RE: [Cal_Boats] Lost Beneteau (was FW: Dead Regatta Sailor Hailed a 'Hero' for Helping Save 5 Ot...)

Hi Charlie: I was anchored at Mill Creek this weekend and had a cold one with Bob Gibson. It turned out that Bob was part of the delivery crew for that boat and had quite a story to tell. Apparently the pump that the coasties gave them failed to start when it was needed (they were under tow at the time). In the greater scheme of things that was just the last straw. The composite rudder tube is what failed initially and caused the problem. Bob said that they stepped onto the rescue vessel as the Beneteau went down. You know Bob, he seemed very blase about the whole thing. Cindy, however, seemed to have a different perspective as you can imagine. By the way, I spilled a little Gossling into the creek while I was there for Roger. I spent a couple of hours talking to him at the GOBR two years ago. I was growing up in Costa Mesa while he was building Cals there. What a great gentleman. Les Hester 3-29#1005 Bay Breeze Swan Creek, Md. From: "Husar, Charlie [USA]" <hu… [at] bah.com> Hi, All. I do agree with Shelley. If you see a picture of a Cape Fear 38, it would appear that extracting oneself or anything from the boat if it flips quickly would be quite difficult. In my offshore races, I did not wear my life jacket while sleeping - it was close by. However, the night or bad weather rule was that you clip your tether on in the cockpit before you finish exiting the cabin. Also wear you foul weather gear while strapped to the stove and cooking in sloppy water. I am more concerned about the boat fabrication and the urge to save weight. Go back some years to Simon LeBon's (yes, Duran Duran) Drum. It was an 80+ foot ocean Maxi. To save weight they welded an aluminum keel to an aluminum hull. Well, guess what. LeBon almost drowned because the boat flipped so quickly and he got caught in the rigging when the keel fell off. Then there are my friends who lost a Beneteau 40.7 off New York last Saturday on their way to Newport-Bermuda race. Rudder broke free (not fell off) and froze to hull sideways making the boat unsteerable. The stresses apparently caused the rudder tube to break open - flooding the boat. Turns out they could not get to the rudder tube given the boat design. I hope this is accurate, but I believe my sources. The co-skippers spoke very, very highly of the young Coast Guardsmen who came out to assist, and ultimately performed the rescue. The boat is on the bottom. Neither of the events above occurred in what would be called storm conditions. Take A Lot of Care Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of sa… [at] aol.com Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 10:36 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] FW: Dead Regatta Sailor Hailed a 'Hero' for Helping Save 5 Ot... As for the comment about these sailors not having their PFDs. I raced the Pacific Cup from San Fran to Kaneohe Hawaii in 2006 . An almost 15 day trip 24/7 sailing. As you would go off duty below at night, you would take off all your gear, keeping it close by so if you had to wake in an emergency, it could be easily grabbed. These guys sound like they had next to no time, I could see how one PFD may have been lost in the shuffle. I don't see this situation as them being negligent. Shelley Richards Cal 29 #154 Seven Sisters Wilson NY formerly Alameda CA Vote for your city's best dining and nightlife. City's Best 2008.