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While I don't know them personally,one of them lives local to me.I do know they are all experienced Yachtsmen.While I'm convinced the US Coastguard are well versed in search and rescue,I'm sure it cannot be an easy search.Whatever sophisticated gear the Planes carry,the search depends on human eyes in the end.
If the keel snapped off she would go over very quickly. There would be little chance of launching any life raft unless it was already inflated and ready for action, even then it would be on deck and could well have been trapped under the overturned hull. I have a fear that she did indeed capsize very quickly without warning and that the crew were overwhelmed without a chance to do anything to save themselves. I sincerely hope I am wrong but I have a feeling I am not.
I am aware that on many racing yachts the liferaft is stowed in a locker rather than taking up valuable deckspace ,
The oceans is vast space you can wonder why during the war many a lifeboats and rafts with crew members in them were never found again but that does not mean they should have given up the search
for the missing of the crew of the yacht
The sea as no mercy it can be a very cruel place
Not sure of the rules in UK or others about the use of private boats such as this. But here In Oz at least in Victoria if you buy any form of craft you have to have a licence and to get one you must do a test. also all craft must carry flares that must be changed every two years. Ironicaly once you have a licence it is yours for life, no updates needed.
It is no so many years ince a number of ocean going yachts sank with som eloss of life on the Sydney to Hobart Boxing day race. Seas of over ten metres hit them as they attempted to navigate the Tasman Sea.
Liferafts of the inflateable type stowed on merchant ships have self release connections. If the yacht was fitted with same would have released and filled automatically. Maybe Health and Safety Rules only apply to commercial vessels. ??? Proper name is hydrostatic quick releases. JS
you have to remember that literally dozens of yachts cross the Atlantic during the season, they do it in well found yachts with very good crew. i dont know the full details of this particular yacht, but looking at the photos she appears to be a racing yacht, and i would suspect that she was being delivered back to the UK by a delivery crew. These delivery crews are professional seaman, not you weekend sailors, but a different type of seaman from most of us from the MN. If as the repot seems to state that the hull was upturned and keel missing, this could just be a tragic accident, the same as any accident at sea. But for anyone who thinks that these are just silly boys out sailing, then i would say give oceon sailing a go, i think you would see a different type of good seamen, KT
This yacht had been taking part in races in the Caribbean so most likely wold have been pushed hard over the past weeks in order to win races.
The guys delivering it back to the U.K. were very experienced yachtsmen but before taking on the challenge of an Ocean crossing I wonder did they do, or get, a full inspection of the state of the yachts hull which I would have thought was a necessity given the intended voyage and the yachts recent past.
Also if they were familiar with this particular model of yacht might they just have been pushing her to hard as they were experienced racing men which is different from long voyage delivery.
Initial reports from them was that they were taking in water which seems to indicate hull problems. At that point they should have made immediate preparation's to abanon ship into the liferaft . There seems to be a space in time between the initial report that they were taking in water and the activation of the epirbs which should have allowed them time to abandon ship.
rgds
JA
if they reported that the vessel was shipping water it could be that she had a drop or swing keel and was leaking through the trunking which is a not unusual occurrence and if she has been raced hard the keel mechanism could have been overstrechted
The data is here John http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=3158 Fixed Keel or a fixed option of a Shallow draught Iron Keel