok.

 

[maby]

really, and I thought that what these services were for, not just all the experts who get into trouble.

Launching lifeboats and helicopters is not without risk in its own right. If, as has been widely reported, she was short of recent experience, sailing an untried boat single handed, apparently short of safety equipment, attempting a long passage which would involve night sailing single handed and against advice, I would regard that as irresponsible. The RNLI is a volunteer service that accepts great risks to save people in trouble - we should not abuse their dedication by being stupid with our safety.

That coast is short on bolt-holes and it would have been optimistic to complete the passage in less than 20 hours. She's 65 years old - that would be testing on an experienced sailor half her age. Of course people sail round the world single handed, but sleeping on a 31 footer on a tiller pilot with no linked chart plotter a few miles off a rocky shore is not the greatest idea in the world.

 

[maby]

South West news last night reported she learnt to sail in the Navy!!

Whatever happened another sad day in the sailing community. "For those in peril on the sea"

I wonder what the definition of "sail" is in that context? I can imagine plenty of naval captains capable of helming a destroyer through Portsmouth harbour who would be dangerous taking a Moody round Lands End - there's a world of difference between handling a large, well equipped vessel and a tiny yacht under sail.

 

[fergie_mac66]

Bideford

I wonder where the intended mooring for a fin keel was. I guess up against the quay?Doesnt it all dry , Instow, Appledore, Bideford Barnstable . Putting a Moody up against a drying Quay would require reasonable experience, implies a good knowledge of boat handling.

 

[sailorman]

I wonder what the definition of "sail" is in that context? I can imagine plenty of naval captains capable of helming a destroyer through Portsmouth harbour who would be dangerous taking a Moody round Lands End - there's a world of difference between handling a large, well equipped vessel and a tiny yacht under sail.

A Captain on the Grey Funnel Line would "Con" the ship, not actually steer her

 

[bitbaltic]

I wonder where the intended mooring for a fin keel was. I guess up against the quay?Doesnt it all dry , Instow, Appledore, Bideford Barnstable .

Yes I was wondering that. But I'm not familiar with that part of the world.

Putting a Moody up against a drying Quay would require reasonable experience, implies a good knowledge of boat handling.

Or the selection of an unsuitable boat?

 

[lustyd]

point A..... Proprietor Jerry Hobkirk said: "The weather was treacherous this weekend, even for some of the more experienced sailors.
"I was amazed when I found out that she had set sail. If I had known, we would have stopped her.
"There were strong winds and rough seas on a piece of coast that has very few escape routes. If you get into difficulties there aren't very many ports to play your 'get out of jail' card with."

point B .....she was reportedly rusty on her experience.
point C......the light was fading into darkness.
point D......those waters are not a walk in the park
point E......she was not familiar with how that type of boat handled

On that basis ,id say that is a recipe for disaster,whichever way you look at it ,and it is highly likely those elements contributed to the accident

Who knows she might just have got very unlucky,or something completely unforeseen befell that lady on that day.
But you are correct i can only surmise ........

I don't think much of this is fact, it's just words in a news story. Given the circumstances I think we all should assume that she knew what she was doing, planned appropriately, and something happenned which could happen to any of us. Remember, none of you knew her or the boat AT ALL and neither did the "reporters" or the broker, or even the fisherman commenting that he advised her not to go. Given the weather forecast I suspect most of us would have gone, and looking at the boat there is no reason to suspect it was unsound. Even with dirty tanks it should still have sailed well enough.

 

[lustyd]

Yes I was wondering that. But I'm not familiar with that part of the world.

Then don't comment!

Or the selection of an unsuitable boat?

Or perhaps she knew of a nice deep water mooring and selected a perfectly appropriate boat. Speculation will achieve nothing.

 

[lustyd]

I wonder what the definition of "sail" is in that context?

I'd imagine the definition is to put sails up and move about in a sail boat. The navy has several fleets of sail boats which their staff are encouraged to use, they don't just own frigates you know!

 

[Niander]

She was a very foolish woman who didn't know or respect the sea
she probably went overboard
i have a waterproof vhf for such an eventuality[at least then you have a last chance]
she wont of had
The sea doesn't suffer inexperienced fools but kills them.

 

[lustyd]

She was a very foolish woman who didn't know or respect the sea
she probably went overboard
i have a waterproof vhf for such an eventuality[at least then you have a last chance]
she wont of had
The sea doesn't suffer inexperienced fools but kills them.

You'd better hope you never get in trouble because we can quote you as saying you're fully prepared now!

ETA: I assume you've tested your waterproof radio to a couple of meters depth, always carry it, and somehow have a method of boosting the signal to get more than 20 yards range when holding it 10cm above the surface of the sea?

 

[snowleopard]

So we have a range of possible events that could cause catastrophic damage of the type indicated by the wreckage found: Being pounded on rocks by the swell, Being run down by a ship - and probably hit by its prop as well to smash it that much or a gas explosion. The causes of any of those events are too numerous to speculate on.

I have to say though that, subject to a thorough check of the boat, I would have done that passage on that forecast.

 

[Sandyman]

I have been following this story quite closely because somewhere in the past I believe I
have made this ladies acquaintance. Probably in the RN. If she 'sailed' in the Navy then its quite likely.

One thing I will say about the comments on here is that I do wish people would read the whole thread before making postings. Speculation is just stupid and serves no purpose whatsoever.

South West news last night reported she learnt to sail in the Navy!!

Why the exclamation marks ? For info in case you are not aware, the Navy has its own sail training yachts based at JSSC ( or whatever its called now) in Gosport.
Its where I learned to sail and got hooked, back in the early 70's. In those days the Navy had its own form of qualifications where you ended up with a ''ticket'' as it was known.
Hence she said she had a ''captains ticket. I suspect her head-strong attitude and over self confidence in her abilities caused her downfall. But that would just be speculating.