dismasting

Hello All, I just want to thank you for your concern, kindness, generosity, and suggestions regarding the recent May, 2009, dismasting (and eventual totalling) of my beautiful "Valkyrie", a Scanmar 33 off St. Sugustine, FL. All I can say is that I am priveledged to belong to such a wonderful community. Thank you. Now, to bigger boats and more sailing adventures. Is there a Tartan 37, Cal 39 or C&C 38 Landfall out there somewhere?? Most Sincerely, Ira C. Reba Boatless-but looking- in Vermont (way too many trees and not enough salt water)

For those of you who might be interested, here is a narrative sent to my insurance company last month regarding the dismasting of my boat: As I was nearing the St. Augustine inlet under reefed, roller furled genoa my engine lost power and died. Having no success trying for about 20-30 minutes to restart it and simultaneously trying to raise my mainsail which I also could not due to the rapidly worsening weather. The wind was now coming from the ENE. The very confused sea state (an enormous washing machine), current (heading out toward the east), wind coming from ENE made it impossible to raise my mainsail. I called Towboat US. They told me they would be out ASAP. Futilely trying to restart the engine and raising the mainsail, this took more than another hour plus. Unknown to me, TowboatUS was unable to make it out of the inlet due to the terrible sea state. Apparently, they tried to let me know this but I never heard or received that transmission. In the meantime, because of the growing dangerous sea state at the inlet, and wind beginning to shift to the north, I had very little control of the boat and was heading toward shallower water, out of the narrow inlet, toward the beach, depth around 14 feet. This went on for what seemed like several hours. I was "pooped" four times and was sent over the side and washed back into the boat on the third of those times. Luckily, I had my life jacket on and jack line attached. I cannot be sure of the exact time but while trying to maneuver the boat toward deeper water, (which miraculously I was very slowly able to do) I looked up and there was a 47' USCG steel cutter heading toward me. After being hailed on my main VHF (portable washed overboard) and discussion with the captain of the cutter, I was told that they must return to Jacksonville, because of the dangerous sea/weather conditions and that I had only 10 minutes to decide to either stay with the boat or secure the boat, take a minimum of important papers/gear/clothes and go with them. Since I could not restart my engine, could not raise my mainsail in order to head out to sea to heave-to for the duration of this brewing storm, I decided it was more prudent to go with them. At that point, my boat was intact except for the engine problem. I anchored the boat in 60 feet of water approximately 4 miles south of the inlet with 90 feet of chain and 300 feet of rode. Asked why the Coast Guard could not take me to St. Augustine, I was told that the St. Augustine inlet was easy to enter but too difficult to exit for them. As it turned out, it took almost four hours to make it back to Jacksonville, where normally the Coast Guard makes it back in just over an hour. I arrived in Jacksonville, at around 12:45 AM. Upon retrieving my boat with Towboat US I saw that the boat had been dismasted. The mast had sheared away just above the deck and was in the water being held against the starboard side and underside of the boat by the forestay and port shrouds, along with the mainsail, genoa and all rigging. Because of the weight and position of the mast and rigging in the water, we were only able to salvage the boom. After getting permission from the USCG, we cut and loosened the mast and dropped it away from the boat. Location: Beginning approximately 1-2 miles SE of "STA" marker off St. Augustine, FL, inlet Date: 05/14/09 Time: 1600 HRS (approx.) Weather: Winds East @ 15-20 MPH, occasionally gusting higher, veering North Sea State: Confused, 5-8' To say the least, it was not a very good day at the office. But, I'm alive and well......planning my next adventure. Regards, Ira C. Reba

How deep was he water where the mast went down ? Can it be salvaged ? When I got dismasted, my mast and a new main and new #3 went down in about 4,000 feet of water. In 60 feet, you might be able to salvage it. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 On Jun 24, 2009, at 1:38 PM, ira reba wrote: > > > > For those of you who might be interested, here is a narrative sent > to my insurance company last month regarding the dismasting of my > boat: > > As I was nearing the St. Augustine inlet under reefed, roller furled > genoa my engine lost power and died. Having no success trying for > about 20-30 minutes to restart it and simultaneously trying to raise > my mainsail which I also could not due to the rapidly worsening > weather. The wind was now coming from the ENE. The very confused > sea state (an enormous washing machine), current (heading out toward > the east), wind coming from ENE made it impossible to raise my > mainsail. I called Towboat US. They told me they would be out > ASAP. Futilely trying to restart the engine and raising the > mainsail, this took more than another hour plus. Unknown to me, > TowboatUS was unable to make it out of the inlet due to the terrible > sea state. Apparently, they tried to let me know this but I never > heard or received that transmission. In the meantime, because of > the growing dangerous sea state at the inlet, and wind beginning to > shift to the north, I had very little control of the boat and was > heading toward shallower water, out of the narrow inlet, toward the > beach, depth around 14 feet. This went on for what seemed like > several hours. I was "pooped" four times and was sent over the side > and washed back into the boat on the third of those times. Luckily, > I had my life jacket on and jack line attached. I cannot be sure of > the exact time but while trying to maneuver the boat toward deeper > water, (which miraculously I was very slowly able to do) I looked up > and there was a 47' USCG steel cutter heading toward me. > > After being hailed on my main VHF (portable washed overboard) and > discussion with the captain of the cutter, I was told that they must > return to Jacksonville, because of the dangerous sea/weather > conditions and that I had only 10 minutes to decide to either stay > with the boat or secure the boat, take a minimum of important papers/ > gear/clothes and go with them. Since I could not restart my engine, > could not raise my mainsail in order to head out to sea to heave-to > for the duration of this brewing storm, I decided it was more > prudent to go with them. At that point, my boat was intact except > for the engine problem. I anchored the boat in 60 feet of water > approximately 4 miles south of the inlet with 90 feet of chain and > 300 feet of rode. Asked why the Coast Guard could not take me to > St. Augustine, I was told that the St. Augustine inlet was easy to > enter but too difficult to exit for them. As it turned out, it took > almost four hours to make it back to Jacksonville, where normally > the Coast Guard makes it back in just over an hour. I arrived in > Jacksonville, at around 12:45 AM. > > Upon retrieving my boat with Towboat US I saw that the boat had been > dismasted. The mast had sheared away just above the deck and was in > the water being held against the starboard side and underside of the > boat by the forestay and port shrouds, along with the mainsail, > genoa and all rigging. Because of the weight and position of the > mast and rigging in the water, we were only able to salvage the > boom. After getting permission from the USCG, we cut and loosened > the mast and dropped it away from the boat. > > Location: Beginning approximately 1-2 miles SE of "STA" marker off > St. Augustine, FL, > inlet > Date: 05/14/09 > Time: 1600 HRS (approx.) > Weather: Winds East @ 15-20 MPH, occasionally gusting higher, > veering North > Sea State: Confused, 5-8' > To say the least, it was not a very good day at the office. But, > I'm alive and well......planning my next adventure. > > Regards, > Ira C. Reba > > >

Sounds like you made a good decision to leave the boat. It would not have been fun being onboard when whatever caused it to be dismasted (probably rolled) happened. Allen On Wed, Jun 24, 2009 at 1:38 PM, ira reba <th… [at] yahoo.com>wrote: > > > For those of you who might be interested, here is a narrative sent to my > insurance company last month regarding the dismasting of my boat: > > As I was nearing the St. Augustine inlet under reefed, roller furled > genoa my engine lost power and died. Having no success trying for about > 20-30 minutes to restart it and simultaneously trying to raise my mainsail > which I also could not due to the rapidly worsening weather. The wind was > now coming from the ENE. The very confused sea state (an enormous washing > machine), current (heading out toward the east), wind coming from ENE made > it impossible to raise my mainsail. I called Towboat US. They told me they > would be out ASAP. Futilely trying to restart the engine and raising the > mainsail, this took more than another hour plus. Unknown to me, TowboatUS > was unable to make it out of the inlet due to the terrible sea state. > Apparently, they tried to let me know this but I never heard or received > that transmission. In the meantime, because of the growing dangerous sea > state at the inlet, and wind beginning to shift to the north, I had very > little control of the boat and was heading toward shallower water, out of > the narrow inlet, toward the beach, depth around 14 feet. This went on for > what seemed like several hours. I was "pooped" four times and was sent over > the side and washed back into the boat on the third of those times. > Luckily, I had my life jacket on and jack line attached. I cannot be sure > of the exact time but while trying to maneuver the boat toward deeper water, > (which miraculously I was very slowly able to do) I looked up and there was > a 47' USCG steel cutter heading toward me. > > After being hailed on my main VHF (portable washed overboard) and > discussion with the captain of the cutter, I was told that they must return > to Jacksonville, because of the dangerous sea/weather conditions and that I > had only 10 minutes to decide to either stay with the boat or secure the > boat, take a minimum of important papers/gear/clothes and go with them. > Since I could not restart my engine, could not raise my mainsail in order to > head out to sea to heave-to for the duration of this brewing storm, I > decided it was more prudent to go with them. At that point, my boat was > intact except for the engine problem. I anchored the boat in 60 feet of > water approximately 4 miles south of the inlet with 90 feet of chain and 300 > feet of rode. Asked why the Coast Guard could not take me to St. Augustine, > I was told that the St. Augustine inlet was easy to enter but too difficult > to exit for them. As it turned out, it took almost four hours to make it > back to Jacksonville, where normally the Coast Guard makes it back in just > over an hour. I arrived in Jacksonville, at around 12:45 AM. > > Upon retrieving my boat with Towboat US I saw that the boat had been > dismasted. The mast had sheared away just above the deck and was in the > water being held against the starboard side and underside of the boat by the > forestay and port shrouds, along with the mainsail, genoa and all rigging. > Because of the weight and position of the mast and rigging in the water, we > were only able to salvage the boom. After getting permission from the USCG, > we cut and loosened the mast and dropped it away from the boat. > > Location: Beginning approximately 1-2 miles SE of "STA" marker off St. > Augustine, FL, > inlet > Date: 05/14/09 > Time: 1600 HRS (approx.) > Weather: Winds East @ 15-20 MPH, occasionally gusting higher, veering > North > Sea State: Confused, 5-8' > To say the least, it was not a very good day at the office. But, I'm alive > and well......planning my next adventure. > > Regards, > Ira C. Reba > > >

If it was in the same shape as the engine ,, might be better to collect the insurance $$ From: Michael Kennedy <mt… [at] cox.net> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 2:16:54 PM Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Dismasting How deep was he water where the mast went down ? Can it be salvaged ? When I got dismasted, my mast and a new main and new #3 went down in about 4,000 feet of water. In 60 feet, you might be able to salvage it. Mike Kennedy Conquest Cal 40 # 96 On Jun 24, 2009, at 1:38 PM, ira reba wrote: > > > > For those of you who might be interested, here is a narrative sent > to my insurance company last month regarding the dismasting of my > boat: > > As I was nearing the St. Augustine inlet under reefed, roller furled > genoa my engine lost power and died. Having no success trying for > about 20-30 minutes to restart it and simultaneously trying to raise > my mainsail which I also could not due to the rapidly worsening > weather. The wind was now coming from the ENE. The very confused > sea state (an enormous washing machine), current (heading out toward > the east), wind coming from ENE made it impossible to raise my > mainsail. I called Towboat US. They told me they would be out > ASAP. Futilely trying to restart the engine and raising the > mainsail, this took more than another hour plus. Unknown to me, > TowboatUS was unable to make it out of the inlet due to the terrible > sea state. Apparently, they tried to let me know this but I never > heard or received that transmission. In the meantime, because of > the growing dangerous sea state at the inlet, and wind beginning to > shift to the north, I had very little control of the boat and was > heading toward shallower water, out of the narrow inlet, toward the > beach, depth around 14 feet. This went on for what seemed like > several hours. I was "pooped" four times and was sent over the side > and washed back into the boat on the third of those times. Luckily, > I had my life jacket on and jack line attached. I cannot be sure of > the exact time but while trying to maneuver the boat toward deeper > water, (which miraculously I was very slowly able to do) I looked up > and there was a 47' USCG steel cutter heading toward me. > > After being hailed on my main VHF (portable washed overboard) and > discussion with the captain of the cutter, I was told that they must > return to Jacksonville, because of the dangerous sea/weather > conditions and that I had only 10 minutes to decide to either stay > with the boat or secure the boat, take a minimum of important papers/ > gear/clothes and go with them. Since I could not restart my engine, > could not raise my mainsail in order to head out to sea to heave-to > for the duration of this brewing storm, I decided it was more > prudent to go with them. At that point, my boat was intact except > for the engine problem. I anchored the boat in 60 feet of water > approximately 4 miles south of the inlet with 90 feet of chain and > 300 feet of rode. Asked why the Coast Guard could not take me to > St. Augustine, I was told that the St. Augustine inlet was easy to > enter but too difficult to exit for them. As it turned out, it took > almost four hours to make it back to Jacksonville, where normally > the Coast Guard makes it back in just over an hour. I arrived in > Jacksonville, at around 12:45 AM. > > Upon retrieving my boat with Towboat US I saw that the boat had been > dismasted. The mast had sheared away just above the deck and was in > the water being held against the starboard side and underside of the > boat by the forestay and port shrouds, along with the mainsail, > genoa and all rigging. Because of the weight and position of the > mast and rigging in the water, we were only able to salvage the > boom. After getting permission from the USCG, we cut and loosened > the mast and dropped it away from the boat. > > Location: Beginning approximately 1-2 miles SE of "STA" marker off > St. Augustine, FL, > inlet > Date: 05/14/09 > Time: 1600 HRS (approx.) > Weather: Winds East @ 15-20 MPH, occasionally gusting higher, > veering North > Sea State: Confused, 5-8' > To say the least, it was not a very good day at the office. But, > I'm alive and well......planning my next adventure. > > Regards, > Ira C. Reba > > >

ira reba wrote: > > > For those of you who might be interested, here is a narrative sent to > my insurance company last month regarding the dismasting of my boat: > These are always sad stories. Any idea what led to the dismasting while anchored--what broke? Chris Campbell > > >

a short note, yes we were there, he was behind us, we heard and saw most of it. there was no serious racing on either his or our part. He takes meticulous care of his boat, and is a very skilled singlehander. He is a very considerate person and quite a few times in years past, his boat and ours competed for last place, as neither of us are cutthroat racers, we go out more for fun and introducing new people to sailing. We will add more later after we talk with the coast guard. It is heartbreaking, and the races will be put off for several weeks to come to grips with this. there was a sudden tremendous amount of wind and current(rip style) that may have contributed. Helen

How did Yong Son die? Did the mast hit him? I have been involved in 4 dismastings in 40+ years of sailing and the masts always came down in slow motion. What's up? My Best Yellow Jack US57313 On Thursday, April 17, 2014 11:38 AM, Helen Horn <he… [at] sbcglobal.net> wrote: a short note, yes we were there, he was behind us, we heard and saw most of it. there was no serious racing on either his or our part. He takes meticulous care of his boat, and is a very skilled singlehander. He is a very considerate person and quite a few times in years past, his boat and ours competed for last place, as neither of us are cutthroat racers, we go out more for fun and introducing new people to sailing. We will add more later after we talk with the coast guard. It is heartbreaking, and the races will be put off for several weeks to come to grips with this. there was a sudden tremendous amount of wind and current(rip style) that may have contributed. Helen

The dismastings I have had people tell me about happened so quick that it was like the mast was up, then it was down and not time elapsed between. Apparently there are differences in how it happens. Allen On Fri, Apr 18, 2014 at 2:57 PM, mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: > > > How did Yong Son die? Did the mast hit him? I have been involved in 4 > dismastings in 40+ years of sailing and the masts always came down in slow > motion. What's up? > My Best Yellow Jack US57313 > On Thursday, April 17, 2014 11:38 AM, Helen Horn < > he… [at] sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > > a short note, yes we were there, he was behind us, we heard and saw most > of it. there was no serious racing on either his or our part. He takes > meticulous care of his boat, and is a very skilled singlehander. He is a > very considerate person and quite a few times in years past, his boat and > ours competed for last place, as neither of us are cutthroat racers, we go > out more for fun and introducing new people to sailing. We will add more > later after we talk with the coast guard. It is heartbreaking, and the > races will be put off for several weeks to come to grips with this. there > was a sudden tremendous amount of wind and current(rip style) that may have > contributed. Helen > > > > > >