Missing yachtswoman in South west.

I definitely wouldn't leave on the day of purchase. When we bought our boat we practised reefing a few times, including at night; motored around for two hours to check the engine then serviced it. Then we tested all the boat's equipment from VHF radio, to water pump to anchor winch, to sheet/halyard winches, to nav lights etc. Then we worked out the tools needed to fix things and bought the service packs. Then we filled the diesel tank. It took many days and I've probably forgotten some other things.
 
SlimRick said:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-19944635

:(
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Terrible - especially as I too sail a Moody 31, and that could be my own boat.

Just a thought, though. For several years I sailed Capricious single-handed, and from experience I can say that in breezy conditions she can be quite hard work on the helm. On one of my early sails, I under-estimated the wind when sailing off the wind, and then found it was VERY hard work when I turned round and was sailing close-hauled. I only had to do about 20 miles and was VERY glad to get back to the marina; a long passage like hers single-handed would be an endurance test. The tiller soon becomes too stiff under sail for a tiller-pilot to work reliably, and of course, flattens the batteries quickly. The solution is to reef early, but reefing single-handed on Capricious is a bit tricky; you need to be in two places at once; at the halliard (in thc cockpit), and at the mast to handle the reefing lines. It is do-able with practise - but she had no time for practise. Also, you need to be head to wind - did she have an auto-pilot, and was the engine reliable?

I just wonder if she simply became exhausted, and that led to the tragedy?
 
AntarcticPilot said:
Terrible - especially as I too sail a Moody 31, and that could be my own boat.

Just a thought, though. For several years I sailed Capricious single-handed, and from experience I can say that in breezy conditions she can be quite hard work on the helm. On one of my early sails, I under-estimated the wind when sailing off the wind, and then found it was VERY hard work when I turned round and was sailing close-hauled. I only had to do about 20 miles and was VERY glad to get back to the marina; a long passage like hers single-handed would be an endurance test. The tiller soon becomes too stiff under sail for a tiller-pilot to work reliably, and of course, flattens the batteries quickly. The solution is to reef early, but reefing single-handed on Capricious is a bit tricky; you need to be in two places at once; at the halliard (in thc cockpit), and at the mast to handle the reefing lines. It is do-able with practise - but she had no time for practise. Also, you need to be head to wind - did she have an auto-pilot, and was the engine reliable?

I just wonder if she simply became exhausted, and that led to the tragedy?
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She seems to have been intending to do over a hundred miles single handed - and she is no youngster - enough to exhaust anyone. The inventory of the boat includes an autopilot, but no plotter - and it seems unlikely that they had time to fit one and get in integrated with the AP - an autopilot like that gives you some scope for trimming sails or fixing something to eat, but not to go to sleep!

That said, if the wreckage spotted is hers, it seems likely that she only managed a few tens of miles.
 
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AntarcticPilot said:
reefing single-handed on Capricious is a bit tricky; you need to be in two places at once; at the halliard (in thc cockpit), and at the mast to handle the reefing lines.
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I've always maintained that that arrangement is poor rigging. Either have everything at the mast, or everything in the cockpit.

Pete
 
It could have been a hundred & one different things, she may have just slipped & gone over the side or been injured & unable to call for help. Pot ropes has already been suggested, but with an unfamiliar boat it could even be as simple as accidentally turning the fuel off, or not opening an engine sea cock.

The boat has apparently not been used much for a while, perhaps it was sediment or bugs in the fuel tank, stirred up by going out into what were probably quite disturbed seas - regardless of the calm weather.

That is why she was advise not to do the passage solo. Sensible advice, it's a pity she didn't take it. Many people will be regretting that decision for a long time to come. Very sad, & a salutory lesson on the potential consequences of over confidence.
 
KevB said:
If he phone was turned on and in range they would know where she was within a few hundred meters at most.
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You don't have to go far from shore to be out of range and the rhumb line from Cape Cornwall to Hartland point goes quite a way from shore.
 
snowleopard said:
You don't have to go far from shore to be out of range and the rhumb line from Cape Cornwall to Hartland point goes quite a way from shore.
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Cellphones have a range of a good twenty miles - more over open water. Digging in memory, I think the maximum possible range is about 35 miles - but that is down to path delays screwing up the synchronisation of the TDM. It is not at all uncommon for a UK cellphone to lock onto the UK network while in Calais.
 
lenseman said:
a full EIGHT out of the west and rough !

It is also reported she had no foul weather gear. :(
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Hard to imagine anyone under any circumstance deciding to go round Lizard and Lands End in a yacht voluntarily in those weather conditions.

Entirely puzzling decision to sail, whatever the outcome.
 
maby said:
Cellphones have a range of a good twenty miles - more over open water. Digging in memory, I think the maximum possible range is about 35 miles - but that is down to path delays screwing up the synchronisation of the TDM. It is not at all uncommon for a UK cellphone to lock onto the UK network while in Calais.
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cell phone antenna on South Foreland will be high for greater range.
you will be able to receive but tx needs more power
on the East Coast we are lucky to get 10mls range on tx
 
Garold said:
Hard to imagine anyone under any circumstance deciding to go round Lizard and Lands End in a yacht voluntarily in those weather conditions.

Entirely puzzling decision to sail, whatever the outcome.
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Indeed - the sort of conditions that would test anyone, let alone a 65 year old woman on her own in a relatively small boat with which she had little experience.
 
sailorman said:
cell phone antenna on South Foreland will be high for greater range.
you will be able to receive but tx needs more power
on the East Coast we are lucky to get 10mls range on tx
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The quoted range for a GSM900 cell is about 25km, but over open water you can often get a lock over a larger range. Admittedly, coverage may well be poor along the coast - it tends to be sparsely populated and the cellphone companies are probably going to put their masts inland a fair bit - no point in wasting money providing excellent coverage way out to sea.
 
maby said:
Cellphones have a range of a good twenty miles - more over open water. Digging in memory, I think the maximum possible range is about 35 miles - but that is down to path delays screwing up the synchronisation of the TDM. It is not at all uncommon for a UK cellphone to lock onto the UK network while in Calais.
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Masts are normally located to cover the maximum area of land which means you don't normally find them along a largely deserted shore. Even on the South coast of Cornwall I get a poor signal from as little as 5 miles off.
 
snowleopard said:
Masts are normally located to cover the maximum area of land which means you don't normally find them along a largely deserted shore. Even on the South coast of Cornwall I get a poor signal from as little as 5 miles off.
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Even 50 yards off I can't get a signal in Fowey!
 
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