The Sinking Of The Norwester

[FWT]

A sad sight to see.

Watch to the end to learn of the boat's history.

 

[MurrayM]

Sad on so many levels.

We lucked out and went over some thin water in our first summer of boating, so won't go pointing fingers as to how this happened. The only question I have is: no dinghy big enough for the number of people aboard?

It's bad enough that people would be filming from other boats, but to also have a professional film crew aboard the sinking boat is cruel irony.

Wish them well, and that the vessel can be saved...then they can shop the whole story in Hollywood.

 

[rgano]

Where were the high capacity pumps with which the USCG could have used in an attempt to keep her afloat while towing to a yard? It just looks like everybody is standing around with their thumbs hitched in their belts in exceptionally benign water conditions. Also makes me wonder whether there was anybody aboard with the knowledge oh how to attempt slowing the water ingress.

 

[twistedtree]

Where were the high capacity pumps with which the USCG could have used in an attempt to keep her afloat while towing to a yard? It just looks like everybody is standing around with their thumbs hitched in their belts in exceptionally benign water conditions. Also makes me wonder whether there was anybody aboard with the knowledge oh how to attempt slowing the water ingress.

Right. It looked like almost any extra pump capacity could have saved it. I'm surprised the sheriff's boat didn't have a portable pump, and doubly surprised the Tow Boat US boat didn't have one.

 

[MurrayM]

...

 

[Art]

Where were the high capacity pumps with which the USCG could have used in an attempt to keep her afloat while towing to a yard? It just looks like everybody is standing around with their thumbs hitched in their belts in exceptionally benign water conditions. Also makes me wonder whether there was anybody aboard with the knowledge oh how to attempt slowing the water ingress.

Rich - Thank you for saying that... you took the words right out of my mouth!!

What was wrong with everyone?? The water ingress could have been slowed and high volume gasoline pumps should have been brought aboard. Some sort of emergency actions to get pumps on board seems to have had plenty time available. Heck... every owner of a pump or store that carries pumps would most likely be honored to assist in stopping that boat from sinking.

GEEEZZZZ!!!

 

[Alaskaflyer]

Right. It looked like almost any extra pump capacity could have saved it. I'm surprised the sheriff's boat didn't have a portable pump, and doubly surprised the Tow Boat US boat didn't have one.

Heh. I’m not surprised about the Whatcom SO boat, but yes I’d expect a professional towing service to have one. I’m also surprised that a USCG response boat didn’t make the scene in that area, from Bellingham. Maybe they are who boomed it later.

 

[Ski in NC]

What the heck were they doing trying to run over that shoal???

 

[tiltrider1]

What the heck were they doing trying to run over that shoal???

That is really the question.

I wasn’t there so I can’t judge. It just appears that there was plenty of time to turn the main engine into a water pump and to start stuffing things into the breach, maybe that was already attempted.

 

[MurrayM]

What the heck were they doing trying to run over that shoal???

Lost situational awareness...had an electronic chart zoomed out too far...depth alarms not set or not loud enough, etc...

 

[kthoennes]

That is sad. Coincidentally Boat International magazine published a photo of John Wayne coming off that boat just a few issues ago.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

Lost situational awareness...had an electronic chart zoomed out too far...depth alarms not set or not loud enough, etc...

....actively filming for their video they supposedly are producing?

 

[GoneFarrell]

Sad to see this. Just motored by Norwester a week ago at her moorage in the Swinomish Channel.

 

[kthoennes]

I had to refresh my memory. It was a 2018 issue of Boat Int, and wasn't the Norwester. The photo they ran was John Wayne's bigger boat that he bought after Norwester, his 147' Wild Goose.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

The Admiral read somewhere today that the captain claimed he crossed an unmarked shoal.

Really sad. What a beautiful yacht.

 

[MurrayM]

This article states:

...The night before, their chart plotter was updated and read that their path was clear...

https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/539267722/john-wayne-s-first-yacht-sinking-in-the-san-juan-islands

We don't have a chart plotter. Is it possible that they plotted their course for the day from start to finish and it all "looked good" at a scale which showed the whole days run?

Once you've plotted your course for a days run, should you then zoom in on it so the subtler bottom details appear on the screen, then go over the days course again to double check for bottom details that may not have appeared at the original scale?

Just trying to understand...

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

This article states:



https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/539267722/john-wayne-s-first-yacht-sinking-in-the-san-juan-islands

We don't have a chart plotter. Is it possible that they plotted their course for the day from start to finish and it all "looked good" at a scale which showed the whole days run?

Once you've plotted your course for a days run, should you then zoom in on it so the subtler bottom details appear on the screen, then go over the days course again to double check for bottom details that may not have appeared at the original scale?

Just trying to understand...

I think you may be right Murray. Sad result. Not prepared? San Juans have a lot of reefs and rock shoals which are all documented.

 

[Ski in NC]

Looking at the wreck relative to that point, man were they close!! I would not venture anywhere near such a point unless I was dang sure it was solid water below. Looks like a rookie move.

 

[Northern Spy]

Now there is a Go Fund Me for it. https://www.gofundme.com/f/john-way...campaign=comms_yh+john-wayne-norwester-rescue

"The Norwester, a beloved and historic 76-foot boat iconic to the Pacific Northwest, hit unmarked rocks near the San Juan Islands on April 17, 2021."

Unmarked? Yup. Uncharted. Nope.

 

[tiltrider1]

There are no unmarked rocks or shoals in the Puget Sound or San Juan Islands. Update or no update the rocks have never moved and I have never seen any raster or vector charts that were missing data in this area.

What I see all the time is people plotting courses at a high level and not realizing they just plotted over a reef. I make a point to review all my routes zoomed in just to make sure I don't fall victim to such a mistake.

 

[Northern Spy]

Unmarked. No marker. There are lots of unmarked rocks and shoals. That's why one uses charts.

Caught me off too.

 

[High Wire]

Sad to see this whole mess, from the grounding to the attempted salvage. The good part was no one was hurt or killed.

 

[JSK55]

Real sorry to see this happen to the Norwester. There is a saying when boating in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands, "There are two kinds of boaters, those that have hit a rock and those that have yet to hit a rock". It can be a nasty place if your not on your "A" game. I always try to be very mindful of the situation and my first mate the same, when transiting unfamiliar areas.

 

[drb1025]

They were making a video selfie (promo video) when they hit the clearly charted shoal. So many mistakes, including no hull insurance.

 

[Greatlaker221]

There are no unmarked rocks or shoals in the Puget Sound or San Juan Islands. Update or no update the rocks have never moved and I have never seen any raster or vector charts that were missing data in this area.

What I see all the time is people plotting courses at a high level and not realizing they just plotted over a reef. I make a point to review all my routes zoomed in just to make sure I don't fall victim to such a mistake.

My Garmin has an auto route feature which takes all zoom levels into account and flags areas that are questionable. You can then edit the course. Then I zoom in and review the days course. I usually look again on Navionics to double check. The auto route has been reliable so far.

 

[Shrew]

Unmarked. No marker. There are lots of unmarked rocks and shoals. That's why one uses charts.

Agreed....

Unmarked = No ATON (Aid to Navigation)

Uncharted = Not notated on a chart.

If I'm correct, this is off of Charles Point at the mouth of northwestern end of Prevost Harbor. If so, the charts show that area as being awash, or almost awash at low tide, with surrounding depths of 6 feet.

Even if the reef wasn't marked, you should have been able to see this on a chart or chartplotter. With a lack of ATONS at the mouth, who wouldn't zoom in on their chartplotter to follow contour lines based on depth??

The entrace is 71 feet deep and rises to 49 feet well into the harbor. When he got to 46 feet outside of the mouth, that should have been a clue. Once they hit under 10 he should have realized there was an issue.

This could not have been a professional captain.

 

[gsholz]

These must have been familiar cruising grounds for the crew. That does not always help. I saw a 57 foot Bayliner high and dry just outside their marina (Pleasant Harbor). A moment of distraction and there you are.

 

[clstevens]

So much misinformation in one short thread...

I don't post here much (at all really) but just had to point out that just about everything shared here after the first post is wrong based on information that is readily available from other sources. Yes, of course the rock is charted. No, there are no amount of pumps, fothering, cushions stuffed in holes or other actions that would have kept her afloat (you need to see the diver video that has been shared on Facebook - her keel is ripped clean off for a good 6-8 feet aft of the stem and she is hard aground on the rock). Yes, according to the owners they had hull insurance. Yes, they claim to have been keeping a good helm watch despite the filming activities being done by others aboard.

It was a tragic mistake and certainly preventable but all the armchair captains here are not adding any actual value to the analysis of what might have been done differently. Bottom line, it could have happened to anyone and has happened to many - both amateur and professional. Our own boat, Skookum Maru bears the scars of a decades-old, similar, but less dramatic impact during previous ownership by a crew with years of experience in this area. She was lucky. Norwester was not. No reason to be smug or judgemental about it.

 

[MurrayM]

I don't post here much...

Welcome aboard...wish it was under better circumstances.

Your vessel is beautiful/ruggedly handsome

https://www.google.com/search?q="sk...hVeJzQIHZdfAsYQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=960&bih=509

 

[MurrayM]

Looks like you've linked your post to another website (I've never seen 279 guests reading a thread before) so I hope they realize the majority of posts here weren't pointing fingers, so much as trying to understand how it happened.

We all have an interest in this not happening to anyone!