As much as I think the captain was a fool for putting himself where he was and when he got there, I do have to say something in his defense.
The afternoon of the 24th was when I secured Imzadi, and the morning of the 25th was when I drove over to look after Belle. On Wednesday, the storm was still south of Cuba and NOAA was still predicting the storm to move off to the northeast after brushing the Carolina Coast. And at 5am on Thursday the other models were starting to more closely resemble the European model and show the track more northerly - IIRC Nova Scotia was a target - but the storm was still 180 nm south of the Bahamas, with hurricane force winds out to 25-35 miles, and was forecast to weaken after crossing the Bahamas on Friday. Our local TV weather guys and the Weather Channel were making hay on the uncertainty in the track because of the European model prediction, but nobody really knew where Sandy was going. If the captain only had access to NOAA VHF or SSB forecasts, he might have made decisions on Thursday and Friday that put him into the path of the storm. That said, I go back to a thought I posted a few days ago. He had a crew totaling 16, so he was most likely motoring. (We have an 85 ft tall ship in NC called the Elizabeth II. She's a replica of the 1542 English ship that brought the first colonists to Roanoke Island NC in 1587. Elizabeth II carries a crew of 12 for sail handling on the passages she makes in the Sounds and ICW in North Carolina.) Colin, I agree that he probably would find little shelter in Delaware Bay. Wilmington and Philly seem to have gotten moderately whacked by Sandy. But I keep thinking that he could have gone through the C&D Canal into Chesapeake Bay, down the bay to Norfolk, and then out into the Atlantic after the storm had passed north. There are plenty of locations in the Chesapeake where he could park the Bounty if he needed to kill some time - on the other side of the quay that hosts the USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor comes immediately to mind. I guess we'll never know what was on his mind as he headed south, or where his priorities lay. But I am looking forward to the crew's statements during the USCG inquiry that will happen. Rick Brass Imzadi -1976 C&C 38 mk1 la Belle Aurore -1975 C&C 25 mk1 Washington, NC From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Colin Kilgour Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 1:13 PM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Subject: Re: Stus-List HMS Bounty Abandoned - 2 Crew Missing at Sea. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it too, and I can't fathom the logic. Getting into Norfolk or Hampton might have helped, but really they should have bailed before getting that far south. They may not have had time to get in there. I don't think the Delaware Bay would have offered much safety either (it can be crappy in there even when the weather's good!)... So really, you've got to head back to Long Island Sound, or even through the Cape Cod Canal. Others have suggested heading east early, and that may have been helpful, but as was pointed out, they didn't make any easting at all after Montauk. Also, given the size of the storm, they would have had to sail pretty much due east after leaving the sound in order to get clear. Given that they knew the hurricane was out there before they left, and they knew it was heading their way. They should have, imo, waited... and then if looked like New London was going to get hammered, spend your remaining time making the boat secure. Then go to shore. -- Having sailed offshore in this part of the Atlantic for 3 of the last 4 Novembers, I'm finally refining my tactics. Increasingly, my preferred go south strategy is to get at least as far south as Norfolk, then wait as long as possible (ie: until you wake to ice on the dock). Then, on the first weather window thereafter, get the hell out of there and across the stream. Make a bunch of easting toward Bermuda, and then head south to the Caribbean. It sucks when you're on this side of the stream in November, but once you're across (after a chilly and lumpy 24 hours or so) it warms up quickly. And the longer you wait, the calmer winds you'll get for the passage south. My $0.02 Colin On Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 9:41 PM, jtsails <jtsai...@gmail.com> wrote: It seems from the course track that I have seen that may have been his intention, but it was a very poor decision! The area he sailed into has a strong gulf stream flow from Southwest to Northeast and the storm winds from the Northeast. The waves stack up and get very steep in even a mild Nor'easter, can't imagine what it was like out there at the time. There's a reason they call that area the "graveyard of the Atlantic". James S/V Delaney 1976 C&C 38 Oriental, NC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Moriarty" <bobmo...@gmail.com> To: <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Sent: Monday, October 29, 2012 9:22 PM Subject: Re: Stus-List HMS Bounty Abandoned - 2 Crew Missing at Sea. I wonder if the Captain was expecting to get through the Gulfstream and then just turn right and deal with less-rough conditions. I have no familiarity with that region. Bob M Ox 33-1 Jax, FL _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
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