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Old 01-20-2015, 06:52 AM   #11
Peter B
TF Site Team
 
City: Ex-Brisbane, (Australia), now Bribie Island, Qld
Vessel Name: Now boatless - sold 6/2018
Vessel Model: Had a Clipper (CHB) 34
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,101
Guys, this was the Volvo Ocean round the world race, on the leg from Capetown to Abu Dhabi. They were sailing, as instructed, outside a special marked exclusion zone, meant to keep them clear of most, (but clearly not all), reefs and atolls. It was pitch black at night when they hit, and there was no warning they could hear or see over their own wash, spray and noise. In that race, you don't heave to at night - you keep racing. However, the point is well made. Check paper charts as well - and keep zooming in for more detail. I'm not sure if those yachts can use RADAR, as it might get in the way of the sails. That might also have helped. Very sad. I bet the navigator feels a real goose all right. Everyone else managed to miss it - most by chance, I suspect.
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Pete
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