43 Foot Searay Sinks

[Tkgc]

One of the decons in our church, his son purchased a Searay in Merritt Island FL. While bringing it home to Jacksonville FL they hit the jetty and sank it.
I have a video of it not sure how to share.

 

[hollywood8118]

I guess he shouldn't have skipped the boat blessing prior to departure with the new boat!
Hollywood

 

[Tkgc]

I guess he shouldn't have skipped the boat blessing prior to departure with the new boat!
Hollywood

Definitely should of had it insured before casting off lines.

 

[mvweebles]

Any idea the circumstances that led to hitting thr breakwater? Visibility in pictures is unobstructed. Heart attack? Something unexpected?

Or was this just a case of hitting a rock (and conveniently not mentioning that the rock was one of thousands forming the breakwater)?

Peter

 

[Tkgc]

Word I got was they were bringing it back at night and hit a submerged that was not marked on a chart outside Mayport.
How true that is I don't know.
3 souls in the water when Coast Guard arrived. 1 was an infant.

 

[AlaskaProf]

Definitely should of had it insured before casting off lines.

Many years ago, a co-worker of mine bought one of those go-fast-low-freeboard-high-decibel big, exposed, chromed engine ski boats and was trailing it home with the assistance of a couple buddies and a couple six-packs.


Someone suggested they try it out at a nearby mountain lake, which they proceeded to do. By all reports, they were having a great sun-scorched, beer infused good time right up to the moment when the engine conked out a hundred yards or so off the beach.


They were in the engine space, trouble-shooting when a passing loud-zoomer threw them a substantial wake and the immobile boat simply disappeared , leaving the three of them doing the breaststroke.


200 feet of water, no insurance.


Next day, a card appeared on the bulletin board at work:

FOR SALE:
Boat trailer, only used once, $25,000. Contact Don Rxxx."

 

[LandlockedInUT]

Seems pretty well marked to me...

 

[psneeld]

Seems pretty well marked to me...

The jetties I believe are not marked at all and there are submerged sections at the end.

Been in and out of there a few times recently and camped right there at the jetties.

 

[LandlockedInUT]

The jetties I believe are not marked at all and there are submerged sections at the end.

Been in and out of there a few times recently and camped right there at the jetties.

The chart clearly shows the submerged sections and at even the quickest of glances, one would see that you can't enter the inlet inside of R6 or G5.

It's easy to sit here after the fact and use 20/20 to be right, but I mean, come on... it's right there on the damn chart.

 

[Comodave]

The chart clearly shows the submerged sections and at even the quickest of glances, one would see that you can't enter the inlet inside of R6 or G5.

It's easy to sit here after the fact and use 20/20 to be right, but I mean, come on... it's right there on the damn chart.

And your point is???

 

[psneeld]

The chart clearly shows the submerged sections and at even the quickest of glances, one would see that you can't enter the inlet inside of R6 or G5.

It's easy to sit here after the fact and use 20/20 to be right, but I mean, come on... it's right there on the damn chart.

Never made a mistake on the water I guess.
Especially at night.

Unfortunately some mistakes are more severe than others.

The well marked jetties that I consider well marked have lights on the end and no submerged sections that aren't marked.

 

[Larry M]

We’re glad everyone was ok. Coming into a river entrance in the dark with a new boat?

 

[LandlockedInUT]

Never made a mistake on the water I guess.
Especially at night.

Mistake, yes. Gross negligence, never.

 

[LandlockedInUT]

And your point is???

Five seconds on waterwayguide.com would have saved the boat. What's the first thing you do before entering an unfamiliar inlet at night?

 

[LandlockedInUT]

And lest anyone taking me to task forget...

Word I got was they were bringing it back at night and hit a submerged that was not marked on a chart outside Mayport.
How true that is I don't know.
3 souls in the water when Coast Guard arrived. 1 was an infant.

 

[mvweebles]

Word I got was they were bringing it back at night and hit a submerged that was not marked on a chart outside Mayport.

How true that is I don't know.

EDIT - looks like this came in at same time as LL Utah

I think LandLockedInUtah was reacting to this part of the OPs update. Hitting a submerged jetty is one thing. Saying it was uncharted is another (if that's the claim - multi-hand information by this point).

I will say these types of accidents can be instructive. Temptation is to say 'it's charted, hitting it is dumb.' Which is ultimately true, but why did the helmsman do it? Drunk? Inexperienced? Or perhaps disoriented for some reason. Who amonh us has never mis-identified an ATON for some reason such as background lights, etc.

From a learning perspective, safe assumption is the operator was reasonably capable, so what would cause a reasonably capable operator to hit what he hit?

Peter

 

[hmason]

If you look carefully at the chart pics posted by psneeld above, it sure looks like the depth contour indicates 24 to 33 feet over the submerged portion of the jetty. The marker looks like green over red which can be passed on either side although perceiving it as green is preferred. I’m looking at the a small picture so I could be misinterpreting.

 

[LandlockedInUT]

Temptation is to say 'it's charted, hitting it is dumb.'

I guess that's where I differ from the old grey beards here. Back in the day of sextants and paper charts, indeed, **** did happen. But in a time where everyone can download a free chart plotter app to their phone? I have no sympathy. I don't care about lights or fog or noise... you see your boat on the plotter, you see the course line it's showing, and you steer the boat so that line doesn't point towards stuff you don't want to hit, so unless we're talking a moving shoal up around NC, then no... it's not a mistake. It's gross negligence.

 

[LandlockedInUT]

From a learning perspective, safe assumption is the operator was reasonably capable, so what would cause a reasonably capable operator to hit what he hit?

Peter

Complacency or complete ignorance. It's either "I've done this a million times," or a lack of experience so extreme that the act of checking out an unfamiliar inlet that you know you're going to be entering at night never crossed their mind.

Sorry, but I'm sticking to my guns on this one. I usually give the benefit of the doubt, but again... it's right friggin' there on the chart. RIGHT THERE. I've never even been through there and it took me five seconds to see that you need to go outside R6 or G5.

 

[hmason]

As far as this gray beard is concerned it’s only gross negligence until it happens to you.

 

[psneeld]

Guess if I am a greybeard, some young pup is lecturing me yet again.

After decades in the rescue and salvage business, I hope he is luckier than most that have been there, done that.

Of course some mistake was made...I am just old enough, experienced enough, trained enough and smart enough not to huff and puff till I know a lot more.

 

[Benthic2]

On this chart it is just a black line. If you aren't familiar with the chart it might not be so obvious as there are lines all over the chart. That's unfortunate...it looks like a nice boat.

 

[psneeld]

On this chart it is just a black line. If you aren't familiar with the chart it might not be so obvious as there are lines all over the chart. That's unfortunate...it looks like a nice boat.

Pretty sure I can read subm jetty on the Raster Chart.

 

[Comodave]

Five seconds on waterwayguide.com would have saved the boat. What's the first thing you do before entering an unfamiliar inlet at night?

I was being sarcastic.

 

[Comodave]

On this chart it is just a black line. If you aren't familiar with the chart it might not be so obvious as there are lines all over the chart. That's unfortunate...it looks like a nice boat.

Looked like a nice boat…

 

[LandlockedInUT]

As far as this gray beard is concerned it’s only gross negligence until it happens to you.

Would you ever enter an unfamiliar inlet at night without even so much as a cursory glance at the charts? Would you enter that inlet at night with a plotter running? If you'd never been through there and you had the plotter running, would you have cut R6 and G5? Even if you had local knowledge, would you have cut inside those markers at night to save a couple hundred yards?

"It wasn't marked on the chart." No, bullshit, it is marked. It's right there. I can see it here from my living room in Utah, 2500 miles away from the inlet. This isn't a mistake. A mistake is spelling "deacon" without the "a."

 

[LandlockedInUT]

I was being sarcastic.

My apologies. Being the smartass I am, I should have picked up on it.

 

[LandlockedInUT]

Guess if I am a greybeard, some young pup is lecturing me yet again.

I've spent 30 years in the aviation industry where people live and die by charts or lack thereof. I guess the marine industry is different because you guys only have to worry about hitting stuff at 20 knots or less instead of 200.

 

[hmason]

Apples and oranges.

 

[slowgoesit]

I've spent 30 years in the aviation industry where people live and die by charts or lack thereof. I guess the marine industry is different because you guys only have to worry about hitting stuff at 20 knots or less instead of 200.

LLinUT, Just curious, are you ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that the chart you are referencing, that was posted by people who are trying to be helpful, but who weren't there, was the EXACT location that the boat in question first hit the rocks?
I've only been boating for 47 years, and flying for 43 years, including being a trained aircraft accident investigator . . . . and many, Many, MANY times, I've run into people who are already telling me exactly what happened without any source of those pesky little items called "facts" to back them up, and before I've even seen the accident site.

Maybe it's just me, but you may want to cut the people involved a little slack, at least until you know the facts.