Anatomy of Sinking at Sea

Several weeks ago, when news emerged of the sinking of the Arcona 460 IdaLina 200 miles from the Marqueses Island in French Polynesia, the cruising community and beyond sat up and took notice. The story went viral and armchair pundits soon were posting all kinds of theories and suggestions, most of them ill-informed and baseless. Yet, having a yacht of the quality of an Arcona 460 sink due to the reported broken rudder post, is alarming. What went wrong and why could the experienced Swedish couple aboard not stem the flood? The answers are more complex than you might think, and the lessons we all can learn from the disaster are worth taking to heart. In the current edition of Practical Boat Owner, the couple, Ingmar and Katarina Revudd, discuss exactly what happened, how they struggled to save their boat and the final decision to abandon ship. Read more.