Team Vestas grounded

[Fabergekiwi]

Hey Snore you say to me... "While I do not know you personally, I am respectfully calling "bullshit" on this. It is not the duty of the race official to warn of any and all hazards. If so, should they have told the teams to look out for Madagascar?

You go on to say "If you are a big enough boy to enter the race you should know how to avoid hard objects that could break your boat. Regarding pre-race warnings of possible hazards...."

I would normally agree ...however you have missed or ignored that the race course was set after the race started and after pre-race navigation planning was completed. An unusual circumstance like this and having regard for the constraints competitors experience as I have outlined IMO warranted a navigation warning. Warnings in Sailing Instructions are quite common.

This is a key point,IMO, which should have hightened attention and a new look at the charts by those on thew boat itself...sure a warning from the race organizers too, but the captain and the whole of the crew should have looked and discussed the new sailing grounds ...a new look at the waters they would NOW be sailing in....

Check the amended exclusion zones on the web! Where they hit the shoal banks was never excluded! A line heading NNE from the northern tip of Madagascar, to a point in the ocean, due east of the Seychelles, was added just before the leg 2 start. That line, not to be crossed, was well to the west of where the yachts all sailed. The shoal banks they hit are part of the same underwater structure that includes Mauritius to the south and Seychelles to the north! Any navigator sailing north from Mauritius, damn well should have known about this obstruction, whatever exclusion zones were or were not in place, before they left Cape Town, as part of his general knowledge of the route!

http://www.volvooceanrace.com/static/assets/content_v2/media/files/m30768_leg-2-addendum-final-amdt-1a-20141119.pdf

 

[billreilly]

Hey Snore you say to me... "While I do not know you personally, I am respectfully calling "bullshit" on this. It is not the duty of the race official to warn of any and all hazards. If so, should they have told the teams to look out for Madagascar?

You go on to say "If you are a big enough boy to enter the race you should know how to avoid hard objects that could break your boat. Regarding pre-race warnings of possible hazards...."

I would normally agree ...however you have missed or ignored that the race course was set after the race started and after pre-race navigation planning was completed. An unusual circumstance like this and having regard for the constraints competitors experience as I have outlined IMO warranted a navigation warning. Warnings in Sailing Instructions are quite common.

This is a key point,IMO, which should have hightened attention and a new look at the charts by those on thew boat itself...sure a warning from the race organizers too, but the captain and the whole of the crew should have looked and discussed the new sailing grounds ...a new look at the waters they would NOW be sailing in....

Check the amended exclusion zones on the web! Where they hit the shoal banks was never excluded! A line heading NNE from the northern tip of Madagascar, to a point in the ocean, due east of the Seychelles, was added just before the leg 2 start. That line, not to be crossed, was well to the west of where the yachts all sailed. The shoal banks they hit are part of the same underwater structure that includes Mauritius to the south and Seychelles to the north! Any navigator sailing north from Mauritius, damn well should have known about this obstruction, whatever exclusion zones were or were not in place, before they left Cape Town, as part of his general knowledge of the route!

Old exclusion zone in pink, new exclusion zone in green:

 

[us7070]

exclusion zone...schmoozon zone......they had NO idea the shoal lay ahead....tracks don't lie...

the navigator knew about the shoal, he said so - it was the reef he didn't know about....

 

[Fabergekiwi]

Hey Snore you say to me... "While I do not know you personally, I am respectfully calling "bullshit" on this. It is not the duty of the race official to warn of any and all hazards. If so, should they have told the teams to look out for Madagascar?

You go on to say "If you are a big enough boy to enter the race you should know how to avoid hard objects that could break your boat. Regarding pre-race warnings of possible hazards...."

I would normally agree ...however you have missed or ignored that the race course was set after the race started and after pre-race navigation planning was completed. An unusual circumstance like this and having regard for the constraints competitors experience as I have outlined IMO warranted a navigation warning. Warnings in Sailing Instructions are quite common.

This is a key point,IMO, which should have hightened attention and a new look at the charts by those on thew boat itself...sure a warning from the race organizers too, but the captain and the whole of the crew should have looked and discussed the new sailing grounds ...a new look at the waters they would NOW be sailing in....

Check the amended exclusion zones on the web! Where they hit the shoal banks was never excluded! A line heading NNE from the northern tip of Madagascar, to a point in the ocean, due east of the Seychelles, was added just before the leg 2 start. That line, not to be crossed, was well to the west of where the yachts all sailed. The shoal banks they hit are part of the same underwater structure that includes Mauritius to the south and Seychelles to the north! Any navigator sailing north from Mauritius, damn well should have known about this obstruction, whatever exclusion zones were or were not in place, before they left Cape Town, as part of his general knowledge of the route!

Old exclusion zone in pink, new exclusion zone in green:

exclusion.jpg

Where did you get that exclusion zone diagram from, as I couldn't verify that at all on the Volvo site?

 

[jtsailjt]

Interesting discussion here. First, I think most of us can relate to being greatly surprised by something that OF COURSE we should already have been aware of. Most of us are more lucky, so discover our potential big screw-up before everyone else in the world sees it on video, or sometimes we discover our own mistake purely by chance before any damage is done or anyone else notices. If the Vesta crew didn't know al that before this week, they do now, just part of living and learning. If I were in the position to hire a crew to race my boat, I wouldn't rule these guys out because of this incident even though I think the fault lies 100% with those aboard the boat.

That said, I HATE vector charts and once found myself "touching bottom" (soft mud at about 2 knots, thank God) because I was accustomed to raster charts and hadn't taken a hard enough look at my planned route beforehand. The information I needed was there and available but it didn't jump out at me as it would have on the type plotter display I was more accustomed to. Absolutely 100% my fault but I've never been taken completely by surprise like that using paper or raster charts. Luckily, I got off a lot easier than this crew did.

I realize that these guys are professional racers but that's a different thing than being a professional sailor or seafarer. I'm sure that each man aboard has an impressive resume of racing wins, can knowledgeably talk racing rules and tactics and sail trim way beyond my comprehension, and were chosen to be aboard because they had legitimately earned the right to be perceived to be an asset to a racing crew, but how many of them have ever skippered a cruising sailboat for even a week or two, choosing their own course someplace they were unfamiliar with where there were lots of obstacles to avoid? I haven't any knowledge of all the specific crewmembers aboard this boat, but if they're like the racing sailors I do know, they can work magic as far as getting more boat speed out of a hull/rig than I thought possible, but basic things like navigation and having the discipline to regularly zoom down and clear their whole intended course just isn't something they'd think to do. Little details like making sure you don't run into islands is either not an issue because they are accustomed to racing on a course that somebody else layed out, or it's somebody else's job to avoid hitting things. A valuable racing crewmember on a boat like this may be a foredeck or sail trim whiz, but have never spent hardly any time doing such mundane things as choosing or plotting a course except in reference to other boats in the race or in reference to current or wind shifts. In other words, (though I don't know) I wouldn't be surprised if there were only a few crewmembers aboard who would be considered competent seamen in the traditional sense of that word and I think that help explains why someone other than the off watch skipper or off watch navigator didn't happen to notice that they were headed directly for an island. Most of them are pure racers and very good at whatever they were hired to do, but few of them are good all around seamen because normally there's no reason for them to need to be. I happen to know only one professional sailboat racer and he's been at the game for quite a few years with some success, but I can think of literally 100's of people I'd sooner trust to deliver my boat from one side of Pen Bay to the other on a foggy night. But I have absolutely no doubt that in a race he'd be the first one across the finish line.

 

[CraftyBob]

realize that these guys are professional racers but that's a different thing than being a professional sailor or seafarer. I'm sure that each man aboard has an impressive resume of racing wins, can knowledgeably talk racing rules and tactics and sail trim way beyond my comprehension, and were chosen to be aboard because they had legitimately earned the right to be perceived to be an asset to a racing crew, but how many of them have ever skippered a cruising sailboat for even a week or two, choosing their own course someplace they were unfamiliar with where there were lots of obstacles to avoid? I haven't any knowledge of all the specific crew members aboard this boat, but if they're like the racing sailors I do know, they can work magic as far as getting more boat speed out of a hull/rig than I thought possible, but basic things like navigation and having the discipline to regularly zoom down and clear their whole intended course just isn't something they'd think to do. Little details like making sure you don't run into islands is either not an issue because they are accustomed to racing on a course that somebody else layed out, or it's somebody else's job to avoid hitting things. A valuable racing crew member on a boat like this may be a foredeck or sail trim whiz, but have never spent hardly any time doing such mundane things as choosing or plotting a course except in reference to other boats in the race or in reference to current or wind shifts. In other words, (though I don't know) I wouldn't be surprised if there were only a few crew members aboard who would be considered competent seamen in the traditional sense of that word and I think that help explains why someone other than the off watch skipper or off watch navigator didn't happen to notice that they were headed directly for an island. Most of them are pure racers and very good at whatever they were hired to do, but few of them are good all around seamen because normally there's no reason for them to need to be. I happen to know only one professional sailboat racer and he's been at the game for quite a few years with some success, but I can think of literally 100's of people I'd sooner trust to deliver my boat from one side of Pen Bay to the other on a foggy night. But I have absolutely no doubt that in a race he'd be the first one across the finish line.

Interest points indeed

 

[LoopyGirdleSniffer]

realize that these guys are professional racers but that's a different thing than being a professional sailor or seafarer. I'm sure that each man aboard has an impressive resume of racing wins, can knowledgeably talk racing rules and tactics and sail trim way beyond my comprehension, and were chosen to be aboard because they had legitimately earned the right to be perceived to be an asset to a racing crew, but how many of them have ever skippered a cruising sailboat for even a week or two, choosing their own course someplace they were unfamiliar with where there were lots of obstacles to avoid? I haven't any knowledge of all the specific crew members aboard this boat, but if they're like the racing sailors I do know, they can work magic as far as getting more boat speed out of a hull/rig than I thought possible, but basic things like navigation and having the discipline to regularly zoom down and clear their whole intended course just isn't something they'd think to do. Little details like making sure you don't run into islands is either not an issue because they are accustomed to racing on a course that somebody else layed out, or it's somebody else's job to avoid hitting things. A valuable racing crew member on a boat like this may be a foredeck or sail trim whiz, but have never spent hardly any time doing such mundane things as choosing or plotting a course except in reference to other boats in the race or in reference to current or wind shifts. In other words, (though I don't know) I wouldn't be surprised if there were only a few crew members aboard who would be considered competent seamen in the traditional sense of that word and I think that help explains why someone other than the off watch skipper or off watch navigator didn't happen to notice that they were headed directly for an island. Most of them are pure racers and very good at whatever they were hired to do, but few of them are good all around seamen because normally there's no reason for them to need to be. I happen to know only one professional sailboat racer and he's been at the game for quite a few years with some success, but I can think of literally 100's of people I'd sooner trust to deliver my boat from one side of Pen Bay to the other on a foggy night. But I have absolutely no doubt that in a race he'd be the first one across the finish line.

Interest points indeed

I don't have any money at the moment, but I've got a stack of Mt. Gay hats. I'm willing to put one up (you can pick any year between 1998 - 2013 if you win) and bet that every one of those guys is capable of doing every job on the boat including captain and navigator.

 

[shaggybaxter]

Anything said here pales into insignificance compared to how the guys on board would be torturing themselves.

We've all screwed up, Rail Meat summed it up perfectly.

Every world class sportsman/businessman/ readily admits to having made mistakes, big and small.

In a shrinking sport, we cannot afford the luxury of emotive witchhunts. Period.

The best thing to do here from here is pat them on the back, thank the gods nobody died, talk to them quietly about what happened, be open with the facts, and we all collectively learn from any mistakes made.

The worst thing would be to publicly shred them to pieces.

I am simply thankful on that day we didn't lose any more souls to the sport we love, and nobody is currently gritting their teeth consoling little kids and wives that are unconsolable.

Don't force them out of the sport through humiliation and shame. How can we learn from our mistakes if we're shot and booted out when we do make one?

My 2c.

SB

 

[usa 917]

Anything said here pales into insignificance compared to how the guys on board would be torturing themselves.

We've all screwed up, Rail Meat summed it up perfectly.

Every world class sportsman/businessman/ readily admits to having made mistakes, big and small.

In a shrinking sport, we cannot afford the luxury of emotive witchhunts. Period.

The best thing to do here from here is pat them on the back, thank the gods nobody died, talk to them quietly about what happened, be open with the facts, and we all collectively learn from any mistakes made.

The worst thing would be to publicly shred them to pieces.

I am simply thankful on that day we didn't lose any more souls to the sport we love, and nobody is currently gritting their teeth consoling little kids and wives that are unconsolable.

Don't force them out of the sport through humiliation and shame. How can we learn from our mistakes if we're shot and booted out when we do make one?

My 2c.

SB

 

[STYacht.com]

Just FYI, I think this version of the video has no audio cuts http://gcaptain.com/onboard-video-shows-team-vestas-hit-indian-ocean-reef/

Only made it so far into it, so don't take my word for it.

Can somebody else confirm that Nico was helming (as I just found out through grapevine) ?

 

[kent_island_sailor]

I'll take that bet.I have sailed with guys that were amazing on the foredeck - athletic and quick and never a twisted sail or a tangled sheet. They would have been very hard pressed to navigate from Pussers to Davis' Pub or even steer for that matter. They never did either one of those jobs. It is entirely possible to be very very good at one thing and not have general knowledge. For one example, our junior sailing programs turn out excellent W/L technicians that can get all the way through the programs and never anchor a boat one time, navigate anyplace they can't see from the club dock, or sail after dark. I am sure a VOR campaign would pick an incredible helmsman over a good one that can navigate and bleed a diesel.

realize that these guys are professional racers but that's a different thing than being a professional sailor or seafarer. I'm sure that each man aboard has an impressive resume of racing wins, can knowledgeably talk racing rules and tactics and sail trim way beyond my comprehension, and were chosen to be aboard because they had legitimately earned the right to be perceived to be an asset to a racing crew, but how many of them have ever skippered a cruising sailboat for even a week or two, choosing their own course someplace they were unfamiliar with where there were lots of obstacles to avoid? I haven't any knowledge of all the specific crew members aboard this boat, but if they're like the racing sailors I do know, they can work magic as far as getting more boat speed out of a hull/rig than I thought possible, but basic things like navigation and having the discipline to regularly zoom down and clear their whole intended course just isn't something they'd think to do. Little details like making sure you don't run into islands is either not an issue because they are accustomed to racing on a course that somebody else layed out, or it's somebody else's job to avoid hitting things. A valuable racing crew member on a boat like this may be a foredeck or sail trim whiz, but have never spent hardly any time doing such mundane things as choosing or plotting a course except in reference to other boats in the race or in reference to current or wind shifts. In other words, (though I don't know) I wouldn't be surprised if there were only a few crew members aboard who would be considered competent seamen in the traditional sense of that word and I think that help explains why someone other than the off watch skipper or off watch navigator didn't happen to notice that they were headed directly for an island. Most of them are pure racers and very good at whatever they were hired to do, but few of them are good all around seamen because normally there's no reason for them to need to be. I happen to know only one professional sailboat racer and he's been at the game for quite a few years with some success, but I can think of literally 100's of people I'd sooner trust to deliver my boat from one side of Pen Bay to the other on a foggy night. But I have absolutely no doubt that in a race he'd be the first one across the finish line.

Interest points indeed

I don't have any money at the moment, but I've got a stack of Mt. Gay hats. I'm willing to put one up (you can pick any year between 1998 - 2013 if you win) and bet that every one of those guys is capable of doing every job on the boat including captain and navigator.

 

[kent_island_sailor]

Do you think a bunch of internet chatter is going to force them out of the sport :huh:

Anything said here pales into insignificance compared to how the guys on board would be torturing themselves.

We've all screwed up, Rail Meat summed it up perfectly.

Every world class sportsman/businessman/ readily admits to having made mistakes, big and small.

In a shrinking sport, we cannot afford the luxury of emotive witchhunts. Period.

The best thing to do here from here is pat them on the back, thank the gods nobody died, talk to them quietly about what happened, be open with the facts, and we all collectively learn from any mistakes made.

The worst thing would be to publicly shred them to pieces.

I am simply thankful on that day we didn't lose any more souls to the sport we love, and nobody is currently gritting their teeth consoling little kids and wives that are unconsolable.

Don't force them out of the sport through humiliation and shame. How can we learn from our mistakes if we're shot and booted out when we do make one?

My 2c.

SB

 

[kent_island_sailor]

I see this on the flying forums all the time. Joe_Blow ignores the giant warning on the chart not to hit the big tree and wrecks his plane. Everyone goes on about what an absolute moron this guy is, should never be allowed to fly again, Darwin in action, too stupid to have sharp objects, etc. etc.

Well then Some_Guy_We_Like hits that same tree and it is more like well that tree moves around, that tree grew since last year, anyone could miss one warning, we all could have a bad day, anyone wanna help get the plane out of the tree, etc. etc.

Human nature.

Though experiment: The crew missed the start because they all had food poisoning or something. They all got sent by plane to the next stop when they got better and meanwhile I was hanging around looking bored so they gave me $100 to sail the boat to the next port. I grabbed a couple guys from the bar and off we went. We ended up in EXACTLY the same place. Would everyone be going on about how it was understandable, no reason not to let KIS and his band of drunks deliver more VOR boats, anyone could hit that reef, and so on

 

[Rennmaus]

Just FYI, I think this version of the video has no audio cuts http://gcaptain.com/onboard-video-shows-team-vestas-hit-indian-ocean-reef/

Only made it so far into it, so don't take my word for it.

Can somebody else confirm that Nico was helming (as I just found out through grapevine) ?

Doesn't look so. I think, Nico's the guy that puts on his foulies while leaning over the port side.

 

[shaggybaxter]

Do you think a bunch of internet chatter is going to force them out of the sport :huh:

Anything said here pales into insignificance compared to how the guys on board would be torturing themselves.

We've all screwed up, Rail Meat summed it up perfectly.

Every world class sportsman/businessman/ readily admits to having made mistakes, big and small.

In a shrinking sport, we cannot afford the luxury of emotive witchhunts. Period.

The best thing to do here from here is pat them on the back, thank the gods nobody died, talk to them quietly about what happened, be open with the facts, and we all collectively learn from any mistakes made.

The worst thing would be to publicly shred them to pieces.

I am simply thankful on that day we didn't lose any more souls to the sport we love, and nobody is currently gritting their teeth consoling little kids and wives that are unconsolable.

Don't force them out of the sport through humiliation and shame. How can we learn from our mistakes if we're shot and booted out when we do make one?

My 2c.

SB

No.

I am trying to appeal to those who want to shoot them...

.

 

[Kingstonsail]

I've just been on the VOR website...looking at the tracks of the boats prior to the incident.

Leading up to the accident all four of the boats ahead of Vestas tacked at about the same location ( let's call it Point A) to what appears to me...pass the reef to leeward (to the west).

Vestas passes that point "A" at 12:05 UTC doesn't tack like the leaders did...and nails the reef at @ 15:20 UTC...so 3 hours past the point "A" where the leaders had made a move west.

Now I understand perhaps the leaders were in different wind conditions that forced the tack at point "A".....but it seems to me that they (4 leaders) all seemed to know something that Vestas didn't.

The other thing the track shows is that Alvimedica showed up at 18:30 UTC and stayed with Vestas until 03:30 UTC...so they are owed about 9 hours.

 

[kent_island_sailor]

Well they wrecked a boat they did not own. Their employer/boat owner will decide their fate, not us. They actually do not owe anyone but the owner of the boat a detailed explanation of what happened, so I have been amazed we know as much as we do.

Do you think a bunch of internet chatter is going to force them out of the sport :huh:

Anything said here pales into insignificance compared to how the guys on board would be torturing themselves.

We've all screwed up, Rail Meat summed it up perfectly.

Every world class sportsman/businessman/ readily admits to having made mistakes, big and small.

In a shrinking sport, we cannot afford the luxury of emotive witchhunts. Period.

The best thing to do here from here is pat them on the back, thank the gods nobody died, talk to them quietly about what happened, be open with the facts, and we all collectively learn from any mistakes made.

The worst thing would be to publicly shred them to pieces.

I am simply thankful on that day we didn't lose any more souls to the sport we love, and nobody is currently gritting their teeth consoling little kids and wives that are unconsolable.

Don't force them out of the sport through humiliation and shame. How can we learn from our mistakes if we're shot and booted out when we do make one?

My 2c.

SB

No.

I am trying to appeal to those who want to shoot them...

.

 

[jbc]

I've just been on the VOR website...looking at the tracks of the boats prior to the incident.

Leading up to the accident all four of the boats ahead of Vestas tacked at about the same location ( let's call it Point A) to what appears to me...pass the reef to leeward (to the west).

Vestas passes that point "A" at 12:05 UTC doesn't tack like the leaders did...and nails the reef at @ 15:20 UTC...so 3 hours past the point "A" where the leaders had made a move west.

Now I understand perhaps the leaders were in different wind conditions that forced the tack at point "A".....but it seems to me that they (4 leaders) all seemed to know something that Vestas didn't.

The other thing the track shows is that Alvimedica showed up at 18:30 UTC and stayed with Vestas until 03:30 UTC...so they are owed about 9 hours.

The boats all were gybing near the center of the tropical depression. By doing that they were able to sail downwind on the headed gybe, giving them the most direct route.

It was explained previously in the thread that the 9 hours won't be applied as a time correction (though that's what I'd assumed as well). Instead, Alvimedica will need to file an appeal over their finish position, and race control will decide if they should get a points adjustment. But apparently the only way they would qualify is if they end up finishing below the position they were in when they halted racing (which would be 6th if you're counting Vestas, or 5th if you're not). That doesn't sound very fair, so maybe I'm misinterpreting things. But however the rules define the situation is what they'll be doing, which I guess is as fair as one can expect it to be.

 

[CraftyBob]

I'll take that bet.I have sailed with guys that were amazing on the foredeck - athletic and quick and never a twisted sail or a tangled sheet. They would have been very hard pressed to navigate from Pussers to Davis' Pub or even steer for that matter. They never did either one of those jobs. It is entirely possible to be very very good at one thing and not have general knowledge. For one example, our junior sailing programs turn out excellent W/L technicians that can get all the way through the programs and never anchor a boat one time, navigate anyplace they can't see from the club dock, or sail after dark. I am sure a VOR campaign would pick an incredible helmsman over a good one that can navigate and bleed a diesel.

realize that these guys are professional racers but that's a different thing than being a professional sailor or seafarer. I'm sure that each man aboard has an impressive resume of racing wins, can knowledgeably talk racing rules and tactics and sail trim way beyond my comprehension, and were chosen to be aboard because they had legitimately earned the right to be perceived to be an asset to a racing crew, but how many of them have ever skippered a cruising sailboat for even a week or two, choosing their own course someplace they were unfamiliar with where there were lots of obstacles to avoid? I haven't any knowledge of all the specific crew members aboard this boat, but if they're like the racing sailors I do know, they can work magic as far as getting more boat speed out of a hull/rig than I thought possible, but basic things like navigation and having the discipline to regularly zoom down and clear their whole intended course just isn't something they'd think to do. Little details like making sure you don't run into islands is either not an issue because they are accustomed to racing on a course that somebody else layed out, or it's somebody else's job to avoid hitting things. A valuable racing crew member on a boat like this may be a foredeck or sail trim whiz, but have never spent hardly any time doing such mundane things as choosing or plotting a course except in reference to other boats in the race or in reference to current or wind shifts. In other words, (though I don't know) I wouldn't be surprised if there were only a few crew members aboard who would be considered competent seamen in the traditional sense of that word and I think that help explains why someone other than the off watch skipper or off watch navigator didn't happen to notice that they were headed directly for an island. Most of them are pure racers and very good at whatever they were hired to do, but few of them are good all around seamen because normally there's no reason for them to need to be. I happen to know only one professional sailboat racer and he's been at the game for quite a few years with some success, but I can think of literally 100's of people I'd sooner trust to deliver my boat from one side of Pen Bay to the other on a foggy night. But I have absolutely no doubt that in a race he'd be the first one across the finish line.

Interest points indeed

I don't have any money at the moment, but I've got a stack of Mt. Gay hats. I'm willing to put one up (you can pick any year between 1998 - 2013 if you win) and bet that every one of those guys is capable of doing every job on the boat including captain and navigator.

Can I throw in $10 too?

 

[LoopyGirdleSniffer]

I'll take that bet.I have sailed with guys that were amazing on the foredeck - athletic and quick and never a twisted sail or a tangled sheet. They would have been very hard pressed to navigate from Pussers to Davis' Pub or even steer for that matter. They never did either one of those jobs. It is entirely possible to be very very good at one thing and not have general knowledge. For one example, our junior sailing programs turn out excellent W/L technicians that can get all the way through the programs and never anchor a boat one time, navigate anyplace they can't see from the club dock, or sail after dark. I am sure a VOR campaign would pick an incredible helmsman over a good one that can navigate and bleed a diesel.

realize that these guys are professional racers but that's a different thing than being a professional sailor or seafarer. I'm sure that each man aboard has an impressive resume of racing wins, can knowledgeably talk racing rules and tactics and sail trim way beyond my comprehension, and were chosen to be aboard because they had legitimately earned the right to be perceived to be an asset to a racing crew, but how many of them have ever skippered a cruising sailboat for even a week or two, choosing their own course someplace they were unfamiliar with where there were lots of obstacles to avoid? I haven't any knowledge of all the specific crew members aboard this boat, but if they're like the racing sailors I do know, they can work magic as far as getting more boat speed out of a hull/rig than I thought possible, but basic things like navigation and having the discipline to regularly zoom down and clear their whole intended course just isn't something they'd think to do. Little details like making sure you don't run into islands is either not an issue because they are accustomed to racing on a course that somebody else layed out, or it's somebody else's job to avoid hitting things. A valuable racing crew member on a boat like this may be a foredeck or sail trim whiz, but have never spent hardly any time doing such mundane things as choosing or plotting a course except in reference to other boats in the race or in reference to current or wind shifts. In other words, (though I don't know) I wouldn't be surprised if there were only a few crew members aboard who would be considered competent seamen in the traditional sense of that word and I think that help explains why someone other than the off watch skipper or off watch navigator didn't happen to notice that they were headed directly for an island. Most of them are pure racers and very good at whatever they were hired to do, but few of them are good all around seamen because normally there's no reason for them to need to be. I happen to know only one professional sailboat racer and he's been at the game for quite a few years with some success, but I can think of literally 100's of people I'd sooner trust to deliver my boat from one side of Pen Bay to the other on a foggy night. But I have absolutely no doubt that in a race he'd be the first one across the finish line.

Interest points indeed

I don't have any money at the moment, but I've got a stack of Mt. Gay hats. I'm willing to put one up (you can pick any year between 1998 - 2013 if you win) and bet that every one of those guys is capable of doing every job on the boat including captain and navigator.

Well you're on then with the understanding we're talking about the Vestas boys and not your foredeckie.