Conference unifix::sailing

    
    I heard a few more snippets....
    
    It was a 41 foot sloop from Mass. heading to Bermuda.  A fire in the
    engine spread quickly.  The schooner from Camden responded to their
    distress signal and got the crew safely off.  I belive this all 
    happened off the coast of Nantucket.
    
    mk

    Also in today's Boston Globe: A 65-year-old Canadian sailor was 
    rescued from his drifting 30 foot sloop 150 miles east of Boston.
    Apparently he was sailing alone, bound for the Bahamas. His sails and
    rudder were damaged in a storm after leaving Newburyport, and he was
    apparently knocked unconscious. The boat was spotted by a Coast Guard
    aircraft flying routine patrol. No distress signal has been received.
    One very, very lucky sailor as he was barely conscious and suffering
    from hypothermia when found.
    
    An Israeli sailor recently vanished after leaving Boston on his 40 foot
    boat and two men were lost off Buzzards Bay on October 28th while
    sailing a 21 foot sloop.

    The burning sloop was captained by some guy from Manchester-by-the-Sea
    Mass.

    The sailor out of Newburyport had been the talk of the town for some
    time before his departure.  His boat was 19' long, he's in his 60's.  I
    saw the boat, very small double ender I am not familiar with.  Large
    "windows" on the dog house.  A wind vane had been added.  Aux powered
    by an outboard.  VHF only.
    
    A friend of ours spent considerable time trying to talk him out of his 
    plan to sail to Bermuda directly.  Just seeing the boat sent a chill up
    our spines.
    
    

    The body of one of the sailors on the sailboat missing in Buzzards bay
    washed up on the beach on the cape this weekend.  News reporters, in
    their infinite wisdom presume the other person aboard the boat also
    drowned.
    
    A follow-up to the earlier question I posed.  I have been told it was
    indeed the schooner Roseway which took part in the rescue of the
    crew of the burning boat.  Having done the delivery voyage from Camden
    to the USVI three years ago, I can only imagine the words of the
    persons being rescued.    Skipper, "I have some good news and I have
    some bad news."  Crew, "What's the good news?"   S "We're being
    rescued."  C "And the bad news?"  S "The Roseway is the rescue vessel."
    
    djc
    
    
    djc

    The owner of the vessel which burned 150 miles off Nantucket left the
    Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly, was heading to Bermuda, then to St.
    Lucia, in the Caribbean.  Three people were in a life raft, and three
    in the water when they were rescued.

RE: .5

Dave, 

I know I can be a bit thick, I must have missed some thing. 

What would be 'bad' about being rescued by the ROSEWAY. 

Thanks

Fred

    Fred,
    
    The memories are somewhat blurred now, but I'll try to remember some of
    what made me say good news/bad news.
    
    I sailed the schooner Roseway from Camdem, Maine to the Caribbean a few
    years ago as working crew.  Below decks in the passenger cabin(ettes) 
    reminded many of us as being in a gorilla's armpit.  Wet, damp, dark,
    smelly.  The decks leaked like a sieve, causing the damp and maybe the
    smelly part.  
    
    The only fresh water plumbed to the cabins came from the "day tanks."  
    The day tanks had to be filled from the main tanks, and the fill occured 
    above decks.  When the decks were awash with sea water, the tanks couldn't 
    be filled; and the decks were awash for a large part of the journey.  When 
    I hear or read the word wallow, a particular vision of tan bark sails comes
    to mind.
    
    Information from the skipper as to weather conditions (predicted) not
    current was slim to non-existent.
    
    When we arrived in the Caribbean we discovered one of the shrouds on
    the foremast was broken.  *It* was replaced.  I heard from reputable
    sources that the foremast almost toppled on the return voyage from the
    Caribbean two years ago, when another shroud let go.  
    
    We had to stop in Bridgeport Ct to effect repairs on one of the
    engines.  Then stop again in NYC to effect repairs to one of the
    engines.  Then stop again in Bermuda to get impellers for the generator
    because the spares couldn't be found aboard, and the generator was
    needed to keep the batteries up, even with the engines running for
    about 1400 of the 2080 mile trip.
    
    But the food was good.
    
    Maybe it looks a lot better if you have to climb out of a liferaft.  
    
    djc
    

    
    
    	My neighbor was on the crew of the Old Thompson, and besides
    losing $1,500 worth of his own gear and clothes, learned a few lessons
    in safety and electrical systems.  This was an electrical fire, caused
    by the main positive lead from the batteries sagging onto, and
    eventually shorting out, on the propeller drive shaft.  Evidentally the
    boat was under power in relatively calm seas, smoke began trickeling up
    from the engine compartment.  Once in neutral, the sagging hot lead,
    which was sparking and beginning to melt the wire insulation, fused
    itself to the shaft, creating a 5' fire line in the fiberglass.  Within
    1-2 minutes, cabin was smoked out, and the crew couldn't get to the
    batteries to cut the cable.  They did eventually get the cable off at
    the terminal and control the fire, but the interior was fried.  The
    boat (Swan 41) was set adrift once the crew boarded the Roseway, and
    is probably riding the Gulf Stream..
    
    	My buddy went right to his own boatyard and put a 60 AMP fuse at
    the battery terminal of his boat, and is also looking at fire
    extinguisher locations (not all below decks!) and emergency kits for
    2 minute life raft drills!  
    
    	Sad example of a worst case scenario, and of course the root cause
    could have been prevented by closer engine compartment inspection- easy
    for us to call after the fact!
    
    	Tom (I like the simplicity of the Laser) S.  

    We listened to this event on the SSB after the fact.  Did the owner go
    back out an look for the boat?  We heard of a Swan being abandoned
    someone chartering a plane to look for it later.  
    
    Brian

    The discussion of fuses, circuit breakers, and electrical system safety
    has been moved to Note 2178.
    
    The Moderator
    

Dave,

Thanks for the reply.

I never have done an over night on a 'tall ship'. My experience had been to 
board several as they made overnight stop in Somes Harbor at the head of Somes 
Sound. Nice weather, and every onew on board seemed to be haveing a blast.

Your description certainly adds understanding to the 'bad' news part.

I guess I was only looking at it from the life raft perspective. If you are
gonna get rescued, why not a 'Princess' Cruise Ship or some such. Of course
beggars cant afford to be too choosy! 

Fred