[C38] Chicago Mac news

Fri Jul 22 18:12:45 EDT 2011

Just found this:

"David Tarson keeps a wet suit, flippers and a defibrillator on his boat.
He wanted to go into the water to look for Morely and Bickel, but his crew
talked him out of it. They were under the impression that the Coast Guard
would send in their own divers. “They convinced me it was dangerous for me
to be there, that there are people who do this that are trained for it,”
Tarson said. “That made sense to me. You don’t want to have one person
you’re saving while you’re saving the other two.”

However, the Coast Guard did not have a dive team that night. A Coast
Guard spokesperson told WBEZ this was normal because they don’t maintain
their own dive teams for search and rescue. Instead, they use divers
provided by local law enforcement. In this case, the Sheriff’s office in
Charlevoix County, Mich.

Divers did not arrive until early morning. According to the sheriff’s
office, divers quickly found the two missing sailors trapped underneath
the boat, still tethered to their life lines.

http://www.wbez.org/story/mourning-after-mac-concerns-about-safety-89446

> I saw photos of the crippled boat and it was pretty scary to behold,
> especially since just days earlier I was knocked down by a microburst (My
> "It came out of no where" confirmed by two fellows who I know and trust
> not to BS me.)
>
> I don't know how far INTEMPERANCE went over; far enough I was looking
> level at the toe rail and an ice chest I had on the starboard shelf ended
> up on the port side of the table.  I do know that even with sheets made
> off she came back to her feet and rounded up.
>
> Afterwards I heard from a sailing friend who is also a pilot that they
> observe a 20 mile radius; I was more like 5 miles away from the visible
> edge of the cell. I will be more cautious from now on.
>
> As to the KIWI 35 design, those hiking wings look like a hard edge to get
> back over once the boat goes past a certain point.
>
> Also somewhat surprise to read the bodies were recovered, still tethered,
> by divers, not by fellow crew. Wasn't there, don't know what happened,
> experience of those on board. When I worked on the river was had a saying
> about drowning victims: No one is dead until they're warm and dead.
>
> Anyway, condolences and cautions all around; a terrible coda to my own
> recalibration.
>
>> Joe,
>> I also was amazed regarding this boat design and the fact it has a
>> history of "turtleing."   The fastest boats beat the storm by about an
>> hour, but a huge part of the fleet was right in the middle of it.  I
>> understand about 20 boats dropped out as they participated in the
>> rescue/search.
>> Practical Sailor sent out a note yesterday regarding tethers, suggesting
>> the two fatalities "might" have not been able to release their tethers
>> (they both were found still attached to the boat).   I know my tethers
>> have no quick release on them......
>> Regarding storms.  The statistics are a bit alarming.  USCG reports that
>> 20 people died sailing the Great Lakes last year (no breakdown of
>> alcohol or other issues).  My boat, the Mighty Quinn, was knocked
>> down/struck by lightning in the 1988 Chicago-Mac.  The hit pretty much
>> turned the rudder into mush within a couple of days and the rig was
>> replaced afterward with heavier cable.  The good news is not only did
>> the boat survive, but went on to win her division in the Chicago Mac
>> that year!
>>
>> A previous boat of ours  (Cascade 36) was in the Trans-Superior Race
>> when 13 boats were dis-masted during another storm...  Our rig was
>> sturdy and survived with only a destroyed jib after being knocked down
>> during that storm.  A not-so-funny observation is that most of my really
>> bad experiences have been at night....
>>
>> As you might ascertain, I prefer "tough, seaworthy boats and do so from
>> as you say "having to change my underwear" more than a few times!  But,
>> even on the best boats with the best crews....  things happen.   We all
>> need to learn from our (and others) mistakes as we go along.  So, let's
>> be safe out there!
>>
>> Regards,
>> Chuck Finn
>>
>> On 7/22/2011 2:31 AM, Joseph Launie wrote:
>>> Chuck,
>>>     This is relevant only because some of our members may be thinking
>>> of getting rid of their C-38 YACHT and replacing it with what Olin
>>> Stevens used to call a skimming dish. I have never seen a Kimi 35 but
>>> I hear it has 8 foot waterline beam and 14 foot deck beam. It sounds
>>> like a crew ballasted boat. When I did overnite races in my Cal-25,
>>> Olson-30 and then C-38 I used to send the off watch below with
>>> instructions to get in their bunk and get some rest.  All of those
>>> boats had accommodations to do that unlike a Farr 40 or many similar
>>> boats.
>>>     The paper says the Kiwi 35 capsized.  What does that mean in a
>>> sailboat? Spreaders in the water and the boat comes right back up
>>> --change your underwear and you are fine. Spreaders in the water and
>>> boat stays down - not so good.  If it turns turtle like the Nicholson
>>> Half tonner in the Fastnet Race - big problems.  I thought we learned
>>> something from the 1979 Fastnet and modern racing boats weren't
>>> supposed to do that. Joe Launie/Macavity  PS It would be interesting
>>> to know how many boats had finished when the squall hit.
>>>
>>> On 7/19/2011 6:38 PM, Chuck Finn wrote:
>>>> My wife (Mary) and I were up at the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan to
>>>> see some of the big yachts arrive from the Chicago Mac race
>>>> yesterday...  It was only then that we learned of the tragedy where
>>>> two racers were drowned when their boat capsized in a 75 knot wind
>>>> gust during a storm.   This is the first fatality in the history of
>>>> this race.  The storm, with over 50 knot sustained winds resulted in
>>>> 34 boats (10%) having to withdraw for weather related reasons.
>>>> Racing is certainly exciting and fun, but it is also dangerous.  I
>>>> applaud Steve S. for making the safe decision for his crew in the
>>>> Transpac.   Let's all be safe out there folks!
>>>>
>>>> Chuck Finn
>>>> Commodore
>>>>
>>>>
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