Helicopter Rescue off Dover

[Talulah]

looks like hes lost his gps aerial

It's deck surface mounted starboard rear.

[parsifal]

I would just love to be a fly on the wall when the skipper and HL have their discussion.

It remains to be seen to what extent the skipper was involved in drawing up the itinery or selecting his crew.

It might be that he was told "Take it or leave it. If you don't want the job, we'll find someone who does."

[fireball]

It might be that he was told "Take it or leave it. If you don't want the job, we'll find someone who does."

IF that was the case and I was the potential skipper then my response would be "good luck ... "

[Blueboatman]

Waiting for someone to come along who has sailed/raced a 40.7 in storm winds downwind and what their opinion is as to boats actual behaviour, what sails they flew,etc.
Of those 4 airlifted out, is there a suggestion that the skipper was one of them ?

[Pye_End]

If you look carefully at the hub... the spokes have been broken off....

I suspect that someone fell against it and bent it... and it has now been bent back into a servicable state...

I wonder how the pushpit got all bust up like that??

I bet they had a knockdown and the helm got thrown onto the wheel...

He was on the local news last night, and from what I understood a following wave broke over the stern pushing the helmsman onto the wheel, damaging both sailor and wheel.

[ksutton]

Waiting for someone to come along who has sailed/raced a 40.7 in storm winds downwind and what their opinion is as to boats actual behaviour, what sails they flew,etc.
Of those 4 airlifted out, is there a suggestion that the skipper was one of them ?

Skipper was with the yacht until it was towed into Ramsgate. Briefly interviewed on local TV as he stepped ashore, he was full of smiles, still looking like he enjoyed every minute of it.

[snooks]

The wheel doesn't look that bad - not like it's unserviceable (or am I missing something?)

The spokes have been bent and pulled out, but the surface plate is held on by hex bolts, so it perhaps it could have been repaired? Well repaired the wheel, not the crew

They also have an autopilot (if it was working?) and one would like to think they also have an emergency tiller on board.

But we weren't there at the time, and seeing the forecast I doubt many of us would have been there at the time.....One for the MAIB I feel

[parsifal]

IF that was the case and I was the potential skipper then my response would be "good luck ... "

Me too!

But then I am lucky in never having been reduced to such a state of state of wretched impoverishment that would compel me to sail yachts for a living. I could see the conflicts between meeting the expectations of the paying 'passengers/crews', and sticking to the schedule, whilst exercising good seamanship soon turning an activity I love (sailing) into something very stressful, especially in European waters where the weather is so unpredictable.

[Seajet]

Perhaps some -old - lessons reinforced by this,

1; Don't set off into a storm especially in coastal conditions,

2, Even more importantly, Crew Strength Is Everything ! Racing boats can hare around the Southern Ocean surfing down huge waves, as long as there's a well trained team of gorillas onboard; the average cruiser with man & wife or novices will probably not fare too well.

3, as for the bent pushpit, well it is common to have even stainless stanchions bent by waves if one sees the old 'Heavy Weather Sailing' & similar books.

When I took my YM exam it was in a severe gale, I seriously thought part of the test was ' are you daft enough to set off in this ? ' So asked my question to be logged... No, we set off; but that was only along Southampton Water, the Examiner was far too bright to embark on the trip described here, even with a much stronger crew.

[parsifal]

Skipper was with the yacht until it was towed into Ramsgate. Briefly interviewed on local TV as he stepped ashore, he was full of smiles, still looking like he enjoyed every minute of it.

B----dy hell. If he really enjoyed that then he's even more dangerous than his tweets suggest!