Yachtsman lost in Biscay

Exc. from the official statement:
Disparition d’un plaisancier britannique au large de Lacanau (33) - Préfecture maritime de l'Atlantique
on Friday the French MRCC is contacted by the British MRCC as the vessel is not answering radio messages (?). The Tiger PA is then located 185km from pointe de Graves. After a few tries, the nearby Autosun cargo manages to establish radio contact, the 73yo British sailor declares being safe and willing to sail on.
On the following day, Saturday at 1500 the Tiger Pa distress beacon is activated, about 80km west of Lacanau.
[follows description of rescue attempts]
What kind of radio messages could there be between that position and the UK MRCC? HF maybe but I seriously doubt any leisure sailing boat keeps a continuous radio watch on HF.
 
Roberto said:
Exc. from the official statement:
Disparition d’un plaisancier britannique au large de Lacanau (33) - Préfecture maritime de l'Atlantique
on Friday the French MRCC is contacted by the British MRCC as the vessel is not answering radio messages (?). The Tiger PA is then located 185km from pointe de Graves. After a few tries, the nearby Autosun cargo manages to establish radio contact, the 73yo British sailor declares being safe and willing to sail on.
On the following day, Saturday at 1500 the Tiger Pa distress beacon is activated, about 80km west of Lacanau.
[follows description of rescue attempts]
What kind of radio messages could there be between that position and the UK MRCC? HF maybe but I seriously doubt any leisure sailing boat keeps a continuous radio watch on HF.
Click to expand...
Satphone? I can imagine a relative might have arranged to check in with him daily and they contact UK MRCC when they can't get through. Then UK MRCC tries with the same result, so they escalate it. Seems that was before the real problems started anyway, when he activated his EPIRB.
 
We might never find out, but it'd be interesting to know what the thought process was in setting out. Did he think he could outrun the weather, perhaps, or simply underestimated it? As somebody else said, on the face of it an odd decision to have made.

Hopefully a body is found just to give some closure to those who need it.
 
Where was he even going, Bilbao or Santander maybe. He would have had the option to stop somewhere around west Brittany sometime Thursday but carried on in the face of a storm so bad that Vendee globe boats elected to slow down and avoid it.
If someone has a paid version of marine traffic I think we could see his route.
 
ridgy said:
According to marine traffic it was a 12m cat that left Weymouth last Tuesday. What an odd thing to do, sail on to a notorious lee shore in a forecasted storm in a boat that might not go to windward very well.
Ship TIGER PA (Sailing Vessel) Registered in USA - Vessel details, Current position and Voyage information - IMO 0, MMSI 338377893, Call sign
Click to expand...
He was in the Thames Estuary a week or so before that.

Saw him on AIS coming out of the Thames and along the North Kent coast. Heard London VTS call him a couple of times.
 
ridgy said:
Where was he even going, Bilbao or Santander maybe. He would have had the option to stop somewhere around west Brittany sometime Thursday but carried on in the face of a storm so bad that Vendee globe boats elected to slow down and avoid it.
If someone has a paid version of marine traffic I think we could see his route.
Click to expand...
Not Marine Traffic, but a commercial tracker.
1738001655121.png
 
I was watching the cat AIS from the Thames crossing expecting him to go into Ramsgate or Dover, but neither. I think it pulled into Cowes. I concluded wrongly, that it had a heavyweight crew on a delivery trip because the legs were too long for comfort. The AIS was off or out of range for most of Biscay then popped-up momentarily with that little squiggle at its end. Terrible
As others have said, why be there with the known weather? He was clearly experienced. It makes little sense..
 
As the reports say the yachtsman in this tragic incident was a 73 year old british man and travelling from a british port, i assume that the MAIB will have to carry out a full investigation. If they do, all the background will come out.
Or will the fact it was US flag mean that they wont?
 
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