38' Yacht sank during race to Ensenada - 3 bodies recovered.

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Interesting. I remember reading an article a few years back about a sailboat that had a run in with a cargo carrier or tanker in the Chesapeake at night, somewhere around Annapolis or the Bay Bridge. I don't remember all the details but some that stuck with me were 1) the watch wasn't watching and/or there was a mechanical problem, 2) everybody got off OK (I think they abandoned ship before impact) and 3) and the best part - the sailboat suffered only minimal damage. Apparently either the bow wave or the wake (is it the wake alongside the ship?) just bobbed the sailboat aside. Sort of like a lost fender would get shoved aside by a boat our size. It didn't get "run over" and didn't get ground to pieces.
 
So there I was sitting on the deck of my house reading a book last weekend. My view is out over the Chesapeake where the Patapsco enters the Bay. It was a mostly clear day with some weird milky haze on the far horizon. I heard a ship's horn blowing, repeatedly. I look up and, sure enough, there's a giant car carrier on a collision course with a ~40' sailboat that was cutting across his path. A few more blasts on the horn and the skipper finally woke up and executed a sloppy tack to starboard as the ship was bearing down on her.

As I have to constantly tell my SO, and remind myself, keep your f*****g eyes outside the boat! :eek:
 
some guys from my local fishing forum were fishing in the area earlier this week and found a floating body, thought to be the 4th and last missing body (the skipper).

the coroner reports indicate the 3 men died from heavy blunts to head/neck.
would a sailboat going ? 10 kts make such an impact? seems unlikely to me.
 
Per said:
some guys from my local fishing forum were fishing in the area earlier this week and found a floating body, thought to be the 4th and last missing body (the skipper).

the coroner reports indicate the 3 men died from heavy blunts to head/neck.
would a sailboat going ? 10 kts make such an impact? seems unlikely to me.
Click to expand...

Apparently there were 6' swells at the time, so combined with whatever their SOG was there could have been significant force when they hit. No idea what the shoreline was like but if it was rocky or a bluff, it would have exacerbated the situation.

It will be interesting to see the official report once it is completed and published.
 
SUCH a creepy story. I guess you can die of a head injury from tripping and falling on your head so it makes sense that even going that slow, if you got thrown into a rock it could kill you. there was an incident in Chicago several years back where a boat was thrown into a seawall and some of the crew died from blunt force trauma from hitting the rocks.

Esh. :nonono:
 
Conrad said:
No idea what the shoreline was like but if it was rocky or a bluff, it would have exacerbated the situation.

It will be interesting to see the official report once it is completed and published.
Click to expand...

yes very rocky according to reports, like a rock wall basically.
i really didnt think colliding with a rock could cause such an impact to the effect it would kill someone (yes subsequent drowning or similar understandable).
this happened at night, most likely atleast 3 of the 4 crew were in their bunks down below.
 
Per said:
yes very rocky according to reports, like a rock wall basically.
i really didnt think colliding with a rock could cause such an impact to the effect it would kill someone (yes subsequent drowning or similar understandable).
this happened at night, most likely atleast 3 of the 4 crew were in their bunks down below.
Click to expand...

Impact force is easily misjudged. 6,000 pound object traveling 10 MPH hits a rock wall with approximately 10 tons of force. Have been told by a workplace safety expert once that 50% of all falls from 6 feet and above are fatal.

Physics is an interesting subject to me.
 
It may not have been a single strike. The boat may have been beat upon the rocks for some time.
 
A run in with a rock can be deadly.

We heard a Mayday a few, bunch of, years ago. Guy went on the wrong side of the light and hit the rock. His wife had been on the bow and was tossed right overboard and landed on her head on the rock. The stop was so abrupt and unexpected there was no chance of bracing or grabbing. It didn't kill her but it sure caused one heck of a bad injury and she had to be airlifted to the hospital.

Friends of ours glanced off a rock, damaging the boat, and they suffered serious bruising from being tossed around, again no warning so they couldn't brace themselves.

When the boat suddenly veers off in a totally unexpected direction or stops abruptly people can be killed or seriously injured even at what we think of as slow speeds.

Both the above boats are slow, one a sailboat about 30 or so ft, the other a 34 CHB
 
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