The fate of the Aegean might be found in her SPOT track |
There’s a
stark image available on the internet right now that shows what most likely occurred
to the sailboat
Aegean when it disappeared at 1:30 am April 28 while competing in the Newport Beach to Ensenada Yacht Race. The image shows the race
boat’s route as it motored in a straight line then slammed into the
unlit rocky cliffs of North
Coronado Island
at 6.5kts. Several hours later a debris field and bodies were found.
Those who
don’t sail are wondering how these things can happen—and so close in the wake
of the tragic loss Low Speed
Chase there are even people questioning
if offshore racing is actually safe. Meanwhile keyboard sailors all over the
world are speculating about the how’s and why’s of two accidents that simply
shouldn’t have occurred—all while mourning the loss of nine of our own.
Sailing is
safe. I’ve been telling Maia’s grandparent’s this for years—and statistics back
me up. People killed or injured while sailing barely make a blip on either the
Canadian Red Crosses’ Boating Immersion
and Trauma Deaths in Canada or The US Coast Guard’s Recreational Boating Statistics. If you
want to know who dies on the water—it’s wakeboarders who drink, are male and
who are between the ages 18-24. Not middle aged sailors.
Perhaps it’s because devastating accidents like these are so
uncommon that these two have become international news. Or perhaps it’s because
they are so inexplicable—how do two boats, both with experienced crew end up
destroyed and with multiple fatalities?
As details
still come in—it looks like the tragedies have less to do with inexperience and
more to do with the over-confidence that comes with expertise. When you do
something often it’s easy to become complacent—you skirt the surf line just a
little closer than you should, or perhaps you take a look at the chart
plotter, zoom way out to your destination and set the waypoint without ever
seeing that smudge of solid island on your route. Then you turn on the autopilot and
enjoy a beautiful night…
Almost every sailor can tell you about a moment when they
realized they've charted a course directly over a reef, or how in a moment of
distraction they typed the wrong waypoint into an autopilot and found themselves aiming at land. Or maybe they went
forward without clipping their harness on and just missed being swept away by a wave, or maybe
their hat was knocked off as they failed to duck when the boom came crashing past.
Sailing, like life, is a series of near misses punctuated by
tragedy.
Accidents happen. And despite radar, AIS, and chartplotters, autopilots and EPIRBs, which should make us safer, we can become too
dependent on them and make mistakes. And so now we mourn the loss of our fellow
sailors and do our best to be mindful. Sailing is only as safe as we make it.
Yep, and reminds me of a pilots' saying: "Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous, but to an even greater extent than the sea, is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity, or neglect."
ReplyDeleteExactly!
ReplyDeleteSo heart breakingly sad--especially if it does turn out to be a stupid error. somehow that makes it worse.
ReplyDeleteBoat accidents can be very tragic, and many lives can be wasted in just one mistake. I heard a lot of news regarding such tragedies, and they are totally heartbreaking. It’s really sad to hear that the respondents and rescuers are not that quick in rescuing the victims, despite the fact that they were well trained for that. Well, it’s true that accidents happen, that’s why everyone must be mindful and careful all the time. Thanks for sharing that! All the best!
ReplyDeleteJerry Brady @ Lambert And Williams