Re losing rudders on ocean passages

[Bajansailor]

Following on from the current thread started by little roundtop re losing a rudder in mid atlantic, and the thread started by fisherman about emergency rudders, and not wanting to cause thread drift on either, here is a link to a thread I started a few years ago about a J 44 'First Light' that lost it's rudder while on passage across the Atlantic - http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111396
They tried various different ways of trying to steer First Light, and eventually abandoned the boat after experimenting with being towed by the trawler yacht Ros Alither (who describe what happened in their B-log here - http://trawlertravels.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_trawlertravels_archive.html - scroll down a bit to their Atlantic crossing).

After being abandoned, First Light continued to make her own way across the Atlantic, and was washed up on Morgan Lewis beach here a month later.

 

[William_H]

Lost rudder

Thanks for the link and the story. It is all very tragic and you can't help but wonder why they abandoned ship but of course you had to be there to pass judgement. Could they not control chafe? Could they not provide some drive from sails on the towed boat? Or were they just so fed up that the boat didn't matter anymore? olewill a confirmed brown water sailor. (estuary only)

 

[Searush]

Dr Alain Bombard in his trans atlantic rubber duck trip came to the conclusion that the difference between death & survival was largely a matter of bloody minded determination & NEVER giving up. I suspect that many of us lesser mortals prefer to take the "easy way out" if one is offered.

This guy lost 3 boats attempting to cross the Atlantic, some good lessons to be learnt & it is well written too. I know the bloke (member of same club) & can tell you he is pretty stubborn & determined so don't think that people just give up easily. None of us can tell our decision until we actually face the dilemma.