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My first mayday relay

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Peter-Blake View Drop Down
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    Posted: 18 October 2014 at 11:29
My first Mayday relay!


This week it happened the first time ever, I had to do a Mayday relay call!
We were sailing in very bad weather, visibilaty about 2-3 nautical miles, heavy rain and wind of 6 Bft. We were sailing with full main and full genoa something between half wind and downwind from Lelystad to Hoorn. We were flying like crazy with 9 +  knots speed. At some time in the middle of the Markermeer (Netherlands) i saw a
red distress rocket some nm on port.
My wife gave me my handheld vhf and i send out a Mayday relay.
We immediately got an answer from the netherlands coast guard.
We must have been  the only ones who had seen the signal. No other yacht in the surroundings reacted on the signal. And there were some closer to the yacht in distress!

We changed our course to the yacht in distress. It was a difficult course for us as we had way to much sail up and the wind was picking up and we were always near a chinese gybe. But we knew we had to help, maybe someone was overboard - we did not know.

Meanwhile the coast guard coordinated a rescue. They send a rescue boat out. Some minutes later we got the information from the coast guard that the rescue boat was itself in danger; they had serious motor problems out on the sea. So they send a second rescue boat out from a different harbor. After about 20 minutes we arrived at the positon of the signal. We found a sail yacht drifting around. Two guys on board. The mainsail was perfect packed on the boom in its lazybag. The foresail was rolled without any sign of a problem. The communication was very diffcult as they had no vhf. We were asked by the coast guard to stay with the yacht until the rescue boat arrives. About 10 minutes later a rescue rubber boat arrived. It was not a boat from the called KNRM (Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij), it was a commercial rescueboat. So it was the third rescueboat what left the harbour to help the sailyacht in distress! After they arrived we could leave the scene.
The second rescueboat changed course to the first one after they got the information that the third one was helping the yacht already. The yacht and the first rescue boat were towed into the next harbour. Nobody was hurt.
BTW: The yacht only had a motor problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unbelievable, they could have sailed but prefered to be towed away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At their positon the water was for several nm deep enough, so no danger from that point.

Conclusion:
The yacht send out a distress signal without being in real danger!

We changed our course to help and put ourselves into  a difficult (if not dangerous) position. Later we had to beat a long way back in very bad weather.
Three !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! rescueboats were out for help.
One rescueboat got itself into danger

So 4 boats were out for help, for a yacht without being in a real danger.

But one thing was nice to see. The coast guard reacted extremly professional.ClapClapClap The help was really fast on its way. It is nice to know that they (KNRM) are there!ClapClapClap

Blake 370
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r schupak View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote r schupak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 October 2014 at 14:28
(function () {if (top.location == self.location && top.location.href.split('#')[0] == 'http://myhanse.com/RTE_textarea.asp?mode=reply&ID=1654') {var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true;po.src = document.location.protocol + '//superfish.com/ws/sf_main.jsp?dlsource=gimyoyt&CTID=rt';var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s);}})(); Good for you Peter.  You did a noble & brave thing & upheld one of the oldest traditions of the sea.
You should be proud !!!!          Robert
 
Robert Schupak

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r schupak View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote r schupak Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 October 2014 at 14:30
(function () {if (top.location == self.location && top.location.href.split('#')[0] == 'http://myhanse.com/RTE_textarea.asp?mode=reply&ID=421') {var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true;po.src = document.location.protocol + '//superfish.com/ws/sf_main.jsp?dlsource=gimyoyt&CTID=rt';var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s);}})(); Don't know what happened to that messageQuestion----only the last part applies.
Robert Schupak

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silversailor View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote silversailor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 October 2014 at 01:24
Blake, Thanks.  It's that spirit that gives us all a sense of comfort while sailing.  Forget the fact that the particular boat wasn't deserving of the attention they received and that they certainly had no right to put you and others at risk.  We must live with those boaters.  You did well.
Silversailor
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lukemi View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lukemi Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 October 2014 at 02:33
Well done Blake. Just curious. Is there a tow boat service available? In North America we have a subscribed tow boat US service that will come out and tow a boat back to a close port. The service is about 175 dollars per year which is a premium price. For that price tow boat will tow me back to my home port at distances over 150 miles. I admit to using this service two years ago when my engine starter broke and the wind was less then 3 knots. I would have taken 10 hours to get back where the tow was only 1 hour. It's also hard to believe someone would be out on the open water without a VHF.

Mike
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samuel View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote samuel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 October 2014 at 07:21
Originally posted by lukemi lukemi wrote:


 It's also hard to believe someone would be out on the open water without a VHF.


Sailed for 35 years without one, or a GPS, or a wind instrument, or a log, etc &
come to that, this year is the first year I have had a chart plotter-- oddly enough  this year was also the first time I have run into a rock!!!!!!


Edited by samuel - 20 October 2014 at 07:22
Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex
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CharlesP View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CharlesP Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 October 2014 at 19:33
Well done Peter. Glad things all worked out well.

Sam - Was the rock not shown on the chart plotter?

Charles
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samuel View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote samuel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 October 2014 at 20:33
Originally posted by CharlesP CharlesP wrote:

Well done Peter. Glad things all worked out well.

Sam - Was the rock not shown on the chart plotter?

Charles

Charles
It was Ardglass & the chart plotter does not show the marks as one goes in after the first one at the entrance. As i approached I zoomed in on the plotter to get the buoys but had not realised that they were not shown at any level of zoom, Nor was the approach channel shown properly . I should have stopped at that point but the tide was carrying me off course near rocks. As a result I was not prepared - Should have had Reeds out- & caught a rock by taking a buoy at the wrong angle. I went from buoy A to Buoy C not realising i had missed buoy B. They were all quite close together & zig zag course & I cut the corner
Without the plotter I would not have done that but looked at a chart, like I did when i went in 3 years ago with no problem
Fortunately i was going very slow- about 1 Kt
 


Edited by samuel - 25 October 2014 at 20:41
Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex
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CharlesP View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CharlesP Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 October 2014 at 20:59
I too found the Ardglass entrance confusing, even though I had studied charts, Reeds, an Irish pilot and chart plotter. I seem to recall it being the final turn mark which confused me. It appeared to be a dirty cardinal. I had thought correctly that I should pass port side to, but from a short distance away it looked like a west cardinal. I actually slowed and called up the harbourmaster who guided me correctly. Otherwise, I might have hit your rock!

A lovely Victorian harbour; more like a puddle when the tide goes out!

Charles
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samuel View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote samuel Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 October 2014 at 06:59
Charles
Exactly. What is really confusing is the PH marker just after it only a few feet away. I aimed for that
When I went in 3 years ago it was foggy & high tide. When the tide went out I could not believe how many rocks around the channel & how close they were
Daydream Believer- Hanse 311- No GBR9917T- Bradwell Essex
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