The SS Varvassi claims yet another victim

[chanelyacht]

That's also a wildly inaccurate report of what happened.

Alchemist put out a Mayday call which was responded to first by Hampshire Police's vessel Commander, which took the six crew on board, and ourselves (Solent Rescue 1) who stood by alongside in case anyone went in the water. I'd estimate the time from the mayday to the final sinking at around 10 minutes. Mudeford Lifeboat and the Yarmouth arrived pretty much as it was all over, and the Needles CG team reported the location from the cliftop.
Very sad to see though, a beautiful yacht, but six very lucky people - given the conditions, anyone in the water would not have been very visible and in that location, at great risk from being run over.

 

[RichardS]

Having been shot down in flames when I suggested marking the wreck with a buoy / VATON / mark for the race , it seems that the pendulum of opinion has swung my way.

Dontcha just love Forum life? :encouragement:

Richard

 

[Topcat47]

Many years ago, I did my shore based YM taught by a very competitive yacht racer. After the exam, he gave a slide show of Solent Hazards, each of which had one or more racing yachts parked there. Bembridge Ledge, the Needles, and the Southsea submarine barrier featured in multiple slides. The most common cause, in his view, was skippers blindly following other boats in races. One of the vessels wrecked on Bembridge Ledge was following a contessa 32; although a similar length the second boat was a fin keeler drawing an extra couple of feet, at least until it hit the ledge. He described such accidents as "poor seamanship". I remember particularly a large Dutch yacht being returned to Holland after a very expensive refit at C&N that had been driven onto the barrier under the command of the autopilot while the delivery skipper was below, putting the kettle on.

It's one thing to be driven onto a known and well documented hazard by gear failure, another to do so when under complete command of a well found and crewed vessel.

I'm not saying I'm perfect, I've hit stuff and run aground a few times myself, but I'd never blame say Brambles Bank for my mistakes.

 

[lpdsn]

That's also a wildly inaccurate report of what happened.

I was going to complain about innaccurate RNLI reporting knocking their credibility, but it looks like it is just common-or-garden wildly inaccurate newspaper reporting.

 

[Giblets]

I was going to complain about innaccurate RNLI reporting knocking their credibility, but it looks like it is just common-or-garden wildly inaccurate newspaper reporting.

I was once told by an local rag editor "Drama and supposition sell papers, facts don't!"

 

[lpdsn]

On a slight change of direction, does anyone know who made the boilers? The ship has long disintegrated yet they've survived being bashed against the rocks on an exposed coast for nearly seventy winters and being clunked by the keels of numerous yachts on one weekend every summer and are still going strong.

 

[bedouin]

I got far too close to those myself on one RTIR a few years back, I had an inexperienced helm who had been told to maintain course but he got carried away and blindly followed another yacht as it turned. We passed just inside the boilers, no more than 10 feet away.

I for one am really not sure why they don't buoy it - perhaps they are afraid that in doing so they will make more boats go inside and put themselves in greater danger.

 

[RichardS]

I for one am really not sure why they don't buoy it - perhaps they are afraid that in doing so they will make more boats go inside and put themselves in greater danger.

Not if they use a race mark.

Richard

 

[Giblets]

Not if they use a race mark.

And have a spotter on the cliffs to disqualify any yachts cutting inside.

 

[lpdsn]

I was once told by an local rag editor "Drama and supposition sell papers, facts don't!"

I worked in the nuclear industry for a couple of years after graduating. My faith in the quality of journalism and TV documentaries never recovered. Not only did they spout complete bulls£!+ but they missed the interesting stories.

 

[ShinyShoe]

I am surprised that there wasn't a lifeboat near by this year. Perhaps there was, and they ignored the warnings.

Or perhaps there was but being a lifeboat it has some lives to save...

Peter Bruce(in one of his excellent guides- Solent Hazards?) even gives you a safe transit-top of lt house hello platform 'buried' in the ex-Coastguard/searchlight battery thingy behind it.
Its worked for me in the days when I raced:encouragement:

Does require that you can see the transits for other boats! BUT I think the "We followed the boat in front who made it through" story is most likely! Even in class racing I've done similar and touched things where the boat in front didn't appear to - maybe I had less heel, or was 10cm different is line up.

 

[RichardS]

And have a spotter on the cliffs to disqualify any yachts cutting inside.

Or perhaps one of the other 1532 yachts might just spot the infraction? :encouragement:

Richard

 

[richardsn9]

How does the insurance stand on this one? Racing risks is one thing, but cutting across a known hazard? It will be an interesting conversation first thing tomorrow morning...

 

[ShinyShoe]

How does the insurance stand on this one? Racing risks is one thing, but cutting across a known hazard? It will be an interesting conversation first thing tomorrow morning...

But surely thats no different for a non-racing incident? Plenty of people damage boats by grounding them when not racing. It is reasonably well known how much ground is where in various places. Yet people manage to damage their boats by going over shallow ground... ...insurers still pay out.

People crash cars doing silly things... ...insurers still pay out.

Frustratingly that means I am paying for this through my insurance premium...

 

[Stork_III]

On a slight change of direction, does anyone know who made the boilers? The ship has long disintegrated yet they've survived being bashed against the rocks on an exposed coast for nearly seventy winters and being clunked by the keels of numerous yachts on one weekend every summer and are still going strong.

Don't know about the boilers, but engines by North-Eastern Marine Engineering Co Ltd, Wallsend.
http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/B-Ships/bronzewings1915.html

 

[lpdsn]

Don't know about the boilers, but engines by North-Eastern Marine Engineering Co Ltd, Wallsend.
http://www.tynebuiltships.co.uk/B-Ships/bronzewings1915.html

102 year-old boilers. Someone ought to put a preservation order on them.

 

[VO5]

Who is going to pay for this operation?

A much cheaper option would be an AIS virtual buoy set each year after a quick survey.

Yes.....your comment has caused me to ponder on the subject....

Perhaps the intention is not to do anything about the hazard since its presence adds a frissom of excitement to onlookers and media folk to whom it presents an opportunity to gloat when a competing yacht gets snared by it. The cue being a very loud clang.

After all the race briefing makes a point of stressing the danger of ignoring it and provides advice as to how to avoid it.

But there again there are those who choose to ignore the wisdom in their drive to save a few minutes by taking a chance.
Is that cheating ?

It may be that this disconnected observation of the foolhardiness of some is material for the media too juicy to resist, and then, the boilers are kept there on purpose, to provide amusement for the grockles. It may all be part of a dastardly plan. Or not ?

 

[Javelin]

I've won class a couple of times in 2003 and 2004 and both times I went inside the wreck.
This year with the owner on board his pride and joy I went outside by a respectful distance mainly due to the sea state which at the time was pretty bouncy with 30knts apparent with wind against tide.
I use the Solent Hazards transit tip as during the heat of battle there is scant opportunity to detail check chartplotters as green water thumps over the rail every 20 seconds.

After Bembridge ledge buoy they had three or four guard boats to be left to port however the last ryde sands post could be cut.
The vashti draws a little over 6' and I was on the tail of a Hanse 415 which I happen to know draws slightly more.
Just in front of him was a Sigma 33.
Just as we past the post to port the Sigma came to an abrupt halt, I went tiller up and dove out.
Halfway through the turn the Hanse stopped spectacularly.
After putting around five boat lengths between me and the Hanse we headed up and carried on.

Never something I would do in normal circumstances but in racing you take educated risks, you win some and you lose some.

 

[Resolution]

Yes.....your comment has caused me to ponder on the subject....

Perhaps the intention is not to do anything about the hazard since its presence adds a frissom of excitement to onlookers and media folk to whom it presents an opportunity to gloat when a competing yacht gets snared by it. The cue being a very loud clang.

After all the race briefing makes a point of stressing the danger of ignoring it and provides advice as to how to avoid it.

But there again there are those who choose to ignore the wisdom in their drive to save a few minutes by taking a chance.
Is that cheating ?

It may be that this disconnected observation of the foolhardiness of some is material for the media too juicy to resist, and then, the boilers are kept there on purpose, to provide amusement for the grockles. It may all be part of a dastardly plan. Or not ?

Don't think it has anything to do with the media. But a lot to do with your "frisson of excitement ". One of the key features of the RTIR as compared to everyday round the cans racing is that there are places where judgement of the risk/reward ratio is crucial. Where exactly are those boilers? Just how close in can we go at St Cats? How much have Ryde Sands shifted since last year? Get the choices right and you might just win your class. Get any of them wrong and the race is lost, and probably your insurance excess as well. This makes the race challenging in a different way to ordinary races, which is why so many owners, tacticians and navigators spend so much time plotting and planning how to do better than last year!
To put buoys as marks of the course to remove the dangers would greatly reduce the challenge of the race and thus the attraction for many of us.

 

[VO5]

Don't think it has anything to do with the media. But a lot to do with your "frisson of excitement ". One of the key features of the RTIR as compared to everyday round the cans racing is that there are places where judgement of the risk/reward ratio is crucial. Where exactly are those boilers? Just how close in can we go at St Cats? How much have Ryde Sands shifted since last year? Get the choices right and you might just win your class. Get any of them wrong and the race is lost, and probably your insurance excess as well. This makes the race challenging in a different way to ordinary races, which is why so many owners, tacticians and navigators spend so much time plotting and planning how to do better than last year!
To put buoys as marks of the course to remove the dangers would greatly reduce the challenge of the race and thus the attraction for many of us.

I have only participated once. And here I am thinking it is just a race but now I know there is much more...
Enormous fun though....Might just participate next year.