Missing yachtswoman in South west.

daveyw said:
Whilst the scenario seems quite plausible and whilst you cannot take everything you read or hear to be gospel.. The cynic in me has nagging doubts. They report she "remarried" her millionaire husband days before he bought her the boat and she sails off within days on a solo voyage. Was the boat wrecked, run down, blown up.............? time will tell.
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You think it may be another "John Darwin" then?:eek:
 
fisherman said:
There has been no let up in the ground sea since early this week, enough to reduce a yacht aground in that area to pieces. If it had been run down it is likely to have been well offshore in the TSS, and the wreckage would not have come ashore in a small area.
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Ah, You should know :cool:
That's the danger of armchair diagnosis :rolleyes:
 
snowleopard said:
In the absence of a tongue-in-cheek smiley I assume this was a joke.

Singlehanded, unfamiliar boat, very few ports of refuge, along a rocky coast , 100+ miles i.e. 20-30 hours in a smallish boat. plenty of scope for trouble. What we don't know is the extent of her experience and the true state of the boat's systems (as opposed to broker's puff).
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No, certainly not a joke. Anyone who makes Mousehole from Falmouth knows their stuff, the forecast was reasonable, the boat looked reasonable and plenty of people in their sixties routinely sail with the VHF off; I do so myself.

My provisos were a medical issue or going OB; I still think those are likely explanations.
 
Minn said:
No, certainly not a joke. Anyone who makes Mousehole from Falmouth knows their stuff, the forecast was reasonable, the boat looked reasonable and plenty of people in their sixties routinely sail with the VHF off; I do so myself.

My provisos were a medical issue or going OB; I still think those are likely explanations.
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+1

If I had to guess, heart attack or similar or fell in. Perhaps the former followed by the latter, but as other's are wisely saying, we just don't know.
 
toad_oftoadhall said:
+1

If I had to guess, heart attack or similar or fell in. Perhaps the former followed by the latter, but as other's are wisely saying, we just don't know.
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+ another one.

Instantly sounded medical to me, given person, boat and weather.

There's still vague hope for a good ending but I grant not much; better doing a 'McMullen' than going under a bus...
 
A1Sailor said:
You have access to the missing yachtswoman's medical records?:eek:
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With respect, that's a bit of a daft comment; I'm saying qualified sailor, reasonable boat as far as we know, in good weather, doesn't go bang or glug without a good reason.

I don't know the unfortunate lady but she'd taken the trouble to not only get qualified but have a refresher; if she has come to grief it seems a fair bet something nasty overtook circumstances, whether health or something missed in the checks on the 'new' boat.

A slightly ambitious trip singlehanded but nothing a lot of us here wouldn't do; if the trip has ended badly this is certainly NOT a 'Captain Calamity' situation, we should be mourning the passing of a sailor.
 
Imagine how you would be feeling as the ex owner of Seagair

- The emotional aspect of seeing photos of your seat cushions or saloon table washed up on the beach

- Any tiny nagging doubts about the integrity of the boat (We all have a list of jobs for next winter)
 
I have a Moody 31 - these are not flimsy boats and I can think of nothing on a jobs-to-do list that could threaten the integrity of such a well built vessel. Even the Crash Test Boat on YM didn't break up into bits like that when they made it explode. Those fragments are shocking and must be the result of it being smashed.
 
fastjedi said:
Imagine how you would be feeling as the ex owner of Seagair

- The emotional aspect of seeing photos of your seat cushions or saloon table washed up on the beach

- Any tiny nagging doubts about the integrity of the boat (We all have a list of jobs for next winter)
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it would be awful

But at the end of the day it was the new owner's responsibility to ensure they were putting to sea in a seaworthy vessel, not the old owners'. Caveat Emptor and all that..... I'd be surprised if there was a serious integrity issue with that boat (just going on the brokerage details). Would be more concerned about the boat carrying enough nav and safety equipment. It didn't seem to have much in its inventory and there wasn't much time between purchase and setting off to have hugely upgraded it.
 
MoodySabre said:
I have a Moody 31 - these are not flimsy boats and I can think of nothing on a jobs-to-do list that could threaten the integrity of such a well built vessel. Even the Crash Test Boat on YM didn't break up into bits like that when they made it explode. Those fragments are shocking and must be the result of it being smashed.
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It must've taken a lot to break up the boat like that. The coastguard are apparently quoted as saying there was a 1.5m swell, but even Low Speed Chase which was rolled and dashed onto the rocks by ocean swell during a race off San Fransisco was salvaged with the hull pretty much intact, and I imagine the lay-up of a Moody would be far heavier.
 
cliffdale said:
Wasn't it you who said 'suicide mission'

Bit harsh dont you think.
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Read the rest of that specific post in context please.

It relates to the (false) suggestion that she set out into an F8 Westerly - which, as I said, would indeed have been a suicide mission if it had been true.

But I suspect you knew that & are just trying to be snide to score points.
 
MoodySabre said:
I have a Moody 31 - these are not flimsy boats and I can think of nothing on a jobs-to-do list that could threaten the integrity of such a well built vessel. Even the Crash Test Boat on YM didn't break up into bits like that when they made it explode. Those fragments are shocking and must be the result of it being smashed.
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That's another option of course - an 'Ouzo' type incident being run down by something bigger; all the more chance for a singlehander who simply can't keep a 360 degree lookout all the time.

This is a tragedy on much the same level as the Ouzo no matter what happened and anyone hinting at women drivers or lack of current experience should hang their heads in shame.

- As I understand it the lady skipper had undergone a refresher course, which I take as the sign of a careful, qualified sailor, and not many people are so careful once they've got their ticket to mention in the club !
 
Seajet said:
With respect, that's a bit of a daft comment; I'm saying qualified sailor, reasonable boat as far as we know, in good weather, doesn't go bang or glug without a good reason.

I don't know the unfortunate lady but she'd taken the trouble to not only get qualified but have a refresher; if she has come to grief it seems a fair bet something nasty overtook circumstances, whether health or something missed in the checks on the 'new' boat.

A slightly ambitious trip singlehanded but nothing a lot of us here wouldn't do; if the trip has ended badly this is certainly NOT a 'Captain Calamity' situation, we should be mourning the passing of a sailor.
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My apologies - you know much more than I. What is her sailing qualification?
Where/when was her refresher?

EDIT: (while awaiting Seajet!)
I saw somewhere she has a Captain's ticket - not sure what that is.
I saw somewhere the Broker suggested when she bought the boat last week that she get a refresher.
 
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