www.9news.com.au/national/two-men-rescued-from-life-raft-after-boat-capsizes-near-north-stradbroke-island/86360b60-8e09-4ee3-b0ac-304a578c062e

Big mistake, Flat rock is well marked on all charts and every body knows it's there. To just sail into it is just poor navigation.

That was a beautiful yacht. Clare D Lune, sounds familiar! Well maintained classic and some ones pride and joy. Lets hope the insurance company pays up.

Jode5 said..
Big mistake, Flat rock is well marked on all charts and every body knows it's there. To just sail into it is just poor navigation.

I suspect (without foundation except from personal experience) that the skipper might have left the young bloke on watch. A bit like Gypsy Moth IV hitting the reef in Tahiti, someone inexperienced is put in a job out of their depth. A mate of mine also hit the rocks in Tahiti when he left the backpacker in charge.
But it looked to be a a really wonderful classic.

very sad to see a great boat go down it is very hard to pick out at night especially approaching from the north at 3 in the morning i have been very close at night racing but with a full crew its easy he was probably exhausted after the big thunder storms of Saturday night and lost concentration

Sectorsteve said..
According to the article young dutchman was asleep.
He may have been on watch but either way the skipper should have been aware of that rock and their proximity/position at all times.

The news report/a news report said the 70 year old skipper was on watch.

Chris 249 said..
Isn't it interesting to see the guys wearing the wet weather and safety gear were unable to save anyone or even to move effectively, whereas the two guys in boardshorts were able to swim easily and were integral to the operation. Hmmm.

Pretty benign conditions, warm water and little breeze.

If the young bloke was asleep it must mean they were doing a coastal passage so what were they doing that far inshore at night, especially when the set is further out?

Toph said...

Chris 249 said..
Isn't it interesting to see the guys wearing the wet weather and safety gear were unable to save anyone or even to move effectively, whereas the two guys in boardshorts were able to swim easily and were integral to the operation. Hmmm.

It is near impossible to comment without being there, but I wondered the same. The two spear fishos were in knee deep water. I would've thought the young bloke might of done better (get rid of that massive backpack for starters). Although I concede jumping off is probably not a smart idea if the boat is being tossed around too much.

True. Anything could have happened leading to this sad event. Such a beautiful boat. Personally im a bit on edge when im aware of reef etc on the vicinity so id like to think id give it a really wide berth but who knows when fatigue etc is present. The ole skipper could be so familiar with the area that he was confident to be in so close! Who knows!

Chris 249 said..
Isn't it interesting to see the guys wearing the wet weather and safety gear were unable to save anyone or even to move effectively, whereas the two guys in boardshorts were able to swim easily and were integral to the operation. Hmmm.

I think the guys you're referring to in the wet weather gear were the sailors and they'd be pretty tired as this happened at 3am and one was in his 70's. Regardless, it's an interesting observation and speaks to the wisdom of having wetsuits, fins, booties, gloves and masks on board and using them prudently. Eg. the young guy, if required, may have been able to swim a line out. Of course, it's a risky move and depends on your confidence in the water and waves and rocks with sharp things.

When you look at the helicopter footage it may have been easiest to jump in the dinghy and cut the line and float back toward the rock in the lee of the boat. Or just swim / wade. Or have rescuers come in from that side in wetsuits. If you look at the zoomed out picture at the beginning of the video it's very calm in there; then they could then have been taken from the rocks on the lee side which has no waves.

I hate to be the know-all prat sitting at home, criticising it post-hoc with the help of helicopter footage and thinking he's so smart... but I guess I am. But I also think it's helpful to look at these situations and think through different options and scenarios. Eg. if it wasn't Straddy but somewhere remote, etc.