Boat accident in San Diego

When our local paper reported incorrectly that l0 people had been thrown into the water when their 35-foot boat capsized near Shelter Island, I was puzzled as to how something like that could happen in such protected waters. Part of the mystery was solved when we subsequently learned that the boat was only 26 feet long. The rest was solved when the story in this morning's newspaper identified the boat as a MacGregor. If it's like the models I've seen in my marina, I wouldn't feel safe taking one out in breeze on Coeur d'Alene. Richard Dozier "Pantera " Cal 40 #110

My Dad (recently discovered Youtube) stumbled across this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smlP6iXnk2s&feature=player_embedded Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com wrote on 03/30/2011 11:05:49 AM: > From: Richard Dozier <dd… [at] frontier.com> > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Date: 03/30/2011 11:04 AM > Subject: [Cal_Boats] Boat accident in San Diego > Sent by: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > > > > When our local paper reported incorrectly that l0 people had > been thrown into the water when their 35-foot boat capsized near > Shelter Island, I was puzzled as to how something like that could > happen in such protected waters. Part of the mystery was solved when > we subsequently learned that the boat was only 26 feet long. The rest > was solved when the story in this morning's newspaper identified the > boat as a MacGregor. If it's like the models I've seen in my marina, > I wouldn't feel safe taking one out in breeze on Coeur d'Alene. > > Richard > Dozier > "Pantera > " Cal 40 #110 > - For more information about UL, its Marks, and its services for EMC, quality registrations and product certifications for global markets, please access our web sites at http://www.ul.com and http://www.ulc.ca or contact your local sales representative. -- ********* Internet E-mail Confidentiality Disclaimer ********** This e-mail message may contain privileged or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not disclose, use, disseminate, distribute, copy or rely upon this message or attachment in any way. If you received this e-mail message in error, please return by forwarding the message and its attachments to the sender. UL and its affiliates do not accept liability for any errors, omissions, corruption or virus in the contents of this message or any attachments. *****************************************************************

I heard the boat was setup for a water ballast system and the ballast was empty when they recovered the boat. The boat also used a retractable keel that probably folded up as soon as the boat went over. It's a such a shame that two people died in such a preventable incident.. I bet the skipper is in hot water! On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 9:05 AM, Richard Dozier <dd… [at] frontier.com>wrote: > > > > When our local paper reported incorrectly that l0 people had > been thrown into the water when their 35-foot boat capsized near > Shelter Island, I was puzzled as to how something like that could > happen in such protected waters. Part of the mystery was solved when > we subsequently learned that the boat was only 26 feet long. The rest > was solved when the story in this morning's newspaper identified the > boat as a MacGregor. If it's like the models I've seen in my marina, > I wouldn't feel safe taking one out in breeze on Coeur d'Alene. > > Richard > Dozier > "Pantera > " Cal 40 #110 > >

There is a photo on sailinganarchy.com that shows the stern full of people with the bow up in the air, and a copy of the owners manual basically saying not to go out without filling up the ballast, and if you dont fill the ballast, you are likely to capsize... To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com From: th… [at] gmail.com Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:52:05 -0700 Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Boat accident in San Diego I heard the boat was setup for a water ballast system and the ballast was empty when they recovered the boat. The boat also used a retractable keel that probably folded up as soon as the boat went over. It's a such a shame that two people died in such a preventable incident.. I bet the skipper is in hot water! On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 9:05 AM, Richard Dozier <dd… [at] frontier.com> wrote: When our local paper reported incorrectly that l0 people had been thrown into the water when their 35-foot boat capsized near Shelter Island, I was puzzled as to how something like that could happen in such protected waters. Part of the mystery was solved when we subsequently learned that the boat was only 26 feet long. The rest was solved when the story in this morning's newspaper identified the boat as a MacGregor. If it's like the models I've seen in my marina, I wouldn't feel safe taking one out in breeze on Coeur d'Alene. Richard Dozier "Pantera " Cal 40 #110

On 3/30/2011 12:05 PM, Richard Dozier wrote: > > > When our local paper reported incorrectly that l0 people had > been thrown into the water when their 35-foot boat capsized near > Shelter Island, I was puzzled as to how something like that could > happen in such protected waters. Part of the mystery was solved when > we subsequently learned that the boat was only 26 feet long. The rest > was solved when the story in this morning's newspaper identified the > boat as a MacGregor. If it's like the models I've seen in my marina, > I wouldn't feel safe taking one out in breeze on Coeur d'Alene. > I watched the video posted in a reply. It reminds us that the most important factor is the experience and judgment of the skipper & crew. Good sailors can manage a bad boat safely, and fools can come to grief in the most seaworthy vessel. The good sailors can compensate for the boat's deficiencies, or when unavoidable bad things happen, they can find a way to recover. The fools teach us that nothing is really fool-proof. Maybe fools is too strong a word. There are some people who are just plain foolish, and others who are inexperienced. I guess the point is that this is what makes sailing a continuing challenge. There is always more to learn about boat handling and safety because there are always new conditions that we haven't handled before. If we're lucky, we've at least read about them and stashed away the knowledge for future use. If sailing were as predictable as mowing the lawn, it wouldn't be much fun. I still get that anxious lump in my throat when I have to pick up the mooring on a windy day. What if I miss the first time...what if the outboard stalls (yeah, I use the outboard when single-handing on windy days because it's a crowded mooring field)... what if, what if. We've all known highly competent sailors, haven't we? They are the people who can organize their thoughts and take action in the midst of chaos. They've got special places in my affection. Chris Campbell varnishing parts for his Cal 20 #1220, "Martha C"