SV Dagny is adrift in the Gulf Stream

Has anyone noticed this? SV Dagny apparently went adrift in the Bahamas West End as the owner went ashore to pay the cruising fee. Now the boat is headed northeast in the Gulf Stream.

SV Dagny - A happy life is one in motion, which the sea provides in all directions.

It is an off-white hull with a dark boot stripe, 26 LOA Morris Francis 26 design.

Stu

An excerpt from webpage llink
"22 December, 2015 in Under Way
I left on Thursday December the 17th. Friday was going to be bad weather with the winds switching to the North, which for crossing the Stream is a no-no. I left early at at 5:30, motor-sailing. I can’t describe the anticipations and worries leaving at night on my first ocean crossing. This was going to be the shake-down cruise for Dagny and I. She undoubtedly has more experience than myself. Truth be told, I have practically none. I fear that admitting this will get me the wrath of experienced sailors, and they would be mostly right. This is just the way I do things, from cave diving to flying ultralights. Inexperienced doesn’t mean ill prepared or lacking knowledge. I have envisioned this trip for years and learned everything I could about sailing. This was my first time alone on a boat. My total sailing experience amounted that morning to a few hours aboard a friend’s boat as a guest. Now you’re going to think I am crazy. I certainly do not suggest anyone try this. You might not come back."

Seems he had to cut loose his usual anchor a 35# Mantus, couldn't haul it in do to weakness from a rough crossing. He then was anchored with a 20#CQR. no telling whether it pulled loose, line was cut by coral, knot came loose, or lifted by human and boat stolen?? Maybe the swivel broke?
Interesting reading in the log.

Wishing him good luck it doesn't look like he has had much of that ltely

Steve said:

An excerpt from webpage llink
"22 December, 2015...This was going to be the shake-down cruise for Dagny and I. She undoubtedly has more experience than myself. Truth be told, I have practically none...This was my first time alone on a boat. My total sailing experience amounted that morning to a few hours aboard a friend’s boat as a guest...

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I took a few things out of context but wow!

"The sea does not suffer fools gladly"

Wow! This sounds like the first chapter of one of my favorite "boat experience" books "Desperate Voyage" by John Caldwell. I wish him luck, sounds like he'll need some.

Cut the dock lines and shove off. If it's gonna happen it's gonna happen out there.

For those interested there's a thread, "Tragedy Strikes", on Cruisers Forum that began on 12/22 and to date has hit 49 pages of comments along with responses from SV Dagny's owner. Here's a link to that thread:

Tragedy Strikes. - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

Diesel Duck 492 said:

For those interested there's a thread, "Tragedy Strikes", on Cruisers Forum that began on 12/22 and to date has hit 49 pages of comments along with responses from SV Dagny's owner. Here's a link to that thread:

Tragedy Strikes. - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

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Reading a bit of that, IMO, the boat was stolen, it didn't just drift away.... Sad story for sure.

Diesel Duck 492 said:

For those interested there's a thread, "Tragedy Strikes", on Cruisers Forum that began on 12/22 and to date has hit 49 pages of comments along with responses from SV Dagny's owner. Here's a link to that thread:

Tragedy Strikes. - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

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Jesus! I not sure I've ever read a thread with so much ignorant and/or out right bad advice in it as there is in that one.

Capt.Bill11 said:

Jesus! I not sure I've ever read a thread with so much ignorant and/or out right bad advice in it as there is in that one.

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Welcome to the internet

No way was I wading through 52 pages of that as a non member. Nor would I join, having seen several CF threads like that.

Briefly perused the thread on CF. Mistakes were made - but you do feel bad for the guy starting out his dream on such a disastrous note.

Who buys a boat and heads off on a long distance voyage without putting around the coast a while? Also, if you're planning to go to the panama canal, isn't that southwest of Fort Pierce? Next, panama requires crossing expenses, and he didn't have them. Apparently he had never been on rough water enough to have sea sickness...

He may not have had all the experiance in the world but you only get that from getting out and doing it anyway. So at least he was out there giving it a go. He made the crossing and made West End, so he wasn't doing to bad.

Capt.Bill11 said:

He may not have had all the experiance in the world but you only get that from getting out and doing it anyway. So at least he was out there giving it a go. He made the crossing and made West End, so he wasn't doing to bad.

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Bad is an individual definition. I'd consider loss of engine and loss of primary anchor, no insurance, and a few other things I noticed to be bad for one leg.

As I read it his total experience was a few hours on a friends boat earlier the day he left single handed his first time handling a boat.

I feel bad for him, but I repeatedly see people encouraged to take the adventure, not delay, no training. He took the time to sell everything, to prepare the boat, and to start his blog, but couldn't take the time to gain a little experience first.

Those things that did go bad on the first leg, as well as other things he could have but didn't do, led to his loss of the boat.

Now, ultimately it was his choice and if he went in with eyes fully open and aware of the risks, then that's his right. I admit this is just one aspect of the sailing world and the CF world of adventure which I'd consider foolhardiness that I just don't grasp or understand. Doesn't make them wrong, just outside my comfort zone. There are a lot of them however that don't make it to forums as they don't work out, with far worse consequences than his. There is risk to all boating. I just believe in managing it to a lower level more than some do.

BandB said:

B There is risk to all boating. I just believe in managing it to a lower level more than some do.

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Agreed. In today's TV ads, Magazine spreads, Facebook and Internet world it is all too easy to believe life, risk taking and behavior are without consequences.

I'm the king of winging it, and this voyage sounded pretty stupid even to me.

sunchaser said:

Agreed. In today's TV ads, Magazine spreads, Facebook and Internet world it is all too easy to believe life, risk taking and behavior are without consequences.

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I guess my major gripe with this kind of thing is that it can put other people at risk. For example, if he had lost a mast or something in the crossing due to his inexperience and become imperiled the USCG would have rescued him at great expense and potential loss of life and limb on their part. I'm thankful they will be there should I ever need them but I think that requires enough respect for their time and tax dollars to do your best to not require rescue.

All of those things happen to cruisers sooner or later. He seemed to be overcoming them pretty well and was at least well enought prepared to have a second anchor of the correct size for the boat he had.

I guess I just have a soft spot for people who get out and do things even if they don't/can't cover all the bases before going for it.

Now some people take that to the extreme and do obviously stupid things. Those people I don't have a soft spot for.

As to who fits into which category, well that's a bit of a moving target for me I guess. As I would guess it is for many people unless they have a hard core black and white type mentality. And they feel you should never do anything until you have all contingencies covered.

cardude01 said:

I'm the king of winging it, and this voyage sounded pretty stupid even to me.

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You and I both. Door number 2 however is staying chained to the dock for years preparing you and your boat to go on a voyage that never seems to happen.

We are currently making plans to follow the VicTrawler path. Picking up a cheap vessel, slap on some solar panels and water maker and head south a month after buying it.

Looks like Gil is headed home, boatless. So far no one has spotted Dagny.

One would think with this much visibility and the traffic in the region, you would think someone would have spotted a rigged sailboat. unless the pilfered boat is tied up to some Bahamian seawall...

stubones99 said:

Looks like Gil is headed home, boatless. So far no one has spotted Dagny.

One would think with this much visibility and the traffic in the region, you would think someone would have spotted a rigged sailboat. unless the pilfered boat is tied up to some Bahamian seawall...

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A small, low free board boat like that would be very hard to spot. And even if some one did from a distance they may not think there is a reason to investigate it.

It's a big ocean. Remember the kids off the coast of South Florida? I don't know of their boat or them being found. With all the other problems he had with this boat, it could be sunk somewhere close or it could have floated away very fast. We don't know where it is so clearly we have no idea what happened to it.

I highly doubt it was stolen, but we obviously don't know one way or the other. Who knows when a boat is left unattended and without it's primary anchor. I've known many boats to float away when unattended.

That brings us to something for all of us to think about. Many leave boats in anchorages untended with minimal security if any. I don't think any of us would think of taking a huge stack of hundred dollar bills and leaving it on the sidewalk as we went into a store shopping, yet we leave boats worth many thousands like that. It's like leaving your keys in your car. I'm personally amazed there isn't more boat theft.

Capt.Bill11 said:

A small, low free board boat like that would be very hard to spot. And even if some one did from a distance they may not think there is a reason to investigate it.

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True. Wasn't there a commercial fishermen on a small open boat out of Mexico lost at sea over a year found after drifting 6,000 miles? That ocean is a lot bigger than most of us lowly recreational coastal boaters will ever realize.

Lol looks like B or B beat me to the point by 4 minutes

All of the landmass on the Earth if bunched together would fit in the Pacific.

I don't condone his unpreparedness but at least he had a go. Lots of people dream from their couch and never get off it.

<like> Except for the fact that you have to lean ALL the way forward to get to the cooler.....that's a LOT of work man!