GHA
Well-Known Member
Checksheets are wonderful things
Video of an actual dismasting at sea
- Thread starter Blueboatman
- Start date
LittleSister
Well-Known Member
I'm impressed by their quick reactions. . .
. . . in getting the cameras set up to film themselves dealing with the problem.
. . . in getting the cameras set up to film themselves dealing with the problem.
[70521]
Well-Known Member
I wonder if having an entire orchestra onboard to give the dramatic music contributed to the rig failure?
Quietly scratching my head here, in a previous life I was a Safety Engineer and we took great interest in "time to failure", I wonder when the rigging was last checked.
Quietly scratching my head here, in a previous life I was a Safety Engineer and we took great interest in "time to failure", I wonder when the rigging was last checked.
Graham_Wright
Well-Known Member
Makes a case for redundancy.
Great music.
Great music.
Tamar
Well-Known Member
My thoughts too, but it looks like the mast snapped just above the lower cross tree.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Considering that the failure was due to a chainplate snapping, apparently just below the surface, I don't imagine it matters. It's not like rigging checks ever scratch the surface, so to speak.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
And how did you waterproof it?
Mudisox
Well-Known Member
I noticed that her idea of heading into the swell under engine[ with ropes over the side?!] was not what I saw in the following shots, cross swell.
Graham376
Well-Known Member
They were bolt croppers not wire cutters and obviously hard to use.
RJJ
Well-Known Member
that was what I noticed in the video too. Quick to start the engine, with all the clobber still dangling over the side. I'm not sure I'd have done that; if the motion made work impossible, I'd chuck some stuff out to act as a drogue.
Otherwise, the combination of dismasted and disabled propeller as night fell, would seem a pretty bad one.
PaulRainbow
Well-Known Member
Apart from the unnecessary flashing of her bum, i was wondering why they didn't have a backup VHF antenna.
Stemar
Well-Known Member
Yes, but that's what many, if not most boats have - if they have anything. I've always thought that, should I ever need to cut my rigging away, I'd go for the threaded ends or the turnbuckles themselves, rather than the wire.
As others have mentioned, I was a little surprised to see them putting the engine on before all the string and mess was cleared away, but I'm sitting in my comfortable chair a mile or two from the sea, so it's easy to second guess. As the saying goes, hindsight is always 20/20, and that's even more the case when I wasn't there. I have to say, I'm praying the Good Lord that I never will be.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
I don't think they said they didn't, just that the one on the mast was (obviously) broken. There was clearly a radome on the stern so quite possible there was also another antenna. It's quite likely that after the first try on the VHF they decided there were other priorities than changing the antenna. Bum flashing wasn't unnecessary, this is currently her job and she's lucky enough to have a way to accelerate that income stream and wise enough to use it to fund a lifestyle she wants. Had she not been wise enough to do so we'd never have heard of her, let alone found the footage to discuss. I have to say I think selling a picture of your bum and living on a yacht in the tropics beats selling your soul and living on a commuter tube train any day of the week. Unfortunately my bum won't sell videos!
I have to agree with Stemar about the hindsight comment. I thought they did pretty well under the circumstances and even remembered to hit record on one of the GoPro's in the cockpit so we are all able to decide what we might have done.
Adios
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Sorry to hear that. How many clicks and likes did you get when you last tried?
Adios
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I was going to say that, not ideal for cutting multistrand wire, especially the last few strands. This type much better Heavy Duty Wire Cutter 24 Inch Carbon Steel Industrial Grade Bolt Cutters: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science
GHA
Well-Known Member
Felcos are as good as it gets. pricey though, prob get a couple of cordless grinders for same price. Felco C16 Two Handed Steel Cable Cutter, Cuts 16mm: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science
The video showed a rare beast on a boat of a set of bolt croppers that looked brand new and sharp, usually a lot harder than that to get through multistrand.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
My channel has already saturated the intended audience so I didn't need to. Sadly the big data analytics audience is not large enough to fund a cruising lifestyle!
Adios
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There's a pair on ebay ending in an hour... FELCO C16 TWO HANDED STEEL WIRE ROPE CABLE CUTTER MADE IN SWITZERLAND | eBay
Adios
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At least you don't have to wrestle with the temptation to prostitute your bum down at the docks then
Laminar Flow
Well-Known Member
Yes, that seems to be the usual spot for mast failure in this particular type of loading, compounded by the rig losing some of its for & aft support when one of its lowers failed.
I would also recommend an angle grinder. Once you have tried cutting tempered rebar with even quite large and powerful bolt cutters, you will quickly realize that the "compact" models carried by most boats are wholly inadequate. As far as angle grinders are concerned: they cut through cable with absolute ease. My son and his flat mates, while at Uni, would lock all their bikes together with a finger thick, super tempered motorcycle cable lock. Well, someone lost the key and my boy called Dad to see if I could help: the angle grinder cut through the 1/2" cable in a matter of just seconds.
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