Astrid sinks

Tall ship Astrid sinks after hitting rocks. Kinsale Ireland
http://www.thejournal.ie/tall-ship-astrid-aground-1006425-Jul2013/

 

Sounds like engine failure while leaving Kinsale. More information at http://afloat.ie/sail/tall-ships/it...oats-rescue-crew-from-sunken-tall-ship-astrid

 

I thought this was a sailing vessel.
Sunk due to engine failure.
A sad day when it didn't sail its way out of trouble.

I'm sure there will be more explanation. But the simple expectation is that it should be sailing.
Looks like the sails were not even available for use.

 

Sad, she was a fine looking little ship.

 

The AIS track shows that Astrid left Oysterhaven harbour and was heading for kinsale just around the headland, she lost power just outside Oysterhaven. Judging from the track it looks as if she was about 300m from the coast with a force 5 to 6 onshore wind. There were 30 people on the boat, a lot of them teenagers. No one was hurt.
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?zoom=9&oldmmsi=244361000&olddate=7/24/2013 10:49:00 AM

 

It is a sad day for a beautiful ship.

Always easy to give an opinion when seated comfortably at home, 4000 miles from the accident and after reading four lines in the Internet.

 

Easy to spout platitudes from another chair.
Was it a sailboat or not?

 

you are completely right!

 

You're sounding a bit judgmental, for someone who wasn't there.

I'm not familiar with the area, much less the Astrid and what happened to her. But offhand, I see no particular reason why she would've been obliged to set sails, beat out from the coast to get enough room to maneuver, and generally make a major production out of what was apparently supposed to be a quick trip around a headland, just because she has sails.

Does having sails place some sort of obligation on a vessel to never fire up its engine instead, even for a short hop along the coast? Not to my mind, it doesn't.

 

As you say...you had to have been there.

It is bad seamanship to navigate within 1000 meters of the coast...in some countries it is prohibited by law. Obviously a boat close to the coast will rapidly come to grief when a mechanical failure disables the vessel. Even anchoring or hoisting sail may not be possible when you are close in. The oceans are littered with sailing vessels who came to grief on a lee shore

 

Astrid was moving from one harbour to the next, a trip of about 3.5nm as part of an organised event with many other boats around. There were 30 onboard of which 23 were sail trainees, many of them teenagers. When the engine failed she would have been about 300m off the shore with a force 5 to 6 on shore wind (bear in mind that she had just exited the harbour mouth) The shore line was southwest so without tacking it would probably not have been possible for Astrid to beat out. Tide streams are strong here and may also have been a factor. AIS shows she was doing about 2kn when the engine failed so she had little steerage. The chief executive of the irish sail training assoc was adjacent in a RIB, he attempted to bring Astrid's bow through the wind but didn't have enough power (42m steel ship). It appears as if the captain then prioritised the safe evacuation of the crew.

"Miraculous’ is a word used by many to describe the rescue of all 30 trainee sailors and crew on board the 42 metres long tall ship which struck the rock just before midday yesterday (July 24th), with no one seriously injured."
http://www.southernstar.ie/News/Calm-in-Kinsale-this-morning-after-miraculous-rescue-25072013.htm

In Jan 2012 a trawler hit rocks when entering Glandore harbour just down the coast, five of the six on board died.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/sole...e-tragedy-gives-evidence-at-inquest-1.1401415

Had Astrid's captain not prioritised the evacuation, this could have been a very different story?

 

Thanks God this tragedy didn't make any casualties.
God Bless the Captain response

 

i met a girlfriend on astrid when she was fitting out in southampton,
i dont recall clearly but when the ex navy guys took her on trials, something strange happened like they put the wrong prop on and put her ahead and she went astern

 

however that is not to evaluate the competency of the present captain, i know nothing about the crew

 

Just my bias. I never liked using a motor on a sailboat. I didn't realize the short nature of the trip.

But, as was said, lots of ships have died on a lee shore. Seems a place to have an option.