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bajaguy
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Inadequate Lookout Possible Cause Of Yacht Crash
Since there is no Baja Boating thread/heading, thought I would post this here.
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From the Orange County Register:
An independent review concludes there likely was an inadequate lookout aboard a yacht that crashed into an island during a California-to-Mexico race,
killing four sailors.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) - An inadequate lookout probably played a key role in causing a yacht to crash into an island during a California-to-Mexico
yacht race, killing all four people aboard, a report concluded.
The Aegean likely was on autopilot when it sailed past a GPS waypoint and smashed into the tip of North Coronado Island off the Mexican coast in the
pre-dawn darkness of April 28, according to a report released Tuesday by US Sailing, yacht racing's national governing organization.
The 37-foot vessel was taking part in the 125-mile Newport-to-Ensenada race when it ran aground. The accident killed the captain, Theo Mavromatis, 49,
of Redondo Beach, and crewmembers Kevin Eric Rudolph, 53, of Manhattan Beach; William Reed Johnson Jr., 57, of Torrance; and Joseph Lester Stewart,
64, of Bradenton, Fla.
They were the first deaths in the race's 65-year history.
No distress calls were made before the accident and the Aegean sped along at a consistent 7.1 knots for nearly four hours before the crash, according
to the review by an independent panel organized by US Sailing.
"The panel determined that a key element of the accident was likely an inadequate lookout, and that it is likely that Aegean inadvertently motored
beyond a waypoint set before North Coronado Island," the report concluded.
That waypoint would have been the place where the captain would have decided on which side of the island to pass.
Coroner's reports indicated no evidence that alcohol, drugs or carbon monoxide poisoning played a role in the crash, the US Sailing report indicated.
The vessel broke up after the collision. It was so thoroughly smashed that race officials originally believed it was destroyed in a collision with a
larger ship in the middle of the night.
The report also said that two navigation lights on neighboring South Coronado Island couldn't be seen from the Aegean because they were blocked by the
island chain.
The Aegean did not have an emergency radio beacon or a life raft but a partially inflated dinghy was found in the debris, the report said.
The four sailors were found without life jackets, although one was wearing a safety harness, the report said.
Among its safety recommendations, the report suggested that racers always have at least two people per watch to maintain a proper lookout, and that
vessels should be equipped with audible waypoint and radar alarms.
One of the skipper's daughters, who spells her name as Anna Mavromati, criticized the US Sailing report.
"To my knowledge, they have nothing to back the claims they are making," she told the Orange County Register (http://bit.ly/StpLWX ).
The U.S. Coast Guard also investigated the accident but has not released a report.
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luv2fish
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Whatever became of the crew of FV Eric from San Felipto.??
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Hook
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"To my knowledge, they have nothing to back the claims they are making,"
Uh, whenever a boat runs into an ISLAND, especially in the absence of fog, it's a safe bet there was an inadequate watch. Visual and/or radar.
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Cypress
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They set a course on their automatic pilot and went to sleep. There was an island in their path. Who would have thunk it?
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MrBillM
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Yeah, Well, DUH !
Inadequate Lookout is SO common that there shouldn't even be any question. The sailing publications have, for the last 40 years (and, I'm
sure before), featured mishap after mishap attributed to lack of proper watch-standing.
Almost EVERYBODY is guilty at one time or another on a voyage, including me. You Usually get away with it.
When you Don't .................. Bad Happens. Including Death.
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jureal
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| Quote: | Originally posted by luv2fish
Whatever became of the crew of FV Eric from San Felipto.?? |
The Erik has been found but I don't think that the bodies have been recovered.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/jun/14/vessel-that-capsi...
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thebajarunner
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I think they found all the crew "bodies"
My recollection is that the crew all escaped
I think the question is not what happened in the sinking,
but what legal "happening"
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805gregg
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All it takes is one person on watch, unless sail changes are needed, but if you look at the ages of the crew they probably all went to bed early.
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desertcpl
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as I understand that the crew was all very experienced and seasoned with sailing,
i just dont understand not having a watch, auto pilot or not
if they did have one and they fell asleep, maybe it was drinking,
I do know that this race is all about partying and heavy drinking
about 5 years ago we lost a very dear friend of ours that had just finished the race in Ensenada and after a very heavy night of drinking, had a
mishap that cost him his life
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willardguy
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for what its worth, autopsy showed zero alcohol in any of the crew. I dont know the experience of the crew who were in a rented sailboat. just a
tragic accident.
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desertcpl
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renting a sail boat is not that uncommon with experience sailors,
didnt know about them not having any alcohol in their systems
yes its tragic, some one took their eye off the ball for a bit and it cost all of them
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captkw
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2 boats in this thread ,,folks
The "Eric" was a med size power boats lost in the upper sea of cortez !! the sail boat that ran aground was in the pacific ocean !!! K&T ...................... and I just got back from a great day on the bay !! (monterey
ca.)
[Edited on 11-1-2012 by captkw]
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Islandbuilder
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Improper watch keeping has put many boats in the beach, and killed a lot of crews.
Look at all the boats that end up on the beach around Bahia Santa Maria. An autopilot is not a watch stander, even with GPS and radar alarms.
Somewhat curious that the entire crew would go to sleep during a race, even a club race?!
I seem to recall that there was a track recovered from their GPS that showed them just going straight into the island, no deviation for quite a long
ways...........
All this odd, given the timing right after the loss of "Slow Speed Chase" during the Farallon Island race.
There was a lot of "ok, lets be careful out there" talk due to the prior loss of life.
I think that there is a missing piece in this mystery somewhere. We don't, and may never have, all the facts about what led to this tragic loss of
life.
But the thought that the entire crew just went to bed is too weird to accept without doubt.
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jureal
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There are indeed two different stories here. I was just responding to the question about the Erik. Sorry for adding to the confusion.
The missing passengers bodies on the Erik has not been recovered yet. The wreakage has been located.
| Quote: | Originally posted by thebajarunner
My recollection is that the crew all escaped
I think the question is not what happened in the sinking,
but what legal "happening" |
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Geo_Skip
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Boat crashes into Island at night, Operator Error? Duh!
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gnukid
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It's been theorized that the yacht captain had turned on the engine since the wind was light at about 5knots (running the engine is allowed in the
cruising division with a penalty). The rest of the crew went to bed. Running the motor with the auto-pilot heading downwind in 5 knots there is a
dangerous problem of recirculating the exhaust in the area of the c-ckpit, while urinating overboard and somewhat incapacitated, the captain fell off.
The boat continued without the captain and with carbon monoxide recirculating in the c-ckpit and downbelow. The boat crashed into its plotted course
without the captain (who was never found) and with the crew asleep and possibly poisoned by recirculating carbon monoxide.
2 lessons to learn
Be very wary of running the motor and cruising downwind at 5-6 knots with a following breeze of 5-6 knots.
Never plot a point on land such as an island as a way point
[Edited on 11-3-2012 by gnukid]
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woody with a view
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sorry for the hijack....
http://www.bdoutdoors.com/forums/baja-mexico-fishing-reports...
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MrBillM
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Weaving a Story ..................
" It's been theorized that the yacht captain had turned on the engine since the wind was light at about 5knots (running the engine is allowed in the
cruising division with a penalty). The rest of the crew went to bed. Running the motor with the auto-pilot heading downwind in 5 knots there is a
dangerous problem of recirculating the exhaust in the area of the c-ckpit, while urinating overboard and somewhat incapacitated, the captain fell off.
The boat continued without the captain and with carbon monoxide recirculating in the c-ckpit and downbelow. The boat crashed into its plotted course
without the captain (who was never found) and with the crew asleep and possibly poisoned by recirculating carbon monoxide".
Impressive.
The kind of tale that a Conspiracy Buff would LOVE.
Can we expect greater detail later ?
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willardguy
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the skipper was found eleven days after the crash. carbon monoxide would have showed up in the autopsy. yes?
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MrBillM
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CO in the Blood ?
Unless, of course, there was a Conspiracy to cover it up because ..............
Well, let's not ruin a good theory.
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