42' cat disabled 300nm offshore MD

Did I miss something? Why did they abandon the boat? Surely not just because of weather. Must admit though that to do that route direct at this time of year is not too bright.
 
"A representative from the manufacturer of the 42-foot sailboat Be Good Too contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday, reporting the Be Good Too was disabled and adrift during its transit from New York to the British Virgin Islands."

It looks like a charter boat in the video and the manufacturer was in contact with the CG? Interesting. I am glad everyone is safe but both CG and Navy involvement wasn't cheap.
 
Why would the manufacturer call the CG? It looks pretty tidy for a disabled boat. Knowing what went wrong is going to take a while. It looks like they got stuck in a good mess.
I agree that it is a pretty dumb idea to run that length in Winter, especially with the way the fronts have been rolling through this year. Passages to the Bahamas have been very infrequent.
 
You are right , it does look like that cat is in very good shape topsides and seas look manageable (at present). But I wonder if perhaps 1 or more rudders were lost or steering otherwise compromised beyond the POB's capability to work-around? At least they saved the beer.

This past summer a roughly 36' Pearson ketch in surprisingly good condition originally, with almost no water in the cabin, came ashore on the south side of Martha's Vineyard after being abandoned 2/3 of the way from Miami to Bermuda in bad wx.
http://mvgazette.com/news/2013/07/1...ailboat-police-warn-arrests?k=vg52377fa5d536a

Wonder where this cat will end up....
 
Just curious and not at all saying this is the case with the cat above-

If a boat is fully abandoned in non-sinking condition in bad but not clearly life-threatening conditions, say , if the crew panics hysterically as happens or there is fear from deteriorating wx predictions, or it's just too painful and physically & mentally exhausting to those who made poor decisions, etc., can the owner still find any casualty relief from his yacht insurance coverage?

I'd think that would be a tough sell for most owners.
 
quote:
Originally posted by boatbum

Why would the manufacturer call the CG? It looks pretty tidy for a disabled boat. Knowing what went wrong is going to take a while. It looks like they got stuck in a good mess.
I agree that it is a pretty dumb idea to run that length in Winter, especially with the way the fronts have been rolling through this year. Passages to the Bahamas have been very infrequent.

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I would guess the manufacturer called the CG because perhaps it was a brand new boat being delivered to one of the charter company's in the islands. While it's perhaps true most of them are done in Nov/Dec, winter sailboat deliveries to the islands are not uncommon.
 
I was wondering if it was a delivery as well. Perhaps the crew was in touch with the mfg trying to get it back in shape so the mfg made the call for them to ensure a good contact.
 
quote:
Originally posted by New2Me34C

What's the deal with the cooler? Leave no beer behind?

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Did someone bring a small cooler when they were hoisted? I didn't watch the video.

But it's most likely not full of beer, but ziplock bags full of paperwork, cell phones, wallets, and whatever else the crew really didn't want to leave behind. Most boats don't have a Pelican case handy to throw everything in when it's time to call the game, but most boats DO have a small cooler onboard. Most of them are somewhat water resistant, and they all float.
 
Why would you not call your insurance company and see what they could do to save the boat with you on it rather than abandoned it to the salvagers? If someone could salvage it, then surely someone could tow it in with you on it under an insurance contract. Am I missing something here?
 
Maybe not. SeaTow (excuse the reference) may not go that far off shore. Even if they did, they would probably claim the boat anyway. Towing a boat with bent steerage 300 miles from shore, for 300+ miles, cannot be easy. Calling in an ocean going tug could get much more expensive. Especially for the mfg. company if the new owners get injured?
 
quote:
Originally posted by GeeBee

Why would you not call your insurance company and see what they could do to save the boat with you on it rather than abandoned it to the salvagers? If someone could salvage it, then surely someone could tow it in with you on it under an insurance contract. Am I missing something here?

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It may not be salvageable. They did seem to mention that the boat was taking on water.

But in some ways this does sound like another case of it was easier to call for help than to stick it out, tough it out and get the boat in.

Then again it's hard to judge without having all the facts.

One person on board was an editor for Sail magazine, so I'm sure there is an article in the works.
 
Could be somebody on board was diabetic and the cooler had his insulin in it.
 
The story gets better...

http://www.sailfeed.com/2014/01/helicopter-evacuation-abandoning-be-good-too/

It was hull nr one , just delivered. Steering failure which raises questions about the build quality...

If you read the article and look at th picture, you can't help wondering what they were doing that far offshore. Step held by 4 screws... Wires attached by what seem to be computer wire holder from Home Depot with sticky tape... And in one of the pictures, there is a green line which looks to me like it is un glassed divinycel foam core...

Plus leaky windows.

And then the crew refuses to board a ship sent to rescue them because it is heading east forcing the USCG to send a helo that has to stop to refuel on a navy ship

Absolutely unbelievable..
 
It sure looks like neither the ship nor the crew should have gone out of sight of the builder's yard.
 
You can bet the builder is hoping that Cat sinks and is not recovered. If the Cat is determined to be a "Hazard to Navigation" or it is interfering with scheduled US Navy operations, it can be sunk to eliminate the problem. Nobody mentioned it, but apparently there was no shake down cruise prior to the delivery departure. A few days of coastwise sailing would have identified some of the issues that manifested themselves 300 miles offshore. I don't really fault the crew for not boarding the vessel bound for Israel. Boarding a cargo ship at sea from a sailboat in anything but dead calm conditions is all but impossible. The mast will strike the ship's side when the Cat rolls while alongside and the whole rig will come crashing down on deck. Also you end up paying for that boat trip to Israel. If you don't evacuate with your ID and Passport, expect the hassle of your life getting onto dry land in Israel and for that matter back into the ole USA. Use that Sat Phone to call a local commercial fishing boat to run out the 300 miles (30 or so hours) and to tow the Cat to safe harbor. If the damaged rudders present a problem during the tow, drop them out the hull, plug the hole anc continue on. Not the best example of Seamanship.
 
As described in the article they were not without some skills. Being forced backwards is a sure way to break rudders.They even seem to have tried using sails for some steering. The one thing they did not try was jury rigging a rudder.

The construction of the boat surely leaves much to desire for offshore sailing. IMO the maker will have some liability based on the pictures.
 
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