Gunboat 55 abandoned

agprice22

agprice22

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Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
Anyone see the news about the Gunboat 55, "Rain Maker," being dismasted in 13 ft seas with 40kt winds 200 miles of North Carolina? The owner and guests were rescued off her. You can see the boat right on Gunboat's website. There was no other damage indicated. Gunboat issued a statement that they will recover the yacht, repair it, and return it to the owner. I guess you get good service when you spend 2.2 Million!

I am curious how it got dismasted. Anyone hear more? Anyone near there hear anything?

Thanks,
Andrew
 
All U Get

All U Get

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Oct 2, 2008
3,811
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
I saw the rescue on the news by the Coast Guard in heavy seas, didn't know it was a Gunboat. Salvage opportunities?

All U Get
 
justsomeguy

justsomeguy

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Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
I remember that Hans Christian being scuttled by the rescuers after the family aboard had a medical emergency and chose to be removed from the boat.

Yep, scuttled as a hazard to navigation, or mariners or somethin'.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
agprice22 said:
Gunboat issued a statement that they will recover the yacht, repair it, and return it to the owner. I guess you get good service when you spend 2.2 Million!
Click to expand
That should be interesting. It clearly in the domain of big-time insurance, salvage, and jones-act admiralty law now. Pretty sure the insurance company will be calling ALL the shots. Gunboat wants to help anyway they can.
 
justsomeguy

justsomeguy

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Feb 20, 2011
8,062
Island Packet 35 Tucson, AZ/San Carlos, MX
Jackdaw said:
That should be interesting. It clearly in the domain of big-time insurance, salvage, and jones-act admiralty law now. Pretty sure the insurance company will be calling ALL the shots. Gunboat wants to help anyway they can.
Click to expand
At least, they're not cowboys with real guns...
 
agprice22

agprice22

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Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
Jackdaw said:
That should be interesting. It clearly in the domain of big-time insurance, salvage, and jones-act admiralty law now. Pretty sure the insurance company will be calling ALL the shots. Gunboat wants to help anyway they can.
Click to expand
Here is my experience of a similar situation...

A friend recovered a boat in the Gulfstream off the coast of Florida, capsized. He righted it, towed it home, and repaired it. When he applied for salvage rights and title to the boat, he was told the original owner was locatable and was claiming the boat back. Turns out, the owner had not lost his rights to the boat and only had to pay towing and repair charges. After a bit of a fight, my friend had to return the boat in exchange for costs incurred.

I imagine the owner still owns the boat, and Gunboat will repair it for him. I bet Gunboat wants to know why the mast broke. I also bet Gunboat doesn't want its recently publicized Cruising World 2015 Boat of the Year and newly launched flagship getting a black eye.

I still wonder how it broke... Those conditions don't seem so severe.

Thanks,

Andrew
 
Apex

Apex

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Jun 19, 2013
1,223
C&C 30 Elk Rapids
From what I 've read on cats, is that overpowering the rig is easy to do since the heeling motion is not there to give you feedback....perhaps that is the case? Of course pure speculation. If so, then why overpowered? perhaps a shakedown run and looking for some transit numbers to brag on?
 
Bad Obsession

Bad Obsession

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May 23, 2004
3,319
I'm in the market as were . Colonial Beach
Any which way it is a shame.

People will criticize and point figures but here are facts that can't be disputed.

1. Everyone got home safe.

2. Those are awful conditions and a white squall is no joke.

Think if it this way, the boat suffered damage in horrible conditions. Sure there are things that could have been done if they knew what they were going to get into. Heck, they probably wouldn't have left port if they knew that they would hit those conditions. Sometimes conditions deteriorate and develop faster than the weather men can keep up with.

The boat is salvageable, no one was hurt or killed, and the boat will probably live to sail another day. Not all was lost (At least it wasn't like the Robert Redford movie).
 
All U Get

All U Get

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Oct 2, 2008
3,811
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
RIVERCRUISER said:
FWIW:
http://www.yachtingworld.com/news/f...atlantic-5-crewmembers-airlifted-safety-61674
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Interesting read. I wonder if they were beating into the wind at the time? I've only been on small cats so my thoughts are similar to Apex, "Were they sailing in weather to get an idea of how it handles rough seas?" Were the dagger boards down or had they been raised to lessen the strain on the rigging? I think of cats as primarily a downwind boat so my views are prejudiced that way. Since the Americas Cup I can see why anyone who owns one is trying to sail full throttle like the cup team. It is interesting though that it was chosen Boat of the Year.

All U Get
 
weinie

weinie

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Sep 6, 2010
1,297
Jeanneau 349 port washington, ny
FWIW, there are some very "lively" discussions about this over on SA.
 
All U Get

All U Get

.
Oct 2, 2008
3,811
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
weinie said:
FWIW, there are some very "lively" discussions about this over on SA.
Click to expand
Thanks Weinie, spent several hours reading and got what I needed. The remarks were interesting and a lot of info on the GB themselves.

All U Get
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
So the crew got dropped at Manteo airport, the GB shop is in Wanchese, NC, (5 miles away) and the boat is drifting maybe 100 miles from the shop. Lucky day for Rainmaker. She was at the Annapolis boat show in October and was quite the star. Hope they can put her together again!
 
agprice22

agprice22

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Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
Thanks all, for adding a little more info. The original story just didn't add up! Now I get it. I heard everyone made it safely ashore, but the details of why they left and didn't motor weren't there. It makes me wonder; how would sea anchors work on a multihull?

Thanks,

Andrew
 
uncledom

uncledom

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Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
agprice22 said:
Thanks all, for adding a little more info. The original story just didn't add up! Now I get it. I heard everyone made it safely ashore, but the details of why they left and didn't motor weren't there. It makes me wonder; how would sea anchors work on a multihull?
Click to expand
I think everyone should have one of these. I luckily have not had to deploy it but if it works near as well as the science suggests and the testimonials claim I'm glad I have it on board. It deploys from the aft end of the cabin on a cat.

http://jordanseriesdrogue.com/D_2.htm
 
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