# Four planes, ship rescue yachtsman sailing from Brisbane



## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

This appears to be an example of how to get out of trouble properly:

_"A solo yachtsman sailing from Brisbane to New Zealand has been plucked from rough seas in a dramatic seven-hour rescue involving four planes and a Danish container ship."_










Four planes, ship rescue yachtsman sailing from Brisbane


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Because your mainsheet breaks you get off??


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

And what exactly is wrong with the boat? I see headsails, a mast, a mainsail, a dry boat?????????????????????? Did he just get scared and want OFF. There must be more to this story. If people keep crying WOLF for non life-threatening reasons, sooner or later there will be no help for those truly needing the assist.


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## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

smurphny said:


> And what exactly is wrong with the boat? I see headsails, a mast, a mainsail, a dry boat?????????????????????? Did he just get scared and want OFF. There must be more to this story. If people keep crying WOLF for non life-threatening reasons, sooner or later there will be no help for those truly needing the assist.


Well.. if you'll get off your high horse for a sec you'll read that the report DID indicate the boat was "damaged". I guess we'll need to wait and see if there are any reports on what it was.

Maybe he hit something? Just maybe?!? 

At least he was properly prepared to go.


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## svzephyr44 (Jun 26, 2000)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Because your mainsheet breaks you get off??


One can not really tell from the photo but given the position of the boom I would guess rig damage more than just a broken main sheet and main halyard.

He has a steering vane but it could also be rudder damage that took out both the wheel and the vane. The boat is a cutter rig and the foredeck sails are both down but the main has not been brought down all the way. So something is going on with the rig.

Looks like he has 7 to 15 foot confused seas. Not fun.

His boat is rigged for offshore - solar, dinghy, vane.... He doesn't look like someone who missed the turn on the ICW and headed out to sea by mistake. (Yes, that was actually a couple's excuse when rescued by the USCG 16 miles offshore.)

I would not be so quick to condemn.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

You are correct we should not be quick to condemn. However, if there was other 'damage' as Classic 30 suggests, or rigging damage that you wonder about then wouldnt it be a good idea to lash the boom?

I have this feeling that a disaster happens with more than one screw up. So if something goes wrong one needs to be fully shipshape in every other department.
If he had rigging damage then is more dangerous to have a flailing boom.
How can you get rescued safely when you cant go on deck for fear of the boom?
In almost all of these disasters we know very little, but we have to look at each situation and work out what we would do. Because if we mentally rehearse we have a better chance of getting out of the situation with out boat and our lives.

I am sure its more than a broken mainsheet thats made this guy abandon. But a good seaman would have fixed that, imho. If it was possible to be fixed.

In the photo I can see all shrouds and stays. Any other visible damage?


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## jerryrlitton (Oct 14, 2002)

Still wondering how to measure those seas from that picture......


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

If a sailor like Yves Gelinas on Jean De Sud, in his circumnavigation, can be used for a yardstick of surviving rough conditions, it makes one wonder whether many of the recent rescues are really warranted. Gelinas was rolled multiple times in the roaring forties, lost his mast and rigging, no radio contact for days, but was able to jury rig a jib up on a piece of spar and some salvaged rigging. He got to land safely with no assistance in his 30' Alberg. There have been many examples of sailors getting back unassisted. It just seems that lately too little effort is expended before hitting the EPIRB button. Just being "in possible danger" should not be reason for an airlift.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Seems to me you could get the boom off and carry on with the mainsail loose footed if the boom is damaged. I have done that.

If it is just the main sheet then words fail me. Rig up something and if it is weak then only fly a double reefed main. 

Seems to me he stepped off a boat that was still in reasonable condition and one that will wash up somewhere in a month or two. Still there could be damage that we don't know about.


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

> _The sailor activated his Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) and rescuers found the 10m steel-hull yacht, adrift. The skipper reported that his yacht had lost his rudder._
> 
> RAAF C-130J assists in the rescue of a sailor in distress near Lord Howe Island : Department of Defence


A steel yacht losing its rudder, eh? Isn't that supposed to be beyond the realm of possibility?

Must not have been skeg-hung...


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

smurphny said:


> was able to jury rig a jib up on a piece of spar and some salvaged rigging. He got to land safely with no assistance.... It just seems that lately too little effort is expended before hitting the EPIRB button. Just being "in possible danger" should not be reason for an airlift.


Except for that couple who took 32 days to limp into Nova Scottia a few months ago, has there been any jury rigs sighted recently?

Sailors survive 32 days at sea in damaged boat before limping into Halifax - Nova Scotia - CBC News

These guys showed a bit of mettle.


> *Passing cargo ships helped*
> 
> They were without fuel for four days. Passing cargo ships provided food, water and some fuel. It was enough to power the ship into Halifax.
> 
> ...


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

How about pulling petals off a daisy? Broker, agent, broker ,agent, broker, agent.


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Don't most of the steel boats have transom-hung rudders? Isn't that a transom-hung rudder in the pic?


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