6 days at sea after yacht sinks.

[Leeward Rail]

B.C. man survives six days at sea after boat sinks in Caribbean | Globalnews.ca

'I got an abrupt awakening when I hit a reef. You know you're on ground when you're sailing along and then you hear a big thump,' Don Cavers said.

globalnews.ca

FWIW: I find his takeaway interesting...

Maybe I am reading it wrong but it looks like the boat wasn't fully inspected before leaving.

Definitely didn't have backup navigation gear (electronic or traditional) aboard

 

[dlochner]

The article is not very clear about where in the Caribbean he was sailing.

Who would do the inspection? There is no inspecting authority. If he's been sailing for 30 years he should have some knowledge of what is needed on the boat. The article also mentions his paper charts were destroyed because of the water. Once the water level reached the top of his batteries his electrical system could be toast. In warm saltwater the connections would start to corrode quickly. That he was able to get any of his electrical system working again was pretty amazing.

The article didn't go into the type of emergency signaling equipment on board. I am curious how the EPIRB, if he had one, was not working. Be interesting to see some follow up articles that are more sailing oriented rather than the mass media drama market.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Who would do the inspection? There is no inspecting authority.

He would do the inspection..
Authorities aren't needed.

Caver blaming top-side leaks and a faulty bilge pump.

The way I read.it.. is that he discovered that the bilge pumps didn't work when he was already at sea. Maybe I am wrong ?
No manual backup ? Only 1 pump ?

I gather he woke up when the boat was sluggish and realized he had a problem ?

"heading roughly north, northwest via a wonky compass"

Wonky compass ? He only had one ?

Cavers said he’s learned many lessons from his near-death voyage, with one being to ensure all his electronics are placed in waterproof containers.

To me the default condition is backup safety gear in waterproof containers because boat emergencies involve water.

That he was able to get any of his electrical system working again was pretty amazing.

Yes. That has me curious.

. I am curious how the EPIRB, if he had one, was not working. Be interesting to see some follow up articles that are more sailing oriented rather than the mass media drama market.

Fully agree. Everything is a bit vague.
I do recall a report once where a beacon was assumes to be transmitting when it was actually in test mode. ?

It does say that he bought the used boat in Columbia and was heading to Puerto Rico. From that I am reading that he was 2 days out from Columbia when he realized there was a large topsides leak ?
I am guessing that conditions were such that he couldn't make for land without the leak being unmanageable.
But it also says he wanted a leisurely trip.. so maybe it occured elsewhere..

I wonder which reef near Cuba ?

 

[jssailem]

Yes.. A lot of unanswered questions. 600 plus miles of open water ENE into the trades to get from Columbia to Puerto Rico. 480 NNW too reach Jamaica with the wind and waves abeam, again open water.

What as the quote...
“Whenever your preparations for the sea are poor; the sea worms its way in and finds the problems.”
– Francis Stokes

 

[Leeward Rail]

One thing I have always thought we needed more of.....
The equivalent of the "I learned about flying from that" and "aftermath" columns from Flying magazine.

Unfortunately you don't often hear the full details for yachting incidents. It's always the one or two stories from the non sailing world. @dlochner , you hit the nail on the head.

 

[JRacer]

Reminds me of an expression, "Ya Can't fix stupid" That's the corollary to the Boy Scout Moto.