Maxi Canter, Rambler, capsizes in Fastnet Race

Read it here: http://forums.sailinganarchy.com/index.php?showtopic=125419

Perhaps there are more sources.

 

Rambler

Rambler was in the lead of the line honors monohulls and very near Fastnet Rock. All 21 have been rescued.
Here is the fastnet tracker-if you move the cursor slowly near the rock you can get the info on Rambler:
http://fastnet.rorc.org/2011-fleet-tracking.html

more here: http://fastnet.rorc.org/

This morning she was doing 17 knots compared to the 35, at one point, for Banque Populaire the leading multi.....


picture-Rambler picture by Carlo Borlenghi sometime before losing keel:

click on image-

 

More Pics

 

Great shots, Hussong-thanks! Whups-one of those isn't Rambler! Look at the rudder vs the two rudders on Rambler. Also the daggerboard on Rambler was still down(up), and the bows are different.

 

Sailing Anarchy post. Talk to them

 

That's Drum in the second photograph, a Holland designed maxi, Le Bon's boat.

 

Rambler

Rambler linesplan: http://www.voilesetvoiliers.com/cou...n-de-formes-rambler-100-anatomie-d-un-monstre

Rambler keel:

click on image--

 

Rambler

Clear shot of starboard daggerboard-- sticking up in every picture. Mistaken for a broken keel fin by many observers. You can clearly see the port trunk and between the two the "bump" for the canting keel...

From The Irish Examiner: Rambler Crew at Baltimore- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjjYb95SvPk&feature=player_embedded


From the Irish Independent.ie : http://www.independent.ie/national-...-pulled-from-capsized-race-yacht-2848894.html
The owner of the boat George David told Morning Ireland today that the crew was very experienced and had participated in 100 Fastnet races between them.
“Boats do tip over. We don’t like it but it happens from time to time. The keel fin has fractured, snapped off. It’s a piece of solid stainless steel and it’s designed not to do what it did, but it did,” he said.
When the accident occurred The Rambler 100 was one of the leaders in the race and was 10 miles south-west of Ballyieragh off the coast of Cork.




--pictures from the Baltimore Lifeboat facebook pages: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150248802331370&set=o.130926090293815&type=1&theater
--2nd picture shows keel stub---
-click on image--

 

Rambler

from afloat.ie: http://www.afloat.ie/

At midnight, Monday 15 August, Eddie Warden Owen, Chief Executive of the Royal Ocean Racing Club received a call from Mick Harvey, Project Manager of George David's Rambler 100 (USA). Harvey spoke about the harrowing incident when the 100' Maxi Rambler 100 capsized in the Celtic Sea during the Rolex Fastnet Race.

The incident happened just after Rambler 100 rounded the Fastnet Rock at 17:25 BST. At the time, Rambler 100 were leading the monohull fleet and vying for monohull line honours in the Rolex Fastnet Race which started on Sunday 14th.

Mick Harvey's account of the incident was charged with emotion. The tough Australian, who now lives in Newport, Rhode Island (USA), is a seasoned veteran, but he was understandably shaken by the incident:

"Soon after rounding the Fastnet Rock, the wind went southwest, right on the nose. We were beating into big seas, launching Rambler off the top of full size waves. I was down below with navigator, Peter Isler when we heard the sickening sound of the keel breaking off. It was instantaneous; there was no time to react. The boat turned turtle, just like a dinghy capsizing. Peter Isler issued a Mayday and we got out of there as quickly as we could."

The EPIRB had been activated and a number of crew climbed over the guardrails and onto the hull as the boat capsized and helped those swimming to safety. The Atlantic swell made it difficult for the crew to get out of the water however, working together, 16 of the crew managed to scale the upturned hull.

Five of the crew were swept away by the waves out of reach of the stricken Maxi and these included Skipper, George David and partner Wendy Touton who were in the water for two and a half hours. This group linked arms, forming a circle. Valencia Coastguard diverted a local fishing boat, Wave Chieftain to assist, which winched the crew on board. Earlier a helicopter had been scrambled from Shannon Airport helicopter, Wendy Touton was airlifted for medical attention due to the effects of hypothermia and the four remaining crew were taken to Baltimore Harbour where they were re-united with the 16 crew rescued by the Baltimore Lifeboat.

"It was a scary moment. One that I will never forget," admitted Mick Harvey. "I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am that all of the crew are safe. The town of Baltimore has given us a wonderful welcome. I can not thank our rescuers and the people of this lovely village enough. Wendy is in Kerry Hospital and doing fine, I am just so relieved that everybody is okay."

click on image---( from collection on facebook pages of Baltimore Lifeboat Station- http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150248802331370&set=o.130926090293815&type=1&theater )

 

Rambler

Decision whether to sink the boat or tow it to be made today:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0816/yacht.html

from Irish Examiner-owner- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnbsFI6BZrw&feature=player_embedded

from Fastnet race HQ-video of rescue-helmsman interview: http://fastnet.rorc.org/news-2011/race-updates-2011/video-rambler-100-and-monohull-record.html


A decision is expected today on whether to sink or tow a racing yacht, which capsized off the Cork coast last night with 21 crew on board.
The owner of the yacht, together with the Coastguard and the Navy will decide the fate of the vessel later.
The overturned mono hull yacht, Rambler 100, is considered a 'navigational hazard' and the LE Ciara is alongside monitoring the situation.

 

All:

Thankfully, the local taxpayer-funded yacht rescue service was close by to provide needed canting keel close support. I'm sure the local Irish fishing fleet is glad to know their taxes are being well spent. Every offshore race where these boats are raced presents the potential for this type of situation, expense and danger to lives.

I completely understand the technical and performance benefits of this technology, but I can't concede that a system failure causing a 15 second dinghy-style capsize belongs in offshore races. The Irish Coast Guard should be completely reimbursed for this rescue by the yacht owner (not the insurance company).

No matter how you look at it, failures in canting keel racing yachts point inexorably to engineering faults - and directly bring into question ethical engineering issues. Engineering licensing here requires mandatory ethics education where students clearly learn their responsibility to safety and protection of the lives entrusted to the designs created. Major components of required safety systems necessary for the yacht to reach it's destination should not fall off well maintained boats like this. Failure of the mechanics of this type of system should result in the ability to safely operate at lower performance potential, not forcing crew to swim. Vulnerable foils like this should not fail catastrophically from striking objects in the water. Damage? Yes. Falling off? No.

In speed sports, owners, crew, builders and teams all are willing to push the boundaries of safety in favor of performance.

With many speed sports the technology exists to cause available power to far exceed sensible safety margins - and in most sporting venues this causes rules to be adapted to bring the power versus safety conflict back into balance. Yacht racing is unique in it's failure to self-regulate as the serious money is at the leading edge of performance. Yacht racing does not attract or require an audience of the general public. Major offshore yacht racing happens effectively outside the law - no one legal jurisdiction and no one national engineering society is capable of enforcing standards on designs.

Although at least one forum participant will reach epic blood pressure measurements reading this, I wonder if the powered Maxi-yacht canting keel era has outlasted it's welcome.

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CutOnce

 

Not one penny of tax payers money goes to the RNLI.

 

just so facts don't get scrambled:
http://www.rnli.org.uk/

I think Cutonce should measure twice before cutting another response to this topic.

 

Some interesting reading can be found in Professional Boatbuilder Magazine Issue 127 Oct/Nov 2010 especially on page 74 and 75.

 

Reports indicate clearly the Irish Coast Guard was involved. I don't think SAR helicopters fly on donations.

Maybe you should read the material yourself before "Froliching" with the facts.

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CutOnce