Has anyone heard anything further about this couple? Search suspended for B.C. couple sailing from Hawaii to Victoria A B.C. couple sailing from Hawaii to Victoria has vanished and Canadian and U.S. coast guards have suspended searches after finding no trace of the nine-metre sailboat the pair was travelling on. B.C. residents Chris Malchow and Courtnay Steele, seen in this undated photo, were supposed to arrive home weeks ago. (Courtesy of Courtnay Steele's family) Chris Malchow, 31, of Victoria, and Courtnay Steele, 27, of Saltspring Island, left Hawaii on Sept. 8 and were due to arrive in Victoria on Oct. 16, family spokeswoman Suzanne Steele told CBC News Monday. Both quit their jobs for "an adventure of a lifetime," said Steele, who's been using the internet to track ships that might have encountered the couple's ketch. Back in June, Malchow and Steele bought the sailboat, Takaroa 2, in New Zealand and set sail to Tahiti, then on to Hawaii. But there were problems early on in their journey. In Steele's online blog entry dated Aug. 1, she wrote about encountering a gale. "A particularly gigantic wave crashed over our stern … we broke our main boom. Chris sent for a swim, but luckily he was harnessed in. It could have been much worse, really," she wrote. Suzanne Steele, aunt of Courtnay Steele, said her niece had little sailing experience but was learning from Chris Malchow. (CBC) Their radio receiver was soaked with salt water and wrecked. Hatches weren't closing properly and there was a problem with the bilge pump — but the pair made it to Tahiti, the blog said. On the way to Hawaii on Sept. 5, Steele wrote: "Our VHF radio has quit working … a rather scary sight … the lights of a behemoth freighter constantly looming large behind us." Pair not heard from since Sept. 8 Suzanne Steele said her niece had little sailing experience, but was learning from Malchow. "Her partner is a very able sailor and … an extremely competent person," she said. Malchow and Steele have not been heard from since Sept. 8. A major search was launched in October and vessels in the area were given the boat's description, but the Canadian and U.S. coast guards have now suspended their searches. John Steele, Courtnay's father, told CBC News on Monday that he worries the pair may have been caught in a commercial shipping lane. "They were crossing major sea lanes between North America and Asia, as I understand, just north of Hawaii. They are probably 200 miles wide and who knows how many freighters are going through there a day," he said from his Saltspring Island home. Still, family members said they aren't giving up hope. "There is a possibility that they are off course, that they've been de-masted or something like that, and that they will make their way home," Suzanne Steele said. "I don't think that's an unrealistic view … I have great hope still."
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RandyK , It all depends on the boat and the crew
Tim and Pauline Carr in Curlew, Lyn and Larry Pardey first in Serafin and then in Talesin and many others who were not dare devils but just very skilled and careful sailors.
Tim and Pauline Carr in Curlew, Lyn and Larry Pardey first in Serafin and then in Talesin and many others who were not dare devils but just very skilled and careful sailors.
Bought a hunk of junk?
They may have bought a hunk of junk......" we broke our main boom...Their radio receiver was soaked with salt water and wrecked. Hatches weren't closing properly and there was a problem with the bilge pump. Also...How do we know that "Her partner is a very able sailor and … an extremely competent person,". When I lived in St. Thomas, I referred to many of the cruisers there as the "Prisoners of St. T". Many had bought larger boats than they could afford, with repairs needed that they had no money to do. Most of them realized that they could go no further. And....some gamble and continue on. Some win and some lose. Just a guess at it Tony B
They may have bought a hunk of junk......" we broke our main boom...Their radio receiver was soaked with salt water and wrecked. Hatches weren't closing properly and there was a problem with the bilge pump. Also...How do we know that "Her partner is a very able sailor and … an extremely competent person,". When I lived in St. Thomas, I referred to many of the cruisers there as the "Prisoners of St. T". Many had bought larger boats than they could afford, with repairs needed that they had no money to do. Most of them realized that they could go no further. And....some gamble and continue on. Some win and some lose. Just a guess at it Tony B
Higgs, I think...........
It is not always good to second guess, I agree, but I disagre with "They were up to the trip and the boat was up to the trip. " A falling apart boat and the fact they are missing does not back you up. Actually this is quite common with older wooden boats. IMHO Tony B
It is not always good to second guess, I agree, but I disagre with "They were up to the trip and the boat was up to the trip. " A falling apart boat and the fact they are missing does not back you up. Actually this is quite common with older wooden boats. IMHO Tony B
i think you overstate
sailortony: The only thing printed in the original post regarding the seaworthiness of the boat is that "hatches were not closing properly" and this is reported after being hit by a damaging wave - thus leaving one to wonder if the hatches were in good shape prior to the wave. They then state the boat made it to Tahiti, but nothing is said regarding repairs done, which, I guess, I would assume were made prior to heading out again - no mention is made of that. I would think a crew, suffering these problems on this leg, would have been aware of the importance of being prepared for the next leg of the journey. Perhaps I am wrong - it won't be the first time - but I think by the time this boat got to Tahiti, given what they experienced, they had gained the knowledge to properly prepare for their next leg.
sailortony: The only thing printed in the original post regarding the seaworthiness of the boat is that "hatches were not closing properly" and this is reported after being hit by a damaging wave - thus leaving one to wonder if the hatches were in good shape prior to the wave. They then state the boat made it to Tahiti, but nothing is said regarding repairs done, which, I guess, I would assume were made prior to heading out again - no mention is made of that. I would think a crew, suffering these problems on this leg, would have been aware of the importance of being prepared for the next leg of the journey. Perhaps I am wrong - it won't be the first time - but I think by the time this boat got to Tahiti, given what they experienced, they had gained the knowledge to properly prepare for their next leg.
There is no mention of the weather other
than the gale on the NZ/tahiti leg. They were without VHF and long range communication ability. We have no knowledge of the condition of the boat on departure from Tahiti. All that can be said with certainty is that they have gone missing. If they were north of Hawaii on Sept 5 on a passage from Tahiti was their navigation flawed? They may be safe but lost. Without a watch and without sextant or GPS they may simply have lost their way . Could any of us find our way across an ocean without compass, sextant and GPS? Is our astronomy good enough that we can recognize the stars we would need to steer a course?
than the gale on the NZ/tahiti leg. They were without VHF and long range communication ability. We have no knowledge of the condition of the boat on departure from Tahiti. All that can be said with certainty is that they have gone missing. If they were north of Hawaii on Sept 5 on a passage from Tahiti was their navigation flawed? They may be safe but lost. Without a watch and without sextant or GPS they may simply have lost their way . Could any of us find our way across an ocean without compass, sextant and GPS? Is our astronomy good enough that we can recognize the stars we would need to steer a course?
Doesn't look as bad as other boats
Yes its a wooden boat (appears to a be a decent looking ketch from the picture in the article I found) http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/071217/canada/vancouver_bc_sailboat As was mentioned by some the Pardy's seem to do well will an engineless wooden boat. I think people are assuming that since they were younger (in their 20's) they couldn't afford a well found boat. Maybe yes, maybe no, we might be jumping the gun on whether this was a sea worthy boat or not. I have pictures of boats in far off remote locations that look 100 times worse than this boat. Here is a guy that is sailing around the world in a 30 year old home made wooden sloop http://www.48north.com/dec_2007/fleetwood.htm (Actually looks pretty nice) As for the boom breaking and VHF getting seawater in , that can happen to any cruiser if they are out there sailing the oceans long enough. One good wave coming over the stern while the boat fell off a trough could do that. Maybe these two hit a pretty good storm that would beat the heck out of even very seasoned sailors. Most people sailing out there that have done it for a while have the experience and skills to know what to do to keep the chance of damage and ride out a storm. Though on the other hand the longer you are out there the more chance you are exposing yourself to a "big one" and getting caught where you can't get out. Even experienced boat delivery Captains sometimes don't come home Also, one must always remember what is written in these articles is very often writen by someone that knows very little about sailing. You see misleading and erroneously written articles and stories all the time. Was the boom broken or did they have an accidental gybe and it was actually the gooseneck that had a problem. I think we all have to save judgement unless one knows all the facts. For instance it was not written anywhere, but the the skipper of this boat, even though young was not just a naive dreamer and just jumped on a boat and staring sailing. He happened to be a a professional rigger and been around boats for a while. I would suspect he's know if this boat was going to be a problem. Here is a good video of the girls mother. You might learn a bit more and reserve judgement. http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/bc/ondemand/video/STEELEsuzanne.wmv For them & their families sake and lets just hope God has been been keeping an eye on them and they'll be home for Christmas and give everyone the best holiday gifts' of their lives.
Yes its a wooden boat (appears to a be a decent looking ketch from the picture in the article I found) http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/071217/canada/vancouver_bc_sailboat As was mentioned by some the Pardy's seem to do well will an engineless wooden boat. I think people are assuming that since they were younger (in their 20's) they couldn't afford a well found boat. Maybe yes, maybe no, we might be jumping the gun on whether this was a sea worthy boat or not. I have pictures of boats in far off remote locations that look 100 times worse than this boat. Here is a guy that is sailing around the world in a 30 year old home made wooden sloop http://www.48north.com/dec_2007/fleetwood.htm (Actually looks pretty nice) As for the boom breaking and VHF getting seawater in , that can happen to any cruiser if they are out there sailing the oceans long enough. One good wave coming over the stern while the boat fell off a trough could do that. Maybe these two hit a pretty good storm that would beat the heck out of even very seasoned sailors. Most people sailing out there that have done it for a while have the experience and skills to know what to do to keep the chance of damage and ride out a storm. Though on the other hand the longer you are out there the more chance you are exposing yourself to a "big one" and getting caught where you can't get out. Even experienced boat delivery Captains sometimes don't come home Also, one must always remember what is written in these articles is very often writen by someone that knows very little about sailing. You see misleading and erroneously written articles and stories all the time. Was the boom broken or did they have an accidental gybe and it was actually the gooseneck that had a problem. I think we all have to save judgement unless one knows all the facts. For instance it was not written anywhere, but the the skipper of this boat, even though young was not just a naive dreamer and just jumped on a boat and staring sailing. He happened to be a a professional rigger and been around boats for a while. I would suspect he's know if this boat was going to be a problem. Here is a good video of the girls mother. You might learn a bit more and reserve judgement. http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/bc/ondemand/video/STEELEsuzanne.wmv For them & their families sake and lets just hope God has been been keeping an eye on them and they'll be home for Christmas and give everyone the best holiday gifts' of their lives.
Excerpts from article.
Below are excerpts from a news article: They left Opua, a small port in northern New Zealand, on June 8, but returned discouraged six days later. "After crawling back to Opua with our tails between our legs, beaten by six days of headwind gale and seasick and [with] the realization we had no idea what we were doing, we were humbled. We were gun-shy. "Those who knew told us it was late in the season; that we'd be better to go north to Fiji or Tonga as the others have done. But still we were stubborn, and proud. We decided we had to give it one more try ..." Ms. Steele wrote. The couple made it to the Tubai islands in late July, but not without difficulty. Their radio receiver was destroyed after being soaked with salt water, and the boat hit a gale and a "gigantic wave crashed over [the] stern" and broke their main boom, Ms. Steele wrote in her blog. They bought another VHF radio in Hawaii, but Canadian Coast Guard official Marc Proulx said those types of radios only reach approximately 25 kilometres. For [the VHF radio] to be any good you would have to be in range," he said in an interview. "They did not have a high-frequency radio, which covers a distance of about 200-500 miles." "People making this transient route normally try to make it by October. If they go later, they can [get] into pretty foul weather." "It was not a very fast boat. It was wooden, and with a canvas sail, which are slow," Mr. Proulx said. "There were a lot of things wrong with it." From the above article which is written mostly from letters and blogs from Courtnay Steele, its pretty obvious that they were both inexperienced. Also the boat was probably a P.O.S. I am not familiar with their particular boat but most wooden boats are 50 years old or older. That's 50 plus years of age on the nails, screws and other fittings. Its tragic, that they were on their adventure of a lifetime when this happened, but it is not that rare with ill fitted boats and lack of experience. I hope i am wrong and they are drifting somewhere and will be found soon. Tony B
Below are excerpts from a news article: They left Opua, a small port in northern New Zealand, on June 8, but returned discouraged six days later. "After crawling back to Opua with our tails between our legs, beaten by six days of headwind gale and seasick and [with] the realization we had no idea what we were doing, we were humbled. We were gun-shy. "Those who knew told us it was late in the season; that we'd be better to go north to Fiji or Tonga as the others have done. But still we were stubborn, and proud. We decided we had to give it one more try ..." Ms. Steele wrote. The couple made it to the Tubai islands in late July, but not without difficulty. Their radio receiver was destroyed after being soaked with salt water, and the boat hit a gale and a "gigantic wave crashed over [the] stern" and broke their main boom, Ms. Steele wrote in her blog. They bought another VHF radio in Hawaii, but Canadian Coast Guard official Marc Proulx said those types of radios only reach approximately 25 kilometres. For [the VHF radio] to be any good you would have to be in range," he said in an interview. "They did not have a high-frequency radio, which covers a distance of about 200-500 miles." "People making this transient route normally try to make it by October. If they go later, they can [get] into pretty foul weather." "It was not a very fast boat. It was wooden, and with a canvas sail, which are slow," Mr. Proulx said. "There were a lot of things wrong with it." From the above article which is written mostly from letters and blogs from Courtnay Steele, its pretty obvious that they were both inexperienced. Also the boat was probably a P.O.S. I am not familiar with their particular boat but most wooden boats are 50 years old or older. That's 50 plus years of age on the nails, screws and other fittings. Its tragic, that they were on their adventure of a lifetime when this happened, but it is not that rare with ill fitted boats and lack of experience. I hope i am wrong and they are drifting somewhere and will be found soon. Tony B
Boat Watch Network
See the International Boat Watch Network: boatwatchnet.org/ http://www.boatwatchnet.org/ Select “Current Watch Full Text” from menue at left. The vessel is a 30 ft Tahitian Ketch with a white wooden hull, and tan sails. It has a 10 HP diesel engine; the name of the vessel is “TAKAROA II”. There are two people on this vessel; the owner/operator is Chris Malchow, a Canadian citizen, and his passenger is Courtenay Steele, also a Canadian citizen. The vessel has a 406 EPIRB and a handheld VHF radio, but unfortunately no HF radio. The TAKAROA departed Hilo, HI on September 8th en route Victoria B.C and was due to arrive on October 16th. They were not set up on a communications schedule. If you hear anything, or get any reports of vessels that sighted them, please contact the Search and Rescue Duty Officer at 510-437-3701. Thank you so much for your assistance in this case. RCC ALAMEDA
See the International Boat Watch Network: boatwatchnet.org/ http://www.boatwatchnet.org/ Select “Current Watch Full Text” from menue at left. The vessel is a 30 ft Tahitian Ketch with a white wooden hull, and tan sails. It has a 10 HP diesel engine; the name of the vessel is “TAKAROA II”. There are two people on this vessel; the owner/operator is Chris Malchow, a Canadian citizen, and his passenger is Courtenay Steele, also a Canadian citizen. The vessel has a 406 EPIRB and a handheld VHF radio, but unfortunately no HF radio. The TAKAROA departed Hilo, HI on September 8th en route Victoria B.C and was due to arrive on October 16th. They were not set up on a communications schedule. If you hear anything, or get any reports of vessels that sighted them, please contact the Search and Rescue Duty Officer at 510-437-3701. Thank you so much for your assistance in this case. RCC ALAMEDA
Tony B. & Gord. Thanks for the added info
The more we read the more you get an idea of what is really going on. They do sound a bit young & naive which makes you a bit more "gung-ho". I think after one gets the snot kicked out of you from a storm you become a little more "seasoned & cautious" . Interesting that the boat does have an EPIRB. One would think if they really had serious problems they would have that go off. I have heard they are not infalable and sometimes the batteries get old and not replaced. Lets hope & pray for the best
The more we read the more you get an idea of what is really going on. They do sound a bit young & naive which makes you a bit more "gung-ho". I think after one gets the snot kicked out of you from a storm you become a little more "seasoned & cautious" . Interesting that the boat does have an EPIRB. One would think if they really had serious problems they would have that go off. I have heard they are not infalable and sometimes the batteries get old and not replaced. Lets hope & pray for the best
Old EPIRBS
When I bought my current 30 year old boat about 1 1/2 years ago, it had an old EPIRB on it. The batteries were dead and we could not get batteries for it. We called the EPIRB company and they didnt make batteries for that model anymore. We even tried tapeing several batteries together, still didnt work. I'm sure, if given enough time, I could have figured out something. IF I hadn't thrown it away, I guess I could have said that there was an EPIRB aboard. Also, it wouldnt be the first time someone may have put the EPIRB in a "safe place" and no way for it to float up. This is a very tradgic story and I am in no way trying to belittle the young couple. I am not good at expressing myself at times. I think this should be a good learning experience for others. In another thread with Patrick, the new owner of a Morgan 33, CharlieCobra writes... "If I did all the stuff some of you folks suggest and waited until I had all the stuff aboard you suggested, I'd have never sailed anywhere. I'd still be driving by the marina dreaming about sailing". I have to agree with Charlie. I think we should be reasonable in our selection of what to carry. Most of us on here do not have the money to buy all of the whistles and bells. In Patricks quest to get his new to him 33 Morgan home, I think he should have all of the required by law safety items on board. In addition, in his case, a cell phone and a handheld VHF should be adequate. When making long pasages, a HAM band SSB or marine band SSB should be considered essential. Communications with the outside world is very important as far as safety is concerned. IMHO. Tony B
When I bought my current 30 year old boat about 1 1/2 years ago, it had an old EPIRB on it. The batteries were dead and we could not get batteries for it. We called the EPIRB company and they didnt make batteries for that model anymore. We even tried tapeing several batteries together, still didnt work. I'm sure, if given enough time, I could have figured out something. IF I hadn't thrown it away, I guess I could have said that there was an EPIRB aboard. Also, it wouldnt be the first time someone may have put the EPIRB in a "safe place" and no way for it to float up. This is a very tradgic story and I am in no way trying to belittle the young couple. I am not good at expressing myself at times. I think this should be a good learning experience for others. In another thread with Patrick, the new owner of a Morgan 33, CharlieCobra writes... "If I did all the stuff some of you folks suggest and waited until I had all the stuff aboard you suggested, I'd have never sailed anywhere. I'd still be driving by the marina dreaming about sailing". I have to agree with Charlie. I think we should be reasonable in our selection of what to carry. Most of us on here do not have the money to buy all of the whistles and bells. In Patricks quest to get his new to him 33 Morgan home, I think he should have all of the required by law safety items on board. In addition, in his case, a cell phone and a handheld VHF should be adequate. When making long pasages, a HAM band SSB or marine band SSB should be considered essential. Communications with the outside world is very important as far as safety is concerned. IMHO. Tony B
Pacific natives can
Ross I just read an interesting book on how the people from the Pacific Islands navigated using a stick as a sextant. Along with knowledge passed down from generation to generation, of the wind and cloud patterns, prevailing sea currents etc, these people navigated all through the Pacific. Now could any of us do it? That's a long shot, but perhaps if my life depended on it??? On a clear night you have the Big Dipper and of course then the North Star. Give me the AM sunrise and with some luck you just might make it back alive. It shouldn't take much to estimate direction and time of day based on the angle of the sun so you could keep a roughly right heading. If you can keep heading East you'll hit land sooner or later, the Americas is a big continent and hard to miss. The will to live makes amazing people out of us. Now don't ask me what to do if it's cloudy out
Mike
Ross I just read an interesting book on how the people from the Pacific Islands navigated using a stick as a sextant. Along with knowledge passed down from generation to generation, of the wind and cloud patterns, prevailing sea currents etc, these people navigated all through the Pacific. Now could any of us do it? That's a long shot, but perhaps if my life depended on it??? On a clear night you have the Big Dipper and of course then the North Star. Give me the AM sunrise and with some luck you just might make it back alive. It shouldn't take much to estimate direction and time of day based on the angle of the sun so you could keep a roughly right heading. If you can keep heading East you'll hit land sooner or later, the Americas is a big continent and hard to miss. The will to live makes amazing people out of us. Now don't ask me what to do if it's cloudy out
Mike
Pacific Natives can ??????
Sometimes I think authors give indiginous people more credit for technology than they really had. I read on several occasions that most of the Pacific Island people had no wriiten language, and virtually no technology. If one were to sail from almost any given point in the Pacific Islands with literally no navigation eqpt. and no knowledge of navigation they would in a a few days end up on one of the 20,000 to 30,000 islands. If you were set adrift from Burmuda, you would eventually end up in the Carribean or the Americas. Does that make you a good navigator? From what I read, the Polynesians didnt have a trade route between islands that were really far apart. Only the 'i can see it from here' islands. When an island got overcrowded, large amounts of enterprising people just set sail until they hit an uninhabited island that had the ingredients to sustain life. Remember, their are 20,000 to 30,000 islands. Thats a lot of islands. IMHO also just being contoversial for the fun of it. Tony B
Sometimes I think authors give indiginous people more credit for technology than they really had. I read on several occasions that most of the Pacific Island people had no wriiten language, and virtually no technology. If one were to sail from almost any given point in the Pacific Islands with literally no navigation eqpt. and no knowledge of navigation they would in a a few days end up on one of the 20,000 to 30,000 islands. If you were set adrift from Burmuda, you would eventually end up in the Carribean or the Americas. Does that make you a good navigator? From what I read, the Polynesians didnt have a trade route between islands that were really far apart. Only the 'i can see it from here' islands. When an island got overcrowded, large amounts of enterprising people just set sail until they hit an uninhabited island that had the ingredients to sustain life. Remember, their are 20,000 to 30,000 islands. Thats a lot of islands. IMHO also just being contoversial for the fun of it. Tony B
More Info
I went to the search box and typed in " tahitian ketch 30 new zealand" and came up with several news articles written about this.
I went to the search box and typed in " tahitian ketch 30 new zealand" and came up with several news articles written about this.
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