EXPERT OPINION: WHAT COULD GARUDA HAVE DONE?
PETE GOSS, PROFESSIONAL SAILOR
One of the most important elements of any disaster is unity in the crew and it’s clear that the experience tightened this boat’s crew as they fulfilled their ambition to cross an ocean.
I wasn’t there during their finest hour but a few constructive thoughts come to mind. Preparation and planning is essential to any passage but more so for an ocean crossing.
Consider all scenarios and have equipment and immediate actions in mind. Have your boat surveyed by professionals and if in doubt, do something. In this case the rigging should have been renewed with clevis pins that could be knocked out with a hammer and drive. Have spare steering cables, an emergency tiller and an oar.
Sit down with the crew and discuss potential disasters. Explore their strengths and allocate appropriate areas of responsibility. Make sure you have a good tool kit, spares and share their location. Have two methods of cutting the rigging including bi-metal blades. Go to a rigger and test them on offcuts.
Have an emergency VHF aerial that can be connected to the main VHF with enough cable to get it as high as possible on a jury rig. As an aside, we all have a responsibility to keep a good watch. For a yacht to pass so close and not see them is shameful. A kite is a good visual marker and can carry an LED light at night.
Personally, I would have informed the organisers as soon as anything happened – you can always escalate at a later date if necessary.
BEN SUTCLIFFE-DAVIES, MARINE SURVEYOR
The failure to check items that are so essential, such as the steering cables and system, was the catalyst for this dismasting. However the crew reported that the corrosion was found within the wire fracture, which is a concern. They reported it was not obvious on a visual inspection. The photo shows classic ‘beaching’ (successive tidemarks as the fault spreads) developing over a period of time. There would have been a microscopic hair line opening to one side that could have been caused from twisting of the wire at the top of the bottle screw.
It confirms why so many surveyors recommend proper rig checks and a programme of replacements on the rod head. Generally the actual rod is very reliable and will last more than 15 years, but the formed head with a ball or, as in this case, onto the threaded bar needs to be carefully monitored. The report that the mast folded in half also suggested the sail, on backing, overloaded the spreaders causing massive compression.
It’s vital to remember the yacht is working so much harder than on a normal cruise. Prevention is always better than sitting there watching the rig go overboard. Making regular visual checks of areas of the rig that can work and ensuring split pins etc are in place is good husbandry. Normal wire should be closely inspected with the mast down every five years. Rod is quite different but if the heads aren’t correctly aligned, can work quite quickly, too.