Collision at Sea: How the Crew of SV Mussulo 40 Saved Their Sailboat After a High-Speed Whale Encounter"

 Dear friends, colleagues, sailors and followers of Mussulo 40:

 

I owe you a report  of the events of our whale accident.

 

On the 13th of July, at 4:30 pm returning in the Horta/Açores- Sables d’Olonne/France regatta, at 17 knt of speed (high for a sailboat), while changing watch (shift)  inside the cabin we heard a huge bang and a small impact! I spoke to Guga, it was the mast that fell... He left immediately and said it wasn't the mast. I went to the bow from the inside and a flood of water coming in; meanwhile Guga told me that we were hit by something very high because it had hit the side of the hull but also the guardrail (structure with steel wires on the edge of the sailboat, about 1 meter above the hole in the hull).

 

With the water in the front compartment already knee-deep, batteries covered in water, we divided the tasks and Guga prepared the abandonment material – liferaft, grab bag, thermal insulation clothing and EPIRB (emergency position indicator), I installed the emergency suction pump. This pump consists of a water aspirator that normally delivers 200 liters per minute and has a long tube that can be placed outside the cabin and boat (Fig 3) and the electrical wires are connected directly to the batteries. However, Guga had already prepared the abandonment and removed the headsail to reduce the speed and impact on the waves and consequently reduce the entry of water. All this had a positive result and the water began to be expelled with greater speed than it entered and to go down in the front compartments.

 

Engine running to produce power and maintain instruments, autopilot and aspiration pump the situation was under control!!!

 

We headed towards La Coruña which was 150 NM (300 Km approx.) sea with high waves, very strong wind of 30-38 Knts, only with mainsail on the second reef and even so doing 7-8 Knts. The current situation did not require activate the EPIRB, we just communicated our situation to the race management and asked them to notify the coast guard services that we could open the “distress” signal (SOS) at any time.

 

The boat was relatively dry, just bumps in various parts of the boat that we were supporting due to the batteries that were under water. The joy was short-lived because the suction pump stopped... I found out later that they had sold me a used and old pump in the Azores despite having paid for a new one!!! We decided to connect the engine's water pump to the suction hose, but the flow rate was too small and the bow started to fill up with water again. We had the idea of turning on the “ballast” pump, but this has a very high pressure and the connections we had were not adequate and, despite having helped, it was not enough. In view of this, I remembered that I had bought a small/medium pump (75 liters per minute). We redid the connections of the suction tube and the electrical wires. We hoped that the water coming out was greater than the water coming in... The situation was critical because the bow was already, once again, completely flooded but little by little that water was running out. Once again, the situation is under control, the engine is running to charge the batteries and we continue towards La Coruna.

 

  A couple of hours later, we began to hear a variation in engine speed, clear symptoms of fuel failure. Soon we thought of a fuel filter and, gradually, the engine lost rotation until it stopped. Bad situation, because we needed the engine to charge batteries and consequently sustain the pump, autopilot, AIS, navigation lights, etc. we changed the filters, with all the difficulty of doing this at night, with lots of waves and wind, difficulty removing the air from the system, etc. We couldn't get the engine running anymore as that would require starting several times and draining the engine battery and I wanted to keep the batteries charged. We are therefore in the following situation:

- 100 NM from Coruña;

- pump sucking enough to drain the water;

- boat walking 7-8 Knt with mainsail only, on the second reef, with good heading towards La Coruña;

- batteries with good charge but no option to charge them.

 

I put out an alert asking for batteries, but only one ship answered  and said they didn't have 12 volt batteries.

 

I opted to sleep until dawn and recover my energies, then turn off all the instruments and steer. This saved energy and dedicated all the batteries only to the suction pump. At dawn, we took control of the boat and opened the genoa, increasing our speed enormously while at the same time taking in more water. Managing this water inlet well with just the Navionics on the cell phone controlled by Guga so that we have the most direct direction possible. We arrived in Coruna without an engine 

and with the batteries at 11.4 volts

 

Very well received at Marina Coruna, we spoke with Chuny (known in Brazil for having been a crew member of Brasil 1) who is the owner and manager of the Marina. And we thought it would lift the boat and still have time to do FASTNET. Unfortunately time was very short and the boat will stay here in La Coruna to be prepared for the TGV at the end of October (Havre-Martinique).

thanks for everybody that help us….

Jose

15/8/2024

 

The Sea does not make prisoners. He did not invite you.

 You are there of your free will.

Portuguese Maritime Ham Net (Since 1995)

14.318 USB phone contact at 13H00 UTC provided it is requested by email sent to CT1CPS@Winlink.org.

Frequencies of RMS Ct1cps (Dial Frq)

 7044.500 10143.000 14103.50
18 107.50 21 03.500

With the advancement of technologies in the fields of communications and weather warnings, this blog is no longer sustainable.

After about 30 years, an era of this way of sailing came to an end.

We will keep in touch via Winlink on the Pactor and Vara systems.

RMS

CT1CPS 

Your safety ties to dry land begin with a daily beacon.
For added security, you can send a short email of your departure and destination.
You should know that there is someone who knows your position and the weather conditions ahead.
Safety first.
Fair Winds and calm seas.
P.M.H.N.

********************

Movement of RMS CT1CPS between 01/01/2024 to date

INFORMATION

 

In the past few days we've been witnessing a several weather events that were letal for some yachts plus casualties due the strong winds and heavy waves!🌊🛟⚓️And again the storm that is sweeping through the Peninsula has been felt strongly in the Balearic Islands and, specifically, on the island of Formentera, where the Maritime Rescue Service found this afternoon a fisherman who had been missing since ten in the morning previous day. According to (AEMET), in Spanish: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología, AEMET! after 10 am, wind gusts reached 86 kilometres per hour in Formentera and 89 kilometres per hour in Ibiza.Wednesday morning nine people were injured, two of them seriously, after their sailboat crashed into the rocks in Cala Saona.🛟🛥️⚠️

This is a small example for that the weather can cause to the vessel and the passengers⚠️🛟🛥️

All competent sailors need to have a good basic understanding of how to interpret a weather forecast. They also need to be able to interpret the actual conditions they are experiencing.

Most weather forecasts present a general picture of what to expect in a given area over a period of time. We rely on such forecasts to provide basic information, but the actual weather and sea conditions we experience don’t always tally with the general view.

This is not necessarily the forecasters’ fault, as it is the local tides, topography and sea breezes that interact with this basic picture and give rise to the actual conditions we experience out on the water. To make more accurate predictions of the weather in your specific area requires more in depth knowledge and skill.⚠️

This section through a depression has wind moving from left to right. High cirrus is followed by layers of cloud which gradually become lower as the warm front passes, bringing rain. Thick stratus cloud in the warm sector is followed by heavy rain and eventually cumulus cloud appears, eventually giving way to sunshine:⚠️

It is up to the skipper to make a calculated interpretation of the available forecasts and to decide whether it is safe for their vessel and crew to go afloat.  At the same time by studying the weather conditions they can check:

Where in the forecast weather pattern they actually lie?⚠️

Has the predicted front passed through yet?

The current wind strength. Has it changed through the last few hours?

The atmospheric pressure. Is it rising or falling?

Before you go

Study your charts and estimate when and where you can expect wind against tide. Are the elements going to clash severely and if so when is this going to happen?  Will you need to avoid being in that area or will the conditions be manageable?

Always study the weather forecast thoroughly before going afloat in order to remain safe and to make an efficient passage plan. Before departure, download forecasts to cover the anticipated length of your passage. Be prepared to delay your departure or change your destination if the weather forecast is unfavourable.⚠️

Once committed to going, ensure that you have the means to get regular, reliable weather forecasts if you are at sea for any length of time.  This will allow you to change your plans and head for a safe haven if the forecast is for stormy weather, and to take advantage of detailed weather information when planning your route.

Tips:🛟☝🏻⚓️⚠️

Study the Beaufort scale and use it to judge wind strengths.

Practice how to interpret barometric pressure charts.

The barometer is arguably the most useful forecasting tool. Keep a note in the log to monitor change in barometric pressure.

Learn how to observe cloud formations to forecast the weather.And yet this is a small part of a good seamanship process that can be accomplished for your safety trips through your guests and passengers

MARINE RESCUE  PROCEDURES

During normal radio operation on any band, there is the possibility of an amateur radio operator coming across an emergency call or a distress call from a ship or yacht at sea. How does one handle a situation where loss of life is a possibility ?
There are three types of calls one could hear. Two of the calls are distress calls and the 3rd a call for "getting your attention" - not necessarily a ship or yacht in distress.

DISTRESS CALLS
There are two levels of distress calls, Pan Pan Pan and MAYDAY.
The third call is "Securité".
All above words are derived from French words or expressions.
Let's handle the calls one by one.

PAN PAN PAN.
A Pan Pan Pan call is used when there is no immediate threat to the vessel concerned, although assistance is almost always going to be required. As an example! A vessel that may have lost power or a mast and may be drifting with no means of control. Man overboard is another situation where Pan Pan Pan is generally used.

Your formal response to a Pan Pan Pan call is:-
"Pan Pan Pan (vessel name)" - repeated three (3) times;
"This is (radio station XYZ), received your Pan Pan Pan"
Confirm reception and signal report.
The questions that need to be asked after making contact with the vessel are handled under MAYDAY, as this set of questions applies to both situations.

MAYDAY.
Let me stress at this point - a MAYDAY call is a very - very serious call and a
very serious situation!
The MAYDAY distress call is used when the vessel or aircraft concerned are in grave and imminent danger, and require immediate assistance.
Your formal response to a call MAYDAY is:-
"MAYDAY (vessel name)" - repeated three (3) times;
"This is (radio station XYZ), received your MAYDAY"
Confirm reception and signal report. Once confirmation of a good contact has been acknowledged, the following procedures should follow:-
Establish the following:
1. Vessel name/type/description - e.g. size, motor driven or sail, ski-boat etc. If a large maritime ship - the IMO number - i.e. the International Mar i time Organisation number. If necessary, get the spelling of the name of the ship or yacht phonetically to ensure accuracy.
2. Location - Latitude/Longitude. Be very careful to get an accurate position!
3. Nature of problem. What is the nature of the current situation!
4. Last port of departure. Also where is the vessel headed!

Should you require backup communications or assistance, you may wish to call Alistair Campbell, ZS5MU, on 039-684-6421. Alistair runs the South African Maritime Mobile Net starting on 14.316 kHz followed by 7120 kHz at 06:30 and 11:30 UTC daily.
Alternative call is Graham Griggs ZS2ABK at 046-648-1071 (Cell 083-756-0288) or Francois Botha ZS6BUU at 083 585 3847 or Graham Hartlett ZS6GJH at 082 441 6989.

At this time it is best to contact the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) on
021-938-3300 for further instructions. Alternatively, use the number 082911.

Additional information, which may be useful in the event of a maritime rescue, but which should only be asked for as required by MRCC, is:
1. Name of skipper/master; it is essential that the name of the person who makes the final decisions, name is available and known!
2. Intentions of the skipper/master; Very, very important. The Master or skipper of the ship or yacht must very clearly to state their intentions in no uncertain terms!
(Those "intentions" meaning - "we are about to abandon ship and need your assistance" - or "we have a rescue tug on its way and need you to stand by" - or "we have instructions to remain on board", etc.)
3. How many persons on board;
Availability of life jackets, life rafts , flares, portable or fixed VHF radios and a
EPIRB beacon - and if possible, the EPIRB NUMBER.
4. Weather conditions and the known proximity of other vessels in the immediate area.
All communications with Maritime stations ought to be kept short, concise and factual as operating conditions almost always preclude lengthy QSO's.

Lastly, the SECURITé call.
This could be from 2 sources - a ship at sea or from a station on land indicating a warning to all shipping.
From a ship at sea the call could go to all other shipping in a specific area that there are containers that fell off a ship and floating in shipping lanes that could cause damage to other shipping. Or even logs that have been washed out to sea and in a normal shipping lane.
Alternatively, the call could come from land based shipping monitoring radio stations with a warning of severe weather in an area that Skippers or Masters should be aware of.

Finally, should you ever become involved with ANY shipping emergency and you feel you need assistance; don't hesitate to call for assistance. Above all, know what you are saying and par ticularly, ensure what you are hearing and have to convey to a third party, is accurate and clearly understood.
I would go so far to say, that if you need to convey (patch) an emergency message via phone, cell phone or from someone on the ship via amateur radio - even if this person is not a licensed amateur radio operator - you will not be taken to task; PROVIDED you submit a FULL AND DETAILED report on the incident to the SARL who will inform ICASA.
NEVER make assumptions. You could be the cause of loss of life at sea and the legal consequences are something you don't even want to have a nightmare about!

Source: Hamnet KZN