There’s,yacht and crew found dead

[Wansworth]

https://youtu.be/oD5AJvu_CRg?si=TgON-J-Qul8QHlBW

 

[mainsail1]

A sad story.......My money would be on the batteries causing a fire. I don't think any crew of a sailing boat could contain a thermal runaway battery fire so they would have to abandon ship pretty quick. I am sticking with lead acid batteries on my boat for now.

 

[jlavery]

Very sad.

Not sure what to make of the video. Basically a stream of supposition and conjecture. Nothing of substance.

 

[geem]

A sad story.......My money would be on the batteries causing a fire. I don't think any crew of a sailing boat could contain a thermal runaway battery fire so they would have to abandon ship pretty quick. I am sticking with lead acid batteries on my boat for now.

Nissan Leaf recycled batteries? A totally different chemistry to lifepo4. The Leaf uses LiMn2O4 with LiNiO2. I have no idea how that chemistry would respond to salt water or bad wiring. It's not what the whole industry is using for leisure batteries. It's like chalk and cheese

 

[bikedaft]

No boat, and 2 dead in a dinghy - what makes folks think it was a battery fire? plenty other causes for boats sinking etc?

 

[Tranona]

The mods they made to the boat look scary, particularly that huge structure over the rear half of the boat. Really don't understand the obsession of some to convert an old boat to electric power unless you accept the range limitations that follow the inability to harvest lots of energy from the sun. Don't know the downsides of recycling automotive power units, but guess not really suitable as that technology has not been used in marine specific applications.

One can only speculate on the cause of the foundering, but the boat does look ill thought out.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Basically no one knows what happened to the boat that caused the couple to end up in the dinghy or liferaft; the video isn’t even sure about that.

 

[Mark-1]

Basically no one knows what happened to the boat that caused the couple to end up in the dinghy or liferaft; the video isn’t even sure about that.

Although the fact they ended up in a dinghy with no means of communication suggests it happened unexpectedly and/or fast.

I suppose it's just possible they had a diary in the Dinghy or a waterproof camera with a video explaining it all.

 

[geem]

Although the fact they ended up in a dinghy with no means of communication suggests it happened unexpectedly and/or fast.

I suppose it's just possible they had a diary in the Dinghy or a waterproof camera with a video explaining it all.

But no liferaft with provisions? Epirb, PLB?

 

[Mark-1]

But no liferaft with provisions? Epirb, PLB?

Clearly the LR and any portable comms wasn't available to them (we can all come up with some obvious reasons why that might be the case). They're youtubers, maybe they kept a camera in their pockets.

 

[geem]

Clearly the LR and any portable comms wasn't available to them (we can all come up with some obvious reasons why that might be the case). They're youtubers, maybe they kept a camera in their pockets.

Odd that they could get their dinghy quickly but not their liferaft. Assuming they wear lifejackets, they were not equiped with PLBs.

 

[Mark-1]

Odd that they could get their dinghy quickly but not their liferaft. Assuming they wear lifejackets, they were not equiped with PLBs.

As I say, we can all think of many plausible circumstances that would explain how they had access to a dinghy but not a LR and comms gear.

For example, if the LR was at the stern and a fire started there (where the bank of solar panels are), they wouldn't be able to get to the LR but if the dinghy was on the coachroof they could get to that. Or maybe the boat sank quickly and the dinghy broke free.

 

[geem]

As I say, we can all think of many plausible circumstances that would explain how they had access to a dinghy but not a LR and comms gear.

For example, if the LR was at the stern and a fire started there (where the bank of solar panels are), they wouldn't be able to get to the LR but if the dinghy was on the coachroof they could get to that. Or maybe the boat sank quickly and the dinghy broke free.

I just had a look at the opening photo of the boat, in the video. Dinghy on deck but no sign of a liferaft. Maybe they didn't have a liferaft

 

[Wansworth]

There is a life raft justa head of the companion way

 

[geem]

There is a life raft justa head of the companion way

Oh yes, just spotted that further into the video. It makes the whole thing stranger still.

 

[Mark-1]

Oh yes, just spotted that further into the video. It makes the whole thing stranger still.

People being found dead in dinghies is an unusual event. Whatever lead to it will be unusual.

It's far from inexplicable though, plenty of plausible ways it could have happened.

 

[Bajansailor]

I knew Brett and Sarah, and when I heard this news it was a real shock, as they were experienced sailors.
They had started off in Vancouver and sailed south, went through the Panama Canal, slogged their way up to Florida and then up the Eastern Seaboard.
They were certainly living life to the fullest - the two of them built a substantial house (just the two of them) from scratch in British Columbia (which they documented well on their Facebook pages), and they were inveterate hikers, having done the Camino trail in Northern Spain and others
Camino de Santiago - Wikipedia

 

[RivalRedwing]

BBC have the story too

Couple found dead weeks after setting off on trip across Atlantic

speaks volumes for a self releasing EPIRB

 

[Wansworth]

BBC have the story too

Couple found dead weeks after setting off on trip across Atlantic

It’s not clear if it was the auxiliary rubber dinghy or the actualliferaftshown as being on deck