Hi All!
I’d care to strongly Disagree with the following statement:
A problem with the 26X is that if the ballast is out, you can't fill the tanks when the wind and waves are rocking the boat. At that point it's too late.
That’s just WRONG as I’ve filled my ballast several times when the weather has been up and rocking and rolling 25 to 35 degrees.
No, it’s not easy and yes you have to be careful and yes you do what you need to do even if you are scared, old and with physical limitations. The storm they encountered was not instantaneous. They had time to prepare, even if limited.
(There is in my book NEVER a valid reason to EVER panic and NOT DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE if it is within your capability to do it. That’s my personal perspective. No excuses.)
From the limited video photos evident it seems:
>> The boat appears to have been attached to a mooring ball AFTER being towed in to harbor based upon the video segment.
>> There was a small craft advisory in effect at the time.
>> The vessel was out on the water and apparently in operation at the time of the incident.
This information differs from the original static photo I saw originally and news broadcast.
It opens up an entire realm of potential possibilities as to what may have occurred….
>>If the Sea swell could have been upwards of 90 degrees to the axial boat centerline which which would have whipsawed the boat back and forth. This could have caused unsecured equipment and personnel aboard to have been tossed from one side to the other and piling up which could lead to a shifting the center of gravity to one side.
- That goes back to how the vessel was loaded or OVERLOADED. There were apparently 6 individuals on board in addition to engine and possible fuel. What else did they have aboard? A couple 5 gallon cans of water? Food stuffs? Anchors? Chains? A full portolet? Batteries? Bedding? Other ‘stuff’? If they were overloaded with unsecured stuff then packed in loose people around it then whether they had Ballast in or out isn’t to blame….
>>>>But if they had PARTIAL ballast and an overloaded vessel full of stuff and people THEN that is a recipe for disaster!
- A partially filled ballast is worse than no ballast at all as it will shift fore/aft and or MOST LIKELY side-to-side changing the center of gravity, and hence stability, dramatically. This is why ANY water ballast system should NEVER be only partially filled. Rodger did make specific mention of this in the boat operating instructions. Full or none.
—- Now, I no longer believe that maybe the vessel captain was trying to flood the ballast during the weather event…and got caught in-process.
—- Now maybe the vessel captain didn’t have a vessel overloaded with unsecured stuff and people …. but with six individuals aboard I’m inclined to suspect it was.
>> Then there is the aspect of if they “surfed” a wave or swell…. That can and often does go badly very quickly.
I sincerely wonder if that couldn’t be the real cause… Turning about in heavy swells and wind conditions can be challenging ….
It’s a skill that even with the best can go wrong. There have been many vessels much bigger than a Mac26 that have come to capsize when caught in a “surfing” event.
Given, per the photographs, the vessel is lying on its side in a stable condition in calm water with roughly less than 50% of the hull above water along the vessel vertical axial centerline…. I highly suspect that there are several heavy objects lying within the bottom submerged portion of the cabin interior keeping it there… IF the original safety flotation was all still in place as was designed. I would still have expected that there would have been some degree of self righting if the ballast tank was completely flooded but if the vent plug was dislodged between incident and harbor there may have been some draining of the ballast tank water that could have occurred.
There is also the possibility that they may have been clipping along heeled over an’ close hauled and took a wave over the gunnels with the companion way hatch open.
Same thing as above and the forward hatch opened and a wave flooding the interior or a cabin window failure…
It’s all speculation on my part at a severe distance disadvantage… there are multiple possibilities that could have contributed to this incident.
I would REALLY like to see the actual official investigation findings and evaluations.
I’m very very sorry someone died and that five others are bound to be traumatized because of this incident for a very long time.
But from my experiences and professional background there is more at play here than whether the ballast was full or empty and even less so as to whether it was a Mac26X or Mac26M.
Best Regards,
Over Easy
PS: I always turn into the wind and wave or swell when in challenging conditions in any vessel … sunfish, row boat or Mac26.
