Saw this in another forum.
Both are safe but are homeless.
Regards, Len.


To:
From: "George Huffman" thatboatguy2@...
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 06:17:37 -0000
Subject: [TheDingyDock] Skip and Lydia Gundlach
need help

This is a cut and paste. If anyone can render
assistance please do.
I've emailed them to let them know I'll be in
the area soon and I've
offered my services free to the extent I can
help.


George


Skip Gundlach to Morgan
show details 2:29 pm (0 minutes ago)


Please continue the dialogue going, as it's
very comforting at the
moment but...


We are ashore, in the care of the Red Cross at
the moment. Aside from
the adrenalin rush and some bruises from being
knocked around, we are
entirely fine physically. Mentally we're more
than bummed, as you can
guess.


Until salvage operations commence, which due to
the weather (the main
contributing factor to our blowing off course)
won't be until tomorrow
morning at the earliest, we won't know the
realities. At a minimum,
since the boat will be taken to Marathon, we
could use some temporary
hospitality there.


There are definitely breaches in the starboard
hull but the boat is
very high and dry at the moment, on its side.
We don't know what the
pounding which caused a lot of flexing inside
may have done to the
bulkheads and tabbing, but the reefer and
settee and engine mounts
were all moving notably - not a really good
sign. If there is any good
news, the water was so shallow that it never
got to the floorboards,
even with the very severe heel, and when I went
around shutting the
through-hulls, I never got my hands wet. So,
with any luck, the damage
is mostly above the water line, presumed
somewhat simpler to address
and less likely to affect the integrity of the
hull. None the less,
it's certain we'll be some months, if ever,
before we are back aboard,
our only home, with every possession in the
world, having given away
our car the day we left.


At any event, we can still be reached via
email, when we have access,
which will persist until tonight, at the Red
Cross, and then at the
Days Inn in KWW, we expect, where we'll be for
the next three days.
After that, we're truly homeless (does being in
the RC or a Days Inn
relieve us from homelessness? The boat was our
entire world - our home
and every single possession)...


In any case, thank you for your prayers and
thoughts. We're physically
well, and mental basket cases, though we are
managing to get things
done. More as we know more. Feel free to pass
this around to other
lists on which we participate, as you may be
aware if you're on them,
too, from having seen our posts in those. Right
now we're a bit busy
to do that ourselves...


L8R


Love from Skip and Lydia, Homeless...

I'm as stunned as when hearing that someone died. For once, completely at a
loss for words....

Can anyone post a pointer to more details of what happened?

Sad, very sad...

-- Geoff

"Len" wrote in
ups.com:

Saw this in another forum.
Both are safe but are homeless.
Regards, Len.


To:
From: "George Huffman" thatboatguy2@...
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 06:17:37 -0000
Subject: [TheDingyDock] Skip and Lydia Gundlach
need help

This is a cut and paste. If anyone can render
assistance please do.
I've emailed them to let them know I'll be in
the area soon and I've
offered my services free to the extent I can
help.


George


Skip Gundlach to Morgan
show details 2:29 pm (0 minutes ago)


Please continue the dialogue going, as it's
very comforting at the
moment but...


We are ashore, in the care of the Red Cross at
the moment. Aside from
the adrenalin rush and some bruises from being
knocked around, we are
entirely fine physically. Mentally we're more
than bummed, as you can
guess.


Until salvage operations commence, which due to
the weather (the main
contributing factor to our blowing off course)
won't be until tomorrow
morning at the earliest, we won't know the
realities. At a minimum,
since the boat will be taken to Marathon, we
could use some temporary
hospitality there.


There are definitely breaches in the starboard
hull but the boat is
very high and dry at the moment, on its side.
We don't know what the
pounding which caused a lot of flexing inside
may have done to the
bulkheads and tabbing, but the reefer and
settee and engine mounts
were all moving notably - not a really good
sign. If there is any good
news, the water was so shallow that it never
got to the floorboards,
even with the very severe heel, and when I went
around shutting the
through-hulls, I never got my hands wet. So,
with any luck, the damage
is mostly above the water line, presumed
somewhat simpler to address
and less likely to affect the integrity of the
hull. None the less,
it's certain we'll be some months, if ever,
before we are back aboard,
our only home, with every possession in the
world, having given away
our car the day we left.


At any event, we can still be reached via
email, when we have access,
which will persist until tonight, at the Red
Cross, and then at the
Days Inn in KWW, we expect, where we'll be for
the next three days.
After that, we're truly homeless (does being in
the RC or a Days Inn
relieve us from homelessness? The boat was our
entire world - our home
and every single possession)...


In any case, thank you for your prayers and
thoughts. We're physically
well, and mental basket cases, though we are
managing to get things
done. More as we know more. Feel free to pass
this around to other
lists on which we participate, as you may be
aware if you're on them,
too, from having seen our posts in those. Right
now we're a bit busy
to do that ourselves...


L8R


Love from Skip and Lydia, Homeless...

On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 06:54:29 -0500, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I'm as stunned as when hearing that someone died. For once, completely at a
loss for words....

Yep. I met Lydia and Skip up in St Pete a few months ago. Nice
people. Tragic.

A bit more info was posted:

[b]This just heard on local 12:00 noon Keys newscast. At midnight, 2
people were safely lifted from their 46' sailboat after going aground
off Content Keys. Name of the boat: Flying Pig. Transiting from Ft.
Myers thru Keys. 62 year old captain and mate are OK. Coast Guard and
FWC monitoring the vessel.


Content Key is on the Gulf side, north of Big Pine, about halfway
between Key West and Marathon. We know that they were headed to
Marathon from St. Pete; possibly they got pushed west by some weather.
However, Content is way west of the route from Cape Sable to
Marathon, so I'm guessing they were on a different route. Hopefully,
they'll be able to save the boat.


Geoff Schultz wrote:
Can anyone post a pointer to more details of what happened?

Sad, very sad...

-- Geoff

"Len" wrote in
ups.com:

Saw this in another forum.
Both are safe but are homeless.
Regards, Len.


To:
From: "George Huffman" thatboatguy2@...
Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2007 06:17:37 -0000
Subject: [TheDingyDock] Skip and Lydia Gundlach
need help
This is a cut and paste. If anyone can render
assistance please do.
I've emailed them to let them know I'll be in
the area soon and I've
offered my services free to the extent I can
help.

George

Skip Gundlach to Morgan
show details 2:29 pm (0 minutes ago)

Please continue the dialogue going, as it's
very comforting at the
moment but...

We are ashore, in the care of the Red Cross at
the moment. Aside from
the adrenalin rush and some bruises from being
knocked around, we are
entirely fine physically. Mentally we're more
than bummed, as you can
guess.

Until salvage operations commence, which due to
the weather (the main
contributing factor to our blowing off course)
won't be until tomorrow
morning at the earliest, we won't know the
realities. At a minimum,
since the boat will be taken to Marathon, we
could use some temporary
hospitality there.

There are definitely breaches in the starboard
hull but the boat is
very high and dry at the moment, on its side.
We don't know what the
pounding which caused a lot of flexing inside
may have done to the
bulkheads and tabbing, but the reefer and
settee and engine mounts
were all moving notably - not a really good
sign. If there is any good
news, the water was so shallow that it never
got to the floorboards,
even with the very severe heel, and when I went
around shutting the
through-hulls, I never got my hands wet. So,
with any luck, the damage
is mostly above the water line, presumed
somewhat simpler to address
and less likely to affect the integrity of the
hull. None the less,
it's certain we'll be some months, if ever,
before we are back aboard,
our only home, with every possession in the
world, having given away
our car the day we left.

At any event, we can still be reached via
email, when we have access,
which will persist until tonight, at the Red
Cross, and then at the
Days Inn in KWW, we expect, where we'll be for
the next three days.
After that, we're truly homeless (does being in
the RC or a Days Inn
relieve us from homelessness? The boat was our
entire world - our home
and every single possession)...

In any case, thank you for your prayers and
thoughts. We're physically
well, and mental basket cases, though we are
managing to get things
done. More as we know more. Feel free to pass
this around to other
lists on which we participate, as you may be
aware if you're on them,
too, from having seen our posts in those. Right
now we're a bit busy
to do that ourselves...

L8R

Love from Skip and Lydia, Homeless...

"Jeff" wrote in message
. ..
A bit more info was posted:

[b]This just heard on local 12:00 noon Keys newscast. At midnight, 2
people were safely lifted from their 46' sailboat after going aground
off Content Keys. Name of the boat: Flying Pig. Transiting from Ft.
Myers thru Keys. 62 year old captain and mate are OK. Coast Guard and
FWC monitoring the vessel.

snip..


Glad to hear they are ok...hope they have enough insurance on the boat to
cover the financial problems.
Hard to believe their dream shattered so soon after years of planning.

On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 08:43:27 -0500, Jeff wrote:

Content Key is on the Gulf side, north of Big Pine, about halfway
between Key West and Marathon.

About 19 miles west of the rhumb line into Moser Channel and Marathon.
There was some mention of being "blown off course". We've had 20 kt
easterlies for the last week up until today, but 19 miles is a big
offset on a 120 mile reach south from Ft Myers. Something must have
gone seriously awry.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 08:43:27 -0500, Jeff wrote:

Content Key is on the Gulf side, north of Big Pine, about halfway
between Key West and Marathon.

About 19 miles west of the rhumb line into Moser Channel and Marathon.
There was some mention of being "blown off course". We've had 20 kt
easterlies for the last week up until today, but 19 miles is a big
offset on a 120 mile reach south from Ft Myers. Something must have
gone seriously awry.


My thoughts also. I was studying charts of the area this morning trying to
figure out how they ended up at Comfort Keys -- hopefully Skip will be able
to get online soon and fill us in. I'm totally baffled, and still somewhat
in shock over this, and can't believe their voyage may end so soon. Here's
to the good ship Flying Pig and her stalwart crew -- may they sail again!

KLC Lewis wrote:
"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 08:43:27 -0500, Jeff wrote:

Content Key is on the Gulf side, north of Big Pine, about halfway
between Key West and Marathon.
About 19 miles west of the rhumb line into Moser Channel and Marathon.
There was some mention of being "blown off course". We've had 20 kt
easterlies for the last week up until today, but 19 miles is a big
offset on a 120 mile reach south from Ft Myers. Something must have
gone seriously awry.


My thoughts also. I was studying charts of the area this morning trying to
figure out how they ended up at Comfort Keys -- hopefully Skip will be able
to get online soon and fill us in. I'm totally baffled, and still somewhat
in shock over this, and can't believe their voyage may end so soon. Here's
to the good ship Flying Pig and her stalwart crew -- may they sail again!


They had planned to go from St. Petersburg to Marathon. Rather than sail
around Key West, most people opt to take Big Spanish channel. The
entrance to the channel is about 3 nm NNE of the Content Keys. there is
a lighted marker (G57) at the channel entrance. That's the only lighted
marker until you get east of No Name Key. Most people I know do not
attempt to run this channel at night. They wait at Cape Sable and leave
at first light in order to run the channel in daylight. According to my
GRIB file the wind at 1AM Feb 6 was 25-30 KN from the NE with 7-8 ft.
seas. Most likely, if he turned SE at G57, he didn't allow for the
strong wind, missed "G55" (unlighted) and ended up on Harbor Key Bank
(1-2 ft.).
krj

On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:47:20 -0500, krj
wrote:

They had planned to go from St. Petersburg to Marathon. Rather than sail
around Key West, most people opt to take Big Spanish channel. The
entrance to the channel is about 3 nm NNE of the Content Keys. there is
a lighted marker (G57) at the channel entrance. That's the only lighted
marker until you get east of No Name Key. Most people I know do not
attempt to run this channel at night. They wait at Cape Sable and leave
at first light in order to run the channel in daylight. According to my
GRIB file the wind at 1AM Feb 6 was 25-30 KN from the NE with 7-8 ft.
seas. Most likely, if he turned SE at G57, he didn't allow for the
strong wind, missed "G55" (unlighted) and ended up on Harbor Key Bank
(1-2 ft.).
krj

Skip's boat draws 6 1/2 feet which is too much for Big Spanish channel
in my opinion, especially at night. I draw 5 1/2 and don't take Big
Spanish even during the day. The channel south from Bullard Bank and
Red Bay Bank into Moser Channel is much deeper and easier to
negotiate. I pointed that out to Skip several times on this group.

http://tinyurl.com/3b8c42