The SS Varvassi claims yet another victim

[Neil_Y]

It is always easy to comment from an armchair but I would have thought priority was get all people clear or off as quickly as possible, then decide if you want to try and save the boat? The cockpit would have been full of ropes to get caught on and was looking like it was on its way down when they arrived. Would inflating the liferaft inside have helped give them more time?

 

[bedouin]

I admire the lifeboat crew's optimism.
Those little salvage pumps the ILBs carry are good, but they're not THAT good.

How are those pumps powered?

I must admit when the clip started I thought that the boat was saveable - it must have been at least 30 minutes from the incident, probably more, so given there was still some buoyancy the ingress was probably within the range of what the pump could cope with. Had they got the pump set up and running even 5 minutes earlier they might have had a chance.

 

[Hambler Rambler]

How are those pumps powered?

I must admit when the clip started I thought that the boat was saveable - it must have been at least 30 minutes from the incident, probably more, so given there was still some buoyancy the ingress was probably within the range of what the pump could cope with. Had they got the pump set up and running even 5 minutes earlier they might have had a chance.

Obviously not suggesting they did the wrong thing in trying to save the boat but it looked a bit like the additional weight of the lifeboat crewman amidships and possibly the stern of the lifeboat pressing downwards might have accelerated the sinking by allowing water in via the companionway...

 

[claymore]

Why isn't marked with a danger mark? At least during the race?

Richard

You need marking as a danger - I playfully suggest in my own sweet inimitable way that you are patronising and then I get dobbed in. A penalty point - who cares, I've loads of them on my driving licence and in Dear Hearts little black book.
The thing that worries me is that they have given me an infarction which I believe to be a brain bleed...
Last time I point out the truth about you, matey.

 

[KevB]

Obviously not suggesting they did the wrong thing in trying to save the boat but it looked a bit like the additional weight of the lifeboat crewman amidships and possibly the stern of the lifeboat pressing downwards might have accelerated the sinking by allowing water in via the companionway...

My thoughts too. Why did they have the companionway open when it was being swamped by water. Seems to have been the cause of it's rapid sinking

But I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing...

 

[RichardS]

You need marking as a danger - I playfully suggest in my own sweet inimitable way that you are patronising and then I get dobbed in. A penalty point - who cares, I've loads of them on my driving licence and in Dear Hearts little black book.
The thing that worries me is that they have given me an infarction which I believe to be a brain bleed...
Last time I point out the truth about you, matey.

?

Absolutely nothing to do with me. I'm afraid you're the author of your own misfortune.

Richard

 

[awol]

The thing that worries me is that they have given me an infarction which I believe to be a brain bleed...
Last time I point out the truth about you, matey.

I am having difficulty in determining what heinous crime you have committed. Perhaps spelling "patronising" without a "z"? Or was it the venerable word "twat", apparently in common usage since 1656, meaning, as I understand it, an obnoxious or stupid person? Neither seems worthy of a penalty point.

I realise I should have used 2 posts for this - one for "patronizing" and one for "twat", then I could have found out which was a crime. What a twit I am!

 

[Topcat47]

My thoughts too. Why did they have the companionway open when it was being swamped by water. Seems to have been the cause of it's rapid sinking

But I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing...

My guess is that the water was coming in from the bottom of the boat, after striking the boilers. Closing the companionway would've been pointless.

That said, the photograph posted above is indicative of why I never race. All those vessels jockeying for position around a known and well documented hazard. over a reef which often causes a lot of turbulence. Not in my definition of "Good Seamanship". I went sailing on Sunday when most of them were probably nursing hangovers. At least there weren't many in the Eastern Solent.

 

[chanelyacht]

How are those pumps powered?

I must admit when the clip started I thought that the boat was saveable - it must have been at least 30 minutes from the incident,

Salvage pumps are petrol powered, not normally carried on the ILBs though and the Yarmouth all weather boat didn't arrive until late on in the incident (it was dealing with a Pan call on the other side of the Needles).

The total time from ther Mayday going out to the boat sinking was around 10/12 minutes, we were on scene the same time as Mudeford and at the time the police launch was still taking people off.

We didn't hang around long after the final sinking as a dismasting was called in.

 

[claymore]

Me too. Wouldn't want you on my crew.

Shame my 'bollocks' comes from over 32 years of a successful sea going career around the world with out loss, injury or accident.

PW

Clearly, I bow to your superior bollocks - if you re-read what I posted you should be able to see that I was pointing a bit of harmless fun at the statement you made that - paraphrasing - if someone broke a rule on your ship they would be terminated. Seemed a bit harsh really, perhaps a word in their shell like to point out the error of their ways, perhaps pay them off at the end of the trip but terminatiing them.....?
Anyway 32 years isn't so much - you have some catching up to do, Junior
Xx

 

[claymore]

I am having difficulty in determining what heinous crime you have committed. Perhaps spelling "patronising" without a "z"? Or was it the venerable word "twat", apparently in common usage since 1656, meaning, as I understand it, an obnoxious or stupid person? Neither seems worthy of a penalty point.

I realise I should have used 2 posts for this - one for "patronizing" and one for "twat", then I could have found out which was a crime. What a twit I am!

Jes an everyday form o' expression doon Rose street....

 

[VO5]

I wonder if anyone has ever thought of a way of accelerating corrosion on the boilers by the application of electric current with the idea of finally getting rid of them.

Where is the lightbulb icon when you need it ?:encouragement:

 

[bedouin]

I wonder if anyone has ever thought of a way of accelerating corrosion on the boilers by the application of electric current with the idea of finally getting rid of them.

Where is the lightbulb icon when you need it ?:encouragement:

You have it wrong - you need to bolt on a lump of a more noble metal to set up galvanic corrosion so the iron gets eroded - rather like an anode working in reverse. I reckon just attaching a couple of gold bars to each should do the trick

 

[DJE]

At that age they might be wrought iron which corodes much more slowly than steel.

 

[davidpbo]

I wonder what the commodore thought of the chosen route.

 

[claymore]

Hope the insurers were ok about him not being aboard at the time...

 

[jac]

Hope the insurers were ok about him not being aboard at the time...

I was in the Island Sailing Club having retired earlier when news came through about which boat it was but not who she belonged to. Commodore ( at least someone with commodore badge on) was sat alone looking rather down. Bloody glad I didn't go up and congratulate him on running a great race and instead headed back to my beer!

 

[claymore]

Wise man

 

[Uricanejack]

I am having difficulty in determining what heinous crime you have committed. Perhaps spelling "patronising" without a "z"? Or was it the venerable word "twat", apparently in common usage since 1656, meaning, as I understand it, an obnoxious or stupid person? Neither seems worthy of a penalty point.

I realise I should have used 2 posts for this - one for "patronizing" and one for "twat", then I could have found out which was a crime. What a twit I am!

The venerable word which has been around a long time. Is one I have stopped using after finding out what it actually means.
Although English words do evolve and meanings change. It was often used by me in a similar reference to your usage. Also on occasion when belting something with a hammer.
I was quite shocked, by the shocked and horrified look on a polite young lady when she heard me use it apparently it has a similar meaning and level of offence to that other word beginning with C which offends ladies greatly and has similar usage.
Both apparently cause more offence than the F word.

 

[VO5]

You have it wrong - you need to bolt on a lump of a more noble metal to set up galvanic corrosion so the iron gets eroded - rather like an anode working in reverse. I reckon just attaching a couple of gold bars to each should do the trick

Yes, funny.
Wouldn't it be ironic if you yourself happened to prang it one day...