Nordhavn sinks. full blog account of sinking told by the owners . very sad

[MarioG]

http://mv-ghostrider.blogspot.com/20...ider-down.html

[Tinman]

Awful, our inlet used to have a long weir jetty on one side that water flowed over. Several large boats hit the submerged rocks and were badly damaged/sunk. It was eventually closed off like the rest of the jetty. An accident waiting to happen.

[oscarvan]

That is a very, very sobering read. Unlike some of the stories one reads they tried hard to do everything right and still ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I've filed this somewhere in the back of my head and have vowed, once again, to have "the paper" out next time i get close to shore in unfamiliar waters......

[rsmith]

Idiots with too much money and electronics that they don't know how to use. I've made that trip hundereds of times. That breakwater is a well know and documented obstruction that is several miles long.

[Pete]

After reading this blog, I naturally tried to discern what a similar situation would mean to my Hatteras. After some thought I have concluded it would have survived. Unless I am missing something, what sunk Ghost Rider was a breach in the bottom of the keel that allowed water to flood the vessel. While I owned a 68 Hatteras TC that had an open top keel, I understand everything in the 70's and later have foam filled sealed keels with the top either fiberglassed over, or tanks in the keel that are also sealed with fiberglass to the stringers or the bulkheads. This would contain any water entering the bottom of the keel from rising up to flood the bilges.

The smaller hole on the bow would present the same problem as experienced by Ghost Rider, but as I read the blog this was manageable.

A design detail with significance.

Pete

[Mike36c]

With a Hatteras one would receive a bill for damage to the break water Seriously, during hurricane Andrew a 53c took out other boats, several concrete pilings, and ended up on top a seawall with the hull still intact.

[Pascal]

I think that what sunk the boat was not the initial impact at the bow but the stress from the entire boat resting on hard spot on its keel and rocked by wakes. I honestly wonder if any boat could withstand that.

As to the dike, it is indeed well charted. I don't have paper charts for the Delaware handy as I haven't been up there in 4 years, but both the garmin blue charts on my iPad and the NOAA charts on the furunos show its double dash line outline. Problem is the bottom is deep on both side near the southern end so there are no color change. In all fairness I can see how someone not used to rivers could have mistaken the dotted lines for a cable area or underwater pipe.

[jim rosenthal]

Credit ought to be given to the writer for starting out by stating that the wreck was his fault. He doesn't let himself off the hook. I think the account was intended to be instructive. it certainly looks a painful experience for them. And costly as well.

[GJH]

Credit ought to be given to the writer for starting out by stating that the wreck was his fault. He doesn't let himself off the hook. I think the account was intended to be instructive. it certainly looks a painful experience for them. And costly as well.

X2 to that, few would have the class to take accountability. I anchored my Hatt behind Reedy Island once, and as I said on another forum, there is really no excuse other than negligence, as the captain himself admits, for hitting that thing. Very well marked and called out on all charts, he neglected to learn, and then use his plotter correctly, nor consult the excellent paper charts or chart books for that area. It is a very short distance from Summit North (nice marina, by the way), I'm still not clear why the stop there instead of proceeding to Cape May. Maybe I missed something in the blog?

[krush]

Life is about timing. Had they hit it when the tide was coming in.......