YM exclusive interview with Charlie Sturrock of Liquid Vortex.

Oh really. Have you read it?

Rather than questioning Photodog about it, can't you simply look at your own copy?

CS's explanation of "WHY" in his own words, in quotes, starts with "Mr Sturrock said: 'This gave... and ends with The Downs.'

It's the last two paragraphs but one. 10 lines up, column 2, page 11.

Even if Photodog hasn't seen it you and I both have. (Assuming we've both read it.)


EDIT: Ta for the tweets Boomshanka

EDIT2: Here's a pic of them starting out. http://yfrog.com/oc4hexkj and a link to the tweets: http://twitter.com/#!/Sailingboy55
 
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Interesting!. You included in your post earlier a different quote from me. This must be how you play your games. Entertainment? Maybe for you and as long as you are kept happy by it then that is fine by me.

I fully admit that I did say "I don't care what you think!" BUT that was aimed at the Toad. Not unreasonable in my opinion although I didn't know you two were that close and you feel the need to stand up for him....... If you know what I mean;)


I have no relation or interest in Mr Toad of any sort... I am just wondering why if you have no interest in others thoughts... and only the skippers... why you would bother to start the thread..... and of course its for entertainment. What sort of a idiot posts on a board about sailing for any other reason????

but, not a game per se... its just a observation, as you didnt appear to actually be aware of what it was you had previously posted...

Anyways...

As for Mr Sturrock...

"This gave me a distinct weather window. I also had ports of refuge en route- Brighton, Eastborne and Dover- and the crew were briefed.
As we passed Beachy head at 0100 the wind was gusting up to force 7 and I did consider putting into Eastbourne because of crew seasickness, but I believed we could be in Dover by 0600 or 0700, so decided to carry on.
The Storm would not be with us until mid-morning, by which time we would be tucked up in Dover."

From the YM exclusive interview with Sturrock.

It appears that the article describes his thinking....
 
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More to come

Has just taken me half an hour to read through this. A few thoughts:

I think there is more to come in a lessons peice in YM? But on the whole the reporting of this whole saga looks more like rubbish from the Sun than something from good technical press!

I assume most of you have looked at windguru, passage planner etc they often give you a very good guide to when in a forecast with their 3 hour break down so maybe that is where he got his timings for the weather from?

I do have a slight advantage in having heard details second hand and knowing the skipper, never heard of him doing something stupid before and hope to ask him over a beer.

On the question of the tide just looked and it was with him from not long after he went past Eastbourne so not WOT and faster SOG might that have been a factor?

Real wind CHIMET 2/1 2355 21 knots and they were how far east and infront of this?
 
Rather than questioning Photodog about it,
It really is sweet seeing you boys stick up for each other;);)
I had noticed that the dog had not said whether he had seen the article at the time of his posting. Nice to know that you can answer for him.
can't you simply look at your own copy?
CS's explanation of "WHY" in his own words, in quotes, starts with "Mr Sturrock said: 'This gave... and ends with The Downs.'
Unfortunately my copy of YM is not always to hand but now on checking it would appear that we have different copies. How on earth could that happen? Attention to detail maybe?
The first quote from the skipper in mine starts with the word "pushed" and the last quote ends in the word "Downs"

I think maybe it is just that you and your "friend" do not fully understand why I started this thread. There are many meanings of the word "interview" but one of them I think is pertinent to this is "A conservation, or questioning, for the purpose of eliciting information for publication"

And as far as I am concerned this just did not happen.
 
It would have been a windward shore. More sheltered, flatter, and they wouldn't have been driven up the beach if it all went TU.

Sorry to be arguementative about this but the coast and breakwater at Boulogne are almost exactly north/south. I can't see how that would be up wind when blowing from the south-west.

I would have thought the eastern entrance of Dover would be much more sheltered.

I realise that conditions completely closed Dover but would Boulogne be any better?

Not trying to be difficult - just looking to get my thoughts clear in case I were ever caught out
 
I have no relation or interest in Mr Toad of any sort... I am just wondering why if you have no interest in others thoughts... and only the skippers... why you would bother to start the thread..... and of course its for entertainment. What sort of a idiot posts on a board about sailing for any other reason????

but, not a game per se... its just a observation, as you didnt appear to actually be aware of what it was you had previously posted...

Anyways...

As for Mr Sturrock...



From the YM exclusive interview with Sturrock.

It appears that the article describes his thinking....

Brighton & Eastbourne - "Ports of Refuge" - in those conditions ??
 
Brighton & Eastbourne - "Ports of Refuge" - in those conditions ??

I think that's already been covered. According to both forecast and actual weather they'd have got into Brighton with no problems at all. I've been in there in wind as strong as they had at that point at LW springs. (We did stick on the putty for a short while but that was once we were well into shelter.)

Someone else can check out Eastbourne but I *think* they could have got in there as well. (They passed Eastbourne at 1am when it was "Gusting F7" [1] from SWish. Eastbourne entrance looks superbly sheltered from the SW to me but I've never been in there so someone else would need to verify that.)

The plan to go into Dover at 6-7am was pushing the weather window and CS admits that.


EDIT: A thought. "The port shall close to all shipping movements when the sustained wind speed within the harbour exceeds 55 knots from these directions, that is violent storm, force 11." http://www.doverport.co.uk/?page=OperatingLimitations So if the wheel hadn't broken they'd have made it into Dover... ...and the wheel broke in a F7.



[1] Pedants shut up, not my words, I'm quoting the article.
 
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The plan to go into Dover at 6-7am was pushing the weather window and CS admits that.

EDIT: A thought. "The port shall close to all shipping movements when the sustained wind speed within the harbour exceeds 55 knots from these directions, that is violent storm, force 11." http://www.doverport.co.uk/?page=OperatingLimitations So if the wheel hadn't broken they'd have made it into Dover... ...and the wheel broke in a F7.
I could be wrong, but the Port of Dover was open at 6-7am:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-down-on-roads-and-railway-lines-6284621.html
"The Port of Dover was forced to close between 10.30am and 1.20pm because of rough seas. Ferries to the Isle of Wight were also suspended due to the bad conditions."

With no steerage, and with three unsuccessful attempts at a tow, and with worsening weather, and having spent time evacuating injured/incapacitated crew, entry to Dover could not be achieved. With the steering later fixed (bodged!) they were escorted to Ramsgate.

CS was interviewed on BBC News almost as soon as he set foot on dry land - at the top of the marina walkway. He blamed the "almost freak wave" that injured the helmsman and broke the wheel. I am in no position to disagree. Others are welcome to do so...

I wish the MCA would publish the report soon! Then the argumentees can argue about it/them instead...
 
I could be wrong, but the Port of Dover was open at 6-7am:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-down-on-roads-and-railway-lines-6284621.html
"The Port of Dover was forced to close between 10.30am and 1.20pm because of rough seas. Ferries to the Isle of Wight were also suspended due to the bad conditions."

CS was interviewed on BBC News almost as soon as he set foot on dry land - at the top of the marina walkway. He blamed the "almost freak wave" that injured the helmsman and broke the wheel. I am in no position to disagree.

+1

Occam's Razor supports CS's version as stated in YM IMHO.
 
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