The Sinking Of The Norwester

[twistedtree]

Here is the 2017 C-map chart of the area, as displayed by Coastal Explorer. The Norwester's charts were just updated, according to them, and I think it's highly unlikely that the shoal was removed from c-map charts after this 2017 version.


So Garmin, Navionics, NOAA raster, NOAA vector, and c-map all show the shoal. Who else's charts could they have been using?

 

[clstevens]

I don't have any details on the C-Map chart other than it's "older". I can't find the original comment regarding the chart issue on Facebook any longer. I think it has been deleted. But my recollection is that they were using Garmin charts.

On the subject of charts, I'm sure that's a topic which has been well-covered here so I won't rehash it other than to say that I've been using NOAA RNC and ENC charts with OpenCPN for the past few years, backed up with a paper chart atlas. (I'm resigned to the raster chart phase out but will always keep the old charts around if only for the nostalgia value.)

As for Norwester, sadly she's done. Back broken. Owners have reportedly given up on salvaging her. I expect she will break up completely before they will be able to get her off that rock but either way she's beyond saving with any reasonable effort.

(Photo by Justin Mosely)

 

[twistedtree]

Looks like it's been stripped clean.


Doesn't the owner still have a responsibility to clean up the wreck?

 

[twistedtree]

Looks like it's been stripped clean. That was efficient of them.



Doesn't the owner still have the responsibility to clean up the wreck?


And I guess they get to keep the gofundme money, right? And the insurance money? Or does that get donated to cancer research?

 

[rochepoint]

There are 3 updates from the owner on the Go Fund Me page. This is the latest one.......

 

[clstevens]

Huh. Well, for all the voyeurs and cynics that will undoubtedly come out here I hope you never have to experience the loss of your vessel and consequent exposure to the critical commentary of the more fortunate. But by all means, let's investigate the finances of the owners, their moral culpability, fecklessness and general failure to live up to our standards under the guise of "Boating Safety and Concerns."

Edit: or just go read the post above for a better perspective.

 

[ksanders]

Huh. Well, for all the voyeurs and cynics that will undoubtedly come out here I hope you never have to experience the loss of your vessel and consequent exposure to the critical commentary of the more fortunate. But by all means, let's investigate the finances of the owners, their moral culpability, fecklessness and general failure to live up to our standards under the guise of "Boating Safety and Concerns."

Edit: or just go read the post above for a better perspective.

Seems to me that any time something bad happens folks want to delve into the reasons why.

Since the public was asked to help (using a go fund me account) the public then gets to ask about the finances.

Why is it that when somebody makes a mistake and they loose their boat that they try to pass the blame to anybody other than themselves?

Perhaps because of a pending insurance claim they feel might be in jeopardy. Perhaps just simple pride.

Sometimes we just need to admit our mistakes and move forward, never to make that same mistake again. If we can share that mistake so perhaps someone else does not have to go through the same ordeal, even better.

 

[Russell Clifton]

She is gone..

The boat went down last night. Was there last night about 7:00 pm. Went out fishing this morning and not a sign it was ever there.

 

[clstevens]

Seems to me that any time something bad happens folks want to delve into the reasons why.

Since the public was asked to help (using a go fund me account) the public then gets to ask about the finances.

Why is it that when somebody makes a mistake and they loose their boat that they try to pass the blame to anybody other than themselves?

Perhaps because of a pending insurance claim they feel might be in jeopardy. Perhaps just simple pride.

Sometimes we just need to admit our mistakes and move forward, never to make that same mistake again. If we can share that mistake so perhaps someone else does not have to go through the same ordeal, even better.

Reasonable enough. My beef is not with the urge to learn more but with urge to judge the people involved based on incomplete (or a complete lack of) actual information. And to be fair, the comments here have been mild compared to the vitriol that was posted on Facebook. I was pretty shocked at how vicious some people were so perhaps I'm overreacting in compensation. And anyway there is no particular honor in being a scold either. I'll relinquish the soap box.

My takeaway? Know your marks and hazards-to-navigation, know the state of the wind, tide, current strength and direction, know where you are and where you are headed, don't hit anything. None of which are new skills or requirements for safety on the water. And everyone should read "The Elements of Seamanship" by Roger Tayor, and keep a copy at the helm for a regular refresh just in case of complacency.

 

[ksanders]

Reasonable enough. My beef is not with the urge to learn more but with urge to judge the people involved based on incomplete (or a complete lack of) actual information. And to be fair, the comments here have been mild compared to the vitriol that was posted on Facebook. I was pretty shocked at how vicious some people were so perhaps I'm overreacting in compensation. And anyway there is no particular honor in being a scold either. I'll relinquish the soap box.

My takeaway? Know your marks and hazards-to-navigation, know the state of the wind, tide, current strength and direction, know where you are and where you are headed, don't hit anything. None of which are new skills or requirements for safety on the water. And everyone should read "The Elements of Seamanship" by Roger Tayor, and keep a copy at the helm for a regular refresh just in case of complacency.

I'll help a little with that...

Regarding hitting the reef, that is a no brainer. Simple human error. Any attempt to defend it will be met with droves of people countering that defense. Better to admit error and help with lessons learned.

Then we have the questions regarding why no dewatering activities occurred.
That question was made based on the information that we had available at the time.

Why ask??? Many of us carry high capacity dewatering pumps on our boats with the hope that we never have to deploy them.

So it is a rightful question to ask why????

Then as often the case, more information becomes available and we realize that a high capacity pump would have been useless in this situation.

Please also remember that Here on TF the demographic is different than FB. Here you are around a group of very experienced boaters, with many or most here having decades of boating and navigation experience. People with in depth experience ask tough questions and demand straight awnsers.

 

[Adopo]

Sad, I loved John Wayne, and the great Americas from that era. That's what the boat represented to me.

https://thenorwester.com

John Wayne's first yacht now a floating museum

 

[trihartsfield]

(QUOTE): And to be fair, the comments here have been mild compared to the vitriol that was posted on Facebook. I was pretty shocked at how vicious some people were so perhaps I'm overreacting in compensation. And anyway there is no particular honor in being a scold either. I'll relinquish the soap box.

That is an easy fix. Delete your Facebook account. That is what I did over 6 months ago and could not be happier.

 

[sunchaser]

New to this thread - our 7 year old I Pad Navionics charts clearly show the area in question.

This thread once again causes me to keep our paper charts for the cruising area open and observed. Plus we're running two plotters and two depth sounders. We also have the charting laptop displayed on the TV for those that may be eating a meal or generally loafing.

It would seem the lessons learned for these types of incidents are well worth sharing with crew, spouses etc.

 

[tozz]

The boat went down last night. Was there last night about 7:00 pm. Went out fishing this morning and not a sign it was ever there.

It floated off and has been seen up across the Canadian border. The USCG issued a broadcast notice to mariners for the navigational hazard.

 

[rochepoint]

It floated off and has been seen up across the Canadian border. The USCG issued a broadcast notice to mariners for the navigational hazard.

Yes she has drifted into Canadian water off Haro Strait by Sidney Island as shown on the the Navigation Warning website here, shown as the Norwester surrounded with by an pollution boom.........

 

[alesnloggers]

Off of Gooch Island.

 

[kthoennes]

Boy, that's an even even sadder ending to a boat with so much history. I suppose all that wood is buoyant but I keep thinking somebody should shoot that boat and give it a graceful descent to a deep resting place.

 

[lwarden]

So how does it float off all on it's own? Seems it would have been a good idea to anchor it so it didn't become a navigation hazard, or try pulling it off at high tide once it had been unloaded/stripped. The tides over the past few days were slightly lower than the previous days by 6" or so.

 

[Portage_Bay]

A question I'm wanting answered is who is the insurance carrier? I don't want coverage by a carrier who won't deal with this kind of thing promptly and properly. Maybe the issue is the policy the owner took out. Maybe he didn't read the fine print.

 

[ksanders]

A question I'm wanting answered is who is the insurance carrier? I don't want coverage by a carrier who won't deal with this kind of thing promptly and properly. Maybe the issue is the policy the owner took out. Maybe he didn't read the fine print.

It is not the insurance carriers job to make arrangements for salvage, pollution cleanup, etc...

That is YOUR job as a boat owner. YOU are liable for the results of your boat accident.

The insurance companies job is to write the checks based on your policy language.

 

[koliver]

So how does it float off all on it's own? Seems it would have been a good idea to anchor it so it didn't become a navigation hazard, or try pulling it off at high tide once it had been unloaded/stripped. The tides over the past few days were slightly lower than the previous days by 6" or so.

The dive survey video clearly showed the diver going down the anchor chain. He didn't go to the anchor itself, but I presume that when the boat hit the rock it was not yet deployed.
One more thing you need to remember, the anchor doesn't set itself.

 

[GoneFarrell]

It is not the insurance carriers job to make arrangements for salvage, pollution cleanup, etc...

That is YOUR job as a boat owner. YOU are liable for the results of your boat accident.

The insurance companies job is to write the checks based on your policy language.

That is worthy of its own thread! I can make a float plan easy, but I've never really considered making a "sinking" plan beyond the usual preserve lives and some stuff. You definitely got the gears turning in my head. There's a bunch of easy stuff, and maybe/likely some stuff I haven't considered.

The retirement lifestyle for this boats owners just got ruined, I don't want to see that happen to me, or anybody else here.

 

[Art]

With all due respect to every post entered on this thread [including my previous one; that was stated before I saw the video displaying just how totally demolished the entire keel and bottom was due to the collision].

I smell something fishy, about several instances regarding this tragedy.

Wishing the best for everyone involved.

 

[Portage_Bay]

It is not the insurance carriers job to make arrangements for salvage, pollution cleanup, etc...

That is YOUR job as a boat owner. YOU are liable for the results of your boat accident.

The insurance companies job is to write the checks based on your policy language.

See post 65. The update by the owner where he states "Litigation with insurance will determine what salvaging will be done"

That is why I asked the question. I don't want to be covered by an insurer I have to fight with.

Seems to me the owner has conducted himself well post grounding by having fuel and black water pumped off. And removing things that will float off. Why is his underwriter balking at covering salvage? I take salvage to mean wreck removal. Not saving the boat for restoration.

 

[Birdman]

That is an easy fix. Delete your Facebook account. That is what I did over 6 months ago and could not be happier.

Better yet, don’t even have a Facebook account in the first place!! Facebook, Twitter, instatweetbook,,, whatever, IT IS ALL GARBAGE! All the “social media” crap is nothing but garbage, and a disgrace to mankind’s intelligence. Stay off ALL OF IT. Especially now, with all the censorship that’s going on in it all. These company’s think they own and run the planet. They are doing nothing but harming everyone.

This coming from a semi-retired IT professional with 40 years of IT experience. If you never listen to a word I say, I would never blame you as I’m just another little guy in a big town! BUT PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS POST.


As for this yacht going down,HORRIBLE! Looked like such a sweet hull! What a bummer! My GUESS would be the zoom level was the issue, OR, really old chartplotter and software being used which didn’t have detail on it. Kind of like a “basemap” that used to come on plotters, and you would then buy a detailed chart chip to get better resolution. It amazes me how many people actually use the old “basemap” that came on the plotter that was on the boat when they bought it.

Will be interesting to see what they were using....

 

[Carpello]

This was recently posted from the “Bitter End Blog” on FB:

“Nor’wester is now May 4th 8:30am about 80 ft from the west Henry Island shore, doing 360 slow turns in the back eddy current, slightly headed north. N48 36.023 / W123 12.097

Thanks to Justin Mosley for info.

Emilie Rankin photos.”

 

[trihartsfield]

Better yet, don’t even have a Facebook account in the first place!! Facebook, Twitter, instatweetbook,,, whatever, IT IS ALL GARBAGE! All the “social media” crap is nothing but garbage, and a disgrace to mankind’s intelligence. Stay off ALL OF IT. Especially now, with all the censorship that’s going on in it all. These company’s think they own and run the planet. They are doing nothing but harming everyone.

This coming from a semi-retired IT professional with 40 years of IT experience. If you never listen to a word I say, I would never blame you as I’m just another little guy in a big town! BUT PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS POST.....

Boy I couldn't agree more.

 

[rochepoint]

This was recently posted from the “Bitter End Blog” on FB:

“Nor’wester is now May 4th 8:30am about 80 ft from the west Henry Island shore, doing 360 slow turns in the back eddy current, slightly headed north. N48 36.023 / W123 12.097

Thanks to Justin Mosley for info.

Emilie Rankin photos.”View attachment 117371View attachment 117372

Looks like she is slowing sinking as there is no super structure showing like there was yesterday.

 

[kthoennes]

Funny how boats are just inanimate objects but those two views are depressing to see, and it's not even my boat.

 

[Birdman]

Funny how boats are just inanimate objects but those two views are depressing to see, and it's not even my boat.

Boat lives matter!!

It really is sad to see those pics, it was a gorgeous looking boat, just a few days ago. Sad!