Some good News for a change

[Wildfisher]

Yes it's great they are safe, but let's be honest now we know they are a pair of irresponsible numpties. No GPS, no radio, no compass or the complete inability to use it. If this was bunch of hill walkers going out  that badly equipped and untrained and getting lost they would be condemned outright.

[Highlander]

said on the news that their after another boat

Apparently as Fachan stated their boat sank whilst being towed.

And the younger one had forgot his phone.

You just can not write these scripts can you.
:roll:

[Allan Crawford]

I think that is being too hard on them, sounds like the grandfather has been doing it all his life, easy to sit at a keyboard and criticise. Maybe complacent but then if your used to doing something often how many times do you have to do it until one day you make a mistake?  It was a craft designed to be used with in sight of land so doesn't have the equipment of a bigger boat and no doubt he'll have been caught out in the fog before and relied on his compass to get him back, this time it let him down. I expect they had similar weather to us over the last few days and its been cold out here with winds over 40 knots from the north so along with some luck they still did well to survive and in good humour from the sound of it! As for the boat sinking, 16ft open top over 40 miles out being towed back by a lifeboat, not really surprising it sank just glad the guys didn't go down with it and it ended happily because it was looking like another fatally especially as the search had been called off.

When things go wrong, its not just the big things that go wrong but there is nearly always a string of little things that went wrong in the lead up, for them the day might have been very different if they had not forgotten his phone ?
I've certainly made that mistake a few times.

[Highlander]

I think that is being too hard on them, sounds like the grandfather has been doing it all his life, easy to sit at a keyboard and criticise.

Being hard on them? I do not think so.

I for one am only reporting what I read in todays newspaper, so have they got it all wrong ?.

It is reported in more than one paper.

1. The boy had forgot his phone
2. That there was no VHF radio,no flares in fact no safety comunication equipment of any kind.
They were a commercial fishing unit all be it in a small boat so where was the required kit or is there no required kit? Surely there must be a minimum kit that should be stored aboad a commercial boat. Yes/No

If that is indeed the case that there was nothing then as Fred says a couple of numpties.


Complacent? I think not foolhardy to the extreme is my take on it. Sorry but there you go.
And how the hell did the boat sink? There was no apparent damage was there.

Daily Record quotes they had two flares, so apologies for that error if indeed the case.
At least they are safe & well

[Wildfisher]

Being hard on them? I do not think so.

I don't think so either. My cousin has a boat in Arbroath harbour, not a commercial vessel, just his hobby. He stays in inshore waters too.   It has radio, echo sounder, GPS .............. 

In a past life he was a commercial fisherman, he knows the sea and its dangers.

[emc]

Good news locally but its a probably a foregone conclusion about the other 4 in the mid Atlantic; doubt they survived... The sea is not forgiving and should never be underestimated.

E.

Looks as though they capsized with no chance of deploying the life raft.

[Allan Crawford]

Wonder what happened to damage the hull of the yacht ?

[Inchlaggan]

The unpredictable nature of the sea is clearly demonstrated.
The guys with every bit of kit and the knowledge and experience to use it are lost, but the two with a "compass that stopped working" are saved.

[Allan Crawford]

The unpredictable nature of the sea is clearly demonstrated.
The guys with every bit of kit and the knowledge and experience to use it are lost, but the two with a "compass that stopped working" are saved.

Bit of a difference in location between the two.

As for the yacht heard an interview with one of the wife's on tv, one of the experienced guys longest journey before this was from Inverness to Bergen and nothing else ! Though to be honest I'm sure they were capable enough maybe one of the others had the real experience, the yacht was certainly kitted out well enough. Just wondering if they ran into something hence the damage and taking on water, it must have happened quickly as they didn't get a chance to go to liferaft ?

In the North East according to the BBC the old guy had 60 years experience going out in creel boats and I know the weather out here this last week has been unseasonably cold, I'm not sure how much of the gales they got as I'm a lot further north but its been more like January than May. Gales from the North will get a big swell going which I think might be what cause the boat to sink on tow behind the life boat My father inlaw will probably know all the details as he controls the rescues when I next speak to him.

[Wildfisher]

a "compass that stopped working" are saved.

I once had one that stopped working,   the sharp pointy bit broke off. Perhaps that's what happened.