An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip
from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the
only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday
(Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod.

A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently
abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go
over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the
fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the
fishing boat to Cape Cod.

By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the
boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not
able to start the engines or use the radios.

You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive
training next spring.

--

Roger Long

Roger Long wrote:
An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip
from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the
only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday
(Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod.

A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently
abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go
over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the
fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the
fishing boat to Cape Cod.

By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the
boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not
able to start the engines or use the radios.

You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive
training next spring.

You bet. As a minimum, they should be able to use the VHF.

Don White wrote:

Roger Long wrote:
An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip
from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the
only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday
(Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod.

A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently
abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go
over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the
fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the
fishing boat to Cape Cod.

By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the
boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not
able to start the engines or use the radios.

You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive
training next spring.

You bet. As a minimum, they should be able to use the VHF.

Something like this happened to a man in the Bahamas and his wife
couldn't turn off the autopilot or use the VHF either. She called for
help on the SSB which happened to be tuned to a weather forecaster in
the Virgin Islands, and he relayed the message to BASRA. It turned
out that she had once been able to do those things, but she had
Alzheimer's.


grandma Rosalie

I also leave the GPS running on the display with the Lat Long and make
sure they know the button that pages to it. I told them to read those
numbers in their Mayday either on the radio or the cell phone which
reaches most areas where we sail.

--

Roger Long

In article ,
"Roger Long" wrote:

I also leave the GPS running on the display with the Lat Long and make
sure they know the button that pages to it. I told them to read those
numbers in their Mayday either on the radio or the cell phone which
reaches most areas where we sail.

Crew Training is the responcability of the Skipper, and I, for one,
go over the MayDay Card that is Posted by the radio with each, and
every, person who boards my vessel, BEFORE we untie the lines.....
Every time......


Me

The new VHF radios have a nice red 16 button, and if you are out of
range for the VHF, IMHO: EPRBs are expensive, but should be high on
the list if necessary equipment.
It is a very sad and heart wrenching story.

John
S/V Pangea

Roger Long wrote:
An experienced sailor went overboard from his 41 foot ketch on a trip
from Rockland ME to Rye NH for haul out. His 20 year old son was the
only crew member and spent from last Saturday till yesterday
(Thursday) drifting from off Boothbay Harbor to near Cape Cod.

A Coast Guard jet spotted the boat with sails down and apparently
abandoned after an extensive search and had a nearby fishing boat go
over for a look. The son jumped overboard immediately when he saw the
fishing boat and swam to it. He was then airlifted by chopper from the
fishing boat to Cape Cod.

By all accounts and what can be determined from a newspaper photo, the
boat was capable and well equipped. No hint yet why the son was not
able to start the engines or use the radios.

You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive
training next spring.

I misread the post as "2-year-old son". Surely a 20-year-old would have
taken more notice of the boat's systems and how they operate? Granted he may
not have been on the boat before, but all the more reason for the father to
give him a thorough work-thru before leaving?


Dennis.

On Fri, 21 Oct 2005 11:21:25 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:
Snippage


You can bet I'll be giving my family another round of more intensive
training next spring.

You could try the "Captain for a day" rotation amoung your family. You
would retain oversight powers and of coarse be there for advise. )

They'll learn a lot and have fun being in charge for a day once in a
while. As they get older/more profecient you could expand their
duties into voyage planning for their day as Captain.
Mark E. Williams