Adrift for 40 days

[JimD]

A news item I ran across: A British couple have been rescued from their stricken yacht by an Italian oil tanker after spending an incredible 40 days drifting across the storm-ravaged Atlantic Ocean http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1151902/Adrift-40-days-British-couple-cheat-death-12-day-Antigua-voyage-leaves-stranded-storm-ravaged-seas.html

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/21/article-1151902-0399CB03000005DC-682_468x286.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/02/21/article-1151902-0399CB0B000005DC-608_468x350.jpg

[Hollingsworth]

I'm curious about the rudder -- and what exactly made it jam. Can't imagine going through storms in the condition. Nevertheless, it's interesting to note that the boat did in fact ride these storms out.

[R.I.Singer30]

It's yours for the taking if you can find it.Floating towards the Bermuda Triangle.

Rudders can break for several reasons and are quite heavy so a repair at sea would be hard.Talk about ruining your day or month and a quarter in their case.

It brings meaning to the term ship shape.I wonder how long since there last haul out and inspection.

[Hwyl]

It seems they were pretty much in control and only gave up towards the end. The Daily Mail is sensationalising it. They could have been rescued any time they wanted, but were hoping to save the boat, but eventually failed.

[DGentry]

I only have about 15-20 days of patience. I suspect that about that time I would have hacksawed the rudder off and gotten on with the sailing. Or something like that. Surely there had to be some other option than abandoning a perfectly good boat and a lifetime of dreams.
But I wasn't there, so that's easy to say.

Riding out a storm while heaved to is a standard tactic, so having a rudder stuck to stbd would only have facilitated that.

Anyway, sucks for them, glad they're safe.

[paladin]

All the more reason for outboard rudders.......

[rddrappo]

It says the alternator broke, rendering their watermaker and other electronics useless. Just last night I was reading a book on small cruisers, and someone stated "If you don't have it, it can't break." Seems like a good example to me. On a boat that size, I'd think you tank a good amount of water.