In June of 2024, we covered the dramatic story of the Swedish Flagged Ida Lina, an Arcona 46 cruising boat, that sank due to rudder post failure near the Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific. The couple aboard radioed their buddy boat friends who were able to rescue them as the Ida Lina sank below the waves. Read the story and watch the video here. https://www.bwsailing.com/cc/2024/04/arcona-460-sinking-update-builder-launches-inquiry/
This week we heard from our friends and associates at the Cruising Club of America regarding their current research project on yacht to yacht recues at sea, ie. cruising or racing sailors who are rescued by fellow sailors. This project stems from the recent sinking of three boats associated with races to Bermuda.
The working group is comprised of leading experts from the CCA, US Sailing, Bermuda Race Foundation/Newport Bermuda Race, Marion Bermuda Race, Royal Ocean Racing Club, and Australia Sailing. These volunteers have identified 25 incidents of sailors rescuing other sailors and are developing a list of conclusions from the events that will become recommendations for the future.
One of the important initial findings is that the crews facilitating the recues had never put in place plans for such a rescue so each maneuver and action was taken ad hoc. And, two of the sinkings stemmed from clogged fuel filters, thus the loss of battery power to run the bilge pumps.
The group is working toward a June 1 release of their final conclusions and recommendations, but this week issued a preliminary report with some of their most salient findings.
- almost all incidents occurred out of range of shore-based rescue services, or circumstances were such that immediate rescue was required.
- none of the rescued crews or rescue vessels had trained for, or even considered, rescue at sea by another yacht.
- most of the crews attributed their successful rescues, without injury, to their prior safety-at-sea training such as dealing with emergencies, communications, and use of a life raft.
- most incidents involved flooding; many of those involved damage to rudders or keels.
- it would be helpful to offshore sailors, who might be involved in an abandonment or rescue, to receive some education about what procedures have proved to be successful, or not, in YTYCRs so that they have a framework of options.
The CCA and US Sailing are key players in the annual Safety at Sea Seminars that benefit all offshore sailors and are required by several offshore event organizers. The team studying yacht to yacht rescues will develop a general report on best practices available to all sailors and this will then be integrated in the curriculums of future Safety at Sea Seminars.
As in all elements of offshore seamanship, yacht to yacht recuses need to be on skipper’s pre-voyage list and require planning, preparation and practice.
We’ll bring you the final report in June when it is published but in the meantime you can learn about three of the rescues through the link below.
