Trawler sunk in WA

As mentioned, towing a large runabout is not uncommon. The questions I have are more basic such as traveling alone at night in unfamiliar rock strewn log infested waters.

A dock mate just relayed a story to me where they had sold their DeFever 48 and shortly thereafter it sank while entering Anacortes at night after striking a rock. There are so many ways to sink, most involving poor decision making

I have always wanted to have a great tender. My davits strain with a 12 ft, 40hp, that will do 25 knots. But still, this:
https://www.ribeye.co.uk/models/a-600 would be much better matched to my desires. 48 knots, much more stable in a seaway, could stow all the gear I am constantly loading back onto my trawler.

Come on guys, give the guy a break. First he had to convince his wife the 17 ft tender was necessary, now he has to convince all you suspicious nay-sayers.

Delfin said:

Where will you scuttle your boat, since that is clearly your plan?

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Well since it is so obvious I think I'll just scuttle the plan

I assumed the dingy size/ratio discussion was just a little thread drift, not necessarily a smoking gun that the sinking was fishy.

I will leave the issue in the hands of the insurance company. Innocent until proved guilty. That principle may allow some guilty individual to slip through the cracks but protects the innocent from wrongful blame.

agm_66 said:

I would just like to know if he hit something and what it was- and if so has the thing hit been found and dealt with. Is there a FAA type agency for boating where you can look up preliminary reports for accidents?

Based off the timestamp on the rescue video this happened at the end of July. Is that enough time to begin an investigation, put out a report, and/or retrieve the wreck or would it just be left as is?

I don't know enough about boating to know, but I'm looking at maybe the size of the dinghy could simply be something he had from before, or was a deal he picked up cheap, or was the only thing on hand to support his trip out that night. But that is my speculation.

With all the forum members from that general area I still halfway expect someone to log in and know this boat or this person.

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Your questions are not likely to get answers yet. Coast Guard may issue a report. Deadheads, containers, or other large semi submerged objects are a fact of life. Once hit the last thing on anyone's mind is specifically
Identify what it was or locating it so "it can be dealt with". This is not a car collision where everything stays put after the fact. The object moves on the tides/currents, may actually finally sink after the boat sinks but miles away.
Objects can be as already mentioned, submerged just below the surface and not to be seen. It could have been a section of floating dock.
The guy may have been foolish to night travel single handing but maybe has done it before and been fine. Whether you understand it yet or not , many of us singlehand and with wife/friends joining later at some other place.
Mybe he is a retired fisherman who used to single travel.

Wait for the report before any more speculation.

I was looking at 17' center consoles but after reading this thread doing so may limit our future trawlers to above the 65-70' range.

Going up to Desolation Sound with my 13' Calypso on davits, towing a 15' center console Smokercraft fishing boat should of raised a few eyebrows. But it didn't, its pretty common in the PNW, especially with blow boats.

Single-handing it up the Washington Coast at night now, not my cup of tea. But I seem to recall one of our group single-handedly making the crossing from the Azores and Ireland not that long ago?

sunchaser said:

As mentioned, towing a large runabout is not uncommon. The questions I have are more basic such as traveling alone at night in unfamiliar rock strewn log infested waters.

A dock mate just relayed a story to me where they had sold their DeFever 48 and shortly thereafter it sank while entering Anacortes at night after striking a rock. There are so many ways to sink, most involving poor decision making

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Twice in the last couple of years we've passed a 48' or so trawler towing two, count 'em, two 14' sailboats. Masts up, jibs furled. I have no clue why, or for that matter how. Next time I see him, I'll take a picture.

Ka_sea_ta said:

I've seen plenty of dead heads even hit a few, they break running gear, it's pretty difficult for a waterloggged piece of wood to hole fiberglass at 7 or 8 knots. However a container is a different story they seem to achieve neutral buoyancy and float just below the water. Hit the corner of one of those and it's an instant hole... As far as a dingy we routinely towed a 20ft'r behind our 42 OA and have an 18ft tender for our 48... no big deal

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+1

'65 and three?


Trawler Forum - View Single Post - Work in progress. 65' lugger reworked after a fire

The boat was stolen from a harbor in San Diego, taken south and loaded with drugs and illegals. They then sailed up to the beaches off the Washington coast and a 17' run about came out and off loaded the "Cargo". After which a second boat brought out an unconscious fisherman found behind a local bar and left him with the stolen vessel and tender.
At least that's what Tom Clancy said.

Pgitug said:

The boat was stolen from a harbor in San Diego, taken south and loaded with drugs and illegals. They then sailed up to the beaches off the Washington coast and a 17' run about came out and off loaded the "Cargo". After which a second boat brought out an unconscious fisherman found behind a local bar and left him with the stolen vessel and tender.
At least that's what Tom Clancy said.

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Nah, it was a hacker from North Korea

We towed our new (to us) 16'8" Rendova this summer. Piece of cake, never an issue, it's basically a giant fender. And my wife sure loved moving through the San Juans and Gulf Islands at 25 knots and fitting in at dinghy docks.

I plan on towing a 17 foot plus or minus tender behind a 40 footer in the near future.

That alone is not suspicious, but many rescues I participated in raised eyebrows and questions to me about the sinking being a possible insurance job.

Not uncommon when one or more oddities are in the story.

If the vessel was scuttled, a forensic audit will uncover the crime.

refugio said:

We towed our new (to us) 16'8" Rendova this summer. Piece of cake, never an issue, it's basically a giant fender. And my wife sure loved moving through the San Juans and Gulf Islands at 25 knots and fitting in at dinghy docks.
View attachment 68539
View attachment 68540

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Really nice looking Trawler. Under your info it does not list your vessel.
What make and model?

I would think an insurance job would involve a fire to destroy as much evidence as possible, and be much farther off shore.

Pgitug said:

Really nice looking Trawler. Under your info it does not list your vessel.
What make and model?

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It's a one-off ferro-cement trawler. Here's a thread I did on it a few years back.

I'll be honest - as much as I love the boat and the "big boat" feel of 34 tons, my petite wife would much prefer something smaller. That's part of why I have the big tender - she enjoys that much more.

refugio said:

It's a one-off ferro-cement trawler. Here's a thread I did on it a few years back.

I'll be honest - as much as I love the boat and the "big boat" feel of 34 tons, my petite wife would much prefer something smaller. That's part of why I have the big tender - she enjoys that much more.

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Cool rig. 34 tons but what's the LOA?

twistedtree said:

I'm just really skeptical of people. That's a large tender to be towing for a 45' boat out in open water, 10 miles off shore. Not unheard of, but definitely at the fringe. And a convenient escape vessel. And a convenient bump on the head so one can't answer any questions about what happened.

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Now you don't think he?? Supposed it's happened many times before!

South of Heaven said:

Cool rig. 34 tons but what's the LOA?

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LOA 44'6" with trim not including anchor roller (added after, adds maybe 18"). Waterline length 40'6", beam 14'8" (again, with trim), 6' draft, 41.5" x 20.5" rudder, 40x23 RH prop, 3" shaft. There's an 8" wide x 2" thick bronze shoe that runs all the way from the bow to support the rudder - I shudder to think what that might cost today.