RNLI rescue of a yacht suffering hydraulic failure

The report seems strange. Unable to lift keel or drop sail because of hydrolics failure so call out life boat. Keel subsequently raised manually with lifeboat on station for 8 hours..

Why not just motor sail to a good anchorage and anchor whilst sorting it out. Pretty moderate conditions so the boat could anchor with sail up and sit nose to wind. There must be a way of manually dropping the sail even if it meant cutting a halyard. If it was stuck up then why not reef it to the mast by putting a line around the leach and manually winching it in to the mast. Then get the instruction manual out to work out how to raise the keel manually.

A boat this size would usually have professional crew onboard so I struggle to understand why this incident needed a life boat.
 
Having a professional crew may well have been the problem...... I can just imagine the wording in their SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) document. "In the event of emergency contact local emergency service and appraise of position and situation". So they call the Coastguard who in turn look up "keel failure" in their idiots guide to safety at sea which of course will tell them to alert the lifeboat.... the rest is just something we witness every day. Nobody is prepared to make any kind of practical sensible decision because they are to frightened of the criticism and consequence even if everything goes according to plan. We made this world folks, enjoy living in it!
 
Triassic said:
Having a professional crew may well have been the problem...... I can just imagine the wording in their SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) document. "In the event of emergency contact local emergency service and appraise of position and situation". So they call the Coastguard who in turn look up "keel failure" in their idiots guide to safety at sea which of course will tell them to alert the lifeboat.... the rest is just something we witness every day. Nobody is prepared to make any kind of practical sensible decision because they are to frightened of the criticism and consequence even if everything goes according to plan. We made this world folks, enjoy living in it!
Click to expand...

Interesting point and you could well be right. Nelson or Drake’s old bosuns would turn in their graves. Those guys could fix a warship to cross oceans with a axe, a bucket of tar and a palm treee!!!
 
Dutch01527 said:
The report seems strange. Unable to lift keel or drop sail because of hydrolics failure so call out life boat. Keel subsequently raised manually with lifeboat on station for 8 hours..

Why not just motor sail to a good anchorage and anchor whilst sorting it out. Pretty moderate conditions so the boat could anchor with sail up and sit nose to wind. There must be a way of manually dropping the sail even if it meant cutting a halyard. If it was stuck up then why not reef it to the mast by putting a line around the leach and manually winching it in to the mast. Then get the instruction manual out to work out how to raise the keel manually.

A boat this size would usually have professional crew onboard so I struggle to understand why this incident needed a life boat.
Click to expand...
A bit harsh - if it took the lifeboat and crew 8 hours to resolve it cannot have been as simple as you suggest.

Also not sure whether the boat wil have had a pro crew - may well have been being sailed short handed - the presence of hydraulics suggests it may be set up for short handed sailing.
 
The over complication of boats is following the trend in cars too have everything automatic and push button. Or "I want a bigger boat" so need to have hydraulic or electrical assistance for the big impressive toys.

Fine in a car which breaks down, you just stop and call the AA / RAC (other roadside assistant operators are available) but at sea you have to be self sufficient within reason. Why I do not have or would not like to have anything that I can not fix or jury rig on the boat that is integral to getting home safely.
 
bedouin said:
A bit harsh - if it took the lifeboat and crew 8 hours to resolve it cannot have been as simple as you suggest.

Also not sure whether the boat wil have had a pro crew - may well have been being sailed short handed - the presence of hydraulics suggests it may be set up for short handed sailing.
Click to expand...

Not meant to be harsh but I struggle to understand why a boat with no leaks, a working engine/steering in moderate conditions can not look after itself. If the report has missed out some key point such as crew injury/sickness or more significant damage that changes things of course.

Not sure that it took 8 hours to fix. The boat was 29 miles out so it probably took 4-6 hours to motor sail back to off Ramsgate. The RNLI boat was there as a safety precaution it seems but was it really necessary?
 
Last edited:
I would imagine the lifeboat would be likely completely unfamiliar with the systems on the yacht, like most of us.
So taking time to sort it out is not surprising.
Probably on the phone to equipment suppliers for a few of those hours?
I would think that with a boat like that, unable to get the main down, staying out to sea until its fixed is a fairly good choice.
Lifeboat crew probably deserve recognition for versatility getting the job done.

There are plenty of people with more modest yachts who would be in the same situation if their roller reefing main system jammed while short handed. Or some other bit of kit their not familiar with at the nut'n'bolt level. The sea can be a great leveller....
 
Tranona said:
Usual jumping to conclusions and criticising based on almost zero evidence of what actually happened.
Click to expand...

Speculating about circumstances and asking questions about a story that has been released by the RNLI is not jumping to conclusions or criticism. It is a discussion between sailors about something that does not make sense on the surface. I learn a lot from other people’s views and suggestions. My view is I would say anything here that I would say in a Yacht Club bar and this thread to date is entirely appropriate for a bar room chat.
 
Last edited:
Mark-1 said:
Few more pics on Ramsgate RNLI's FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/RNLI-Ramsgate-Lifeboat-183599665004280/posts/?ref=page_internal

I can't see any evidence the vessel's crew couldn't handle the situation themselves, or that they requested any assistance.
Click to expand...

Well I've grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and asked them on that FB page if they're prepared to offer further information.....It will either get ignored, an answer, or I'll get flamed by all and sundry...... My money's on the last option!
 
Dutch01527 said:
Speculating about circumstances and asking questions about a story that has been released by the RNLI is not jumping to conclusions or criticism. It is a discussion between sailors about something that does not make sense on the surface. I learn a lot from other people’s views and suggestions. My view is I would say anything here that I would say in a Yacht Club bar and this thread to date is entirely appropriate for a bar room chat.
Click to expand...

Speaking of which, it's your round.
 
Triassic said:
Well I've grabbed the proverbial bull by the horns and asked them on that FB page if they're prepared to offer further information.....It will either get ignored, an answer, or I'll get flamed by all and sundry...... My money's on the last option!
Click to expand...

Someone's replied "Maiden voyage, ...massive computer and hydraulic failure...".

Did they not have a knife to cut the sail down? The engine and steering were working. What's the problem?
 
Dutch01527 said:
Speculating about circumstances and asking questions about a story that has been released by the RNLI is not jumping to conclusions or criticism. It is a discussion between sailors about something that does not make sense on the surface. I learn a lot from other people’s views and suggestions. My view is I would say anything here that I would say in a Yacht Club bar and this thread to date is entirely appropriate for a bar room chat.
Click to expand...

Speculation is valueless.

The crew did not call for a lifeboat - you cannot do this. They would have notified the coastguard of their problems and no doubt discussed some options. Then the coastguard would have tasked the appropriate resource. Remember this is a large boat with now a serious draft limitation, in an area of fast moving tides and sandbanks so its options are limited.

The situation as described does not justify a rant about whether there are back up systems or the competence of the crew - nobody yet knows the details.

Fine to have a discussion, but best to base it on facts rather than speculation.
 
Last edited:
The clues are in the report... Draft 4.5m, stranded yacht..... That suggests to me that the yacht was stuck in the putty, unable to reduce draft by raising the keel until they sorted the manual system. Once they’d done that the lifeboat escorted them to Ramsgate and assisted them onto a berth. Lifeboat probably tasked by CG in response to notification by yacht of a problem rather than crew requesting assistance. Took time to resolve problem, lifeboat stayed on scene in case things went horribly wrong.
Perfectly seamanlike approach to a situation.....
Edit.
Rats. Lakesailored.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

R
Brokers.
Replies
6
Views
502
Irish Rover
Irish Rover

Share this page

Top