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The Keel Of The Cheeki Rafiki...
Could the keel have been ripped off the hull after hitting submerged debris? Sad news for the families of the crew members.
Answers
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These are my thoughts. I'm no expert but I've raced on chartered yachts of the same design as the Cheeki Rafiki and I have the most basic qualificatio
18:12 Sat 24th May 2014
I doubt it looking at the pictures.
If the boat had hit something under the water while travelling forward you would expect the keel to be ripped off from the front to the back.
The pictures show the keel has ripped off horizontally from the right to the left. It has either been broken broken off by a strong sideways wave, or a design fault has caused it to fail.
http://
If the boat had hit something under the water while travelling forward you would expect the keel to be ripped off from the front to the back.
The pictures show the keel has ripped off horizontally from the right to the left. It has either been broken broken off by a strong sideways wave, or a design fault has caused it to fail.
http://
A post on a sailing forum.
// Crew probably didn't know the keel was failing. In their contact to management, they reported a leak but didn't know from where. They were keeping ahead with pumps... evidently weren't too concerned at the time as they didn't tell management they were in distress or abandoning ship, but were going to head for Azores (roughly 1000 mi closer than England. Approx one hour later, a PLB was activated (not the yacht's EPIRB). This all seems to suggest they didn't know the keel was failing, and it fell off suddenly. It's possible a keel could loosen and fail slowly... but at some point the crew would realize it and send a mayday and abandon ship. IMO, in this case it leaked a bit, and then failed suddenly. //
// Crew probably didn't know the keel was failing. In their contact to management, they reported a leak but didn't know from where. They were keeping ahead with pumps... evidently weren't too concerned at the time as they didn't tell management they were in distress or abandoning ship, but were going to head for Azores (roughly 1000 mi closer than England. Approx one hour later, a PLB was activated (not the yacht's EPIRB). This all seems to suggest they didn't know the keel was failing, and it fell off suddenly. It's possible a keel could loosen and fail slowly... but at some point the crew would realize it and send a mayday and abandon ship. IMO, in this case it leaked a bit, and then failed suddenly. //
These are my thoughts. I'm no expert but I've raced on chartered yachts of the same design as the Cheeki Rafiki and I have the most basic qualification there is, a Competent Crew certificate.
Yachts very occasionally hit one of the thousands of shipping containers which fall off container ships every year and often sit just below the surface until they sink after a few day/weeks/months. But in this case the crew's actions suggest they did not think the keel was at risk, so it seems unlikely that they hit anything. The keel is attached with bolts. If they thought it was working loose they would probably have hove to (i.e. stopped) in order to reduce the strain on it. They would have used the radio to send a distress call to the coastguard and other vessels in the area. And I reckon they would have taken the life raft out of the locker - you could never hope to get to the locker after the boat has capsized, so I would think you might prepare for the worst by keeping the liferaft in the cockpit or tying it to the rail. Instead the crew phoned the owners to say they had a leak and were pumping out the water, they tried to sail to the Azores and they left the raft in the locker. They never did put out a distress call.
The boat design, a Beneteau First 40.7, is very well known, made in France, they've built more than 500 since 1997 and it does not have a history of keel separations or other structural failures. It seems highly unlikely that a design fault or a manufacturing defect could be to blame. But I bet lots of owners will be checking their keel bolts asap.
Cheeki Rafiki was a charter vessel. The 40.7 is very popular for corporate fun days and amateur racers who don't own a yacht. Charter vessels, unlike privately owned yachts, often suffer an unreported grounding. In other words the boat hits a sand bank or the sea bed. This may bend or crack the keel bolts, but the skipper doesn't tell the boat owner because he doesn't want a bill for the damage. This happens more than you might think, especially in the Solent where you are often racing in very shallow waters. The owner is unaware of the grounding so he doesn't pay for the boat to be craned out of the water to check for damage. Or maybe he does know, but he doesn't want to pay for an inspection more than once a year, or maybe there's no time for an inspection because the next charter group is waiting to take the boat out. So...later on the keel bolts snap because of metal fatigue. If this happens the boat capsizes very suddenly, leaving no time to use the radio or find the liferaft.
This is really the only possibility I can think of right now. But there must be others - it's just me speculatiing, we don't know many of the facts, I could be completely wrong. It's so sad, what a horrible way to go.
Yachts very occasionally hit one of the thousands of shipping containers which fall off container ships every year and often sit just below the surface until they sink after a few day/weeks/months. But in this case the crew's actions suggest they did not think the keel was at risk, so it seems unlikely that they hit anything. The keel is attached with bolts. If they thought it was working loose they would probably have hove to (i.e. stopped) in order to reduce the strain on it. They would have used the radio to send a distress call to the coastguard and other vessels in the area. And I reckon they would have taken the life raft out of the locker - you could never hope to get to the locker after the boat has capsized, so I would think you might prepare for the worst by keeping the liferaft in the cockpit or tying it to the rail. Instead the crew phoned the owners to say they had a leak and were pumping out the water, they tried to sail to the Azores and they left the raft in the locker. They never did put out a distress call.
The boat design, a Beneteau First 40.7, is very well known, made in France, they've built more than 500 since 1997 and it does not have a history of keel separations or other structural failures. It seems highly unlikely that a design fault or a manufacturing defect could be to blame. But I bet lots of owners will be checking their keel bolts asap.
Cheeki Rafiki was a charter vessel. The 40.7 is very popular for corporate fun days and amateur racers who don't own a yacht. Charter vessels, unlike privately owned yachts, often suffer an unreported grounding. In other words the boat hits a sand bank or the sea bed. This may bend or crack the keel bolts, but the skipper doesn't tell the boat owner because he doesn't want a bill for the damage. This happens more than you might think, especially in the Solent where you are often racing in very shallow waters. The owner is unaware of the grounding so he doesn't pay for the boat to be craned out of the water to check for damage. Or maybe he does know, but he doesn't want to pay for an inspection more than once a year, or maybe there's no time for an inspection because the next charter group is waiting to take the boat out. So...later on the keel bolts snap because of metal fatigue. If this happens the boat capsizes very suddenly, leaving no time to use the radio or find the liferaft.
This is really the only possibility I can think of right now. But there must be others - it's just me speculatiing, we don't know many of the facts, I could be completely wrong. It's so sad, what a horrible way to go.
If the boat is salvaged, the reason for the Cheeky Rafiki's loss of her keel may well be clarified. However, such an accident - though obviously rare - is not unheard of. In the Fastnet race in 1985, Simon Le Bon's yacht, Drum, lost its keel and he and his crew were trapped in the upturned hull. The same happened in the 2011 Fastnet to the Rambler and her crew. Luckily, all were saved unharmed. The suddenness and distance from help no doubt played a part in the latest incident.
I heard a maritime expert say that if the keel was torn off - as appears to be the case, the ship would have capsized in seconds, leaving the crew no time to abandon ship or launch a life raft.
He also advised that all the windows on the yacht were smashed, which I would suggest provides evidence of a wave hitting the boat and causing attendant damage.
A tragedy for all concerned - even more sad that the families may have no bodies for funerals.
He also advised that all the windows on the yacht were smashed, which I would suggest provides evidence of a wave hitting the boat and causing attendant damage.
A tragedy for all concerned - even more sad that the families may have no bodies for funerals.
Andy
They were pumping out before the keel was lost. That suggest they had a problem which they did not think was serious. If the keel bolts were loose, the boat would take on water, but they would not know where from. It then suddenly failed and the boat capsized. The fact the life raft had not been deployed even thogh the boat was taking on water suggests they didn't know where the problem was. Broken windows would occur in a capsize and internal debris being thrown about.
They were pumping out before the keel was lost. That suggest they had a problem which they did not think was serious. If the keel bolts were loose, the boat would take on water, but they would not know where from. It then suddenly failed and the boat capsized. The fact the life raft had not been deployed even thogh the boat was taking on water suggests they didn't know where the problem was. Broken windows would occur in a capsize and internal debris being thrown about.
Regarding the leak, there are many places a yacht can leak, minor leaks are very common. It seems the skipper didn't suspect a leak from a keel bolt. That would be extremely rare, you're far more likely to get a leak from a hatch or a window or the prop shaft or the seal between deck and hull or many other locations. There will be an investigation, the boat's recent history and its inspection and maintenance schedule will be scrutinised. I don't think any of the bolts can be checked, from the photos it looks as if they all disappeared with the keel. Maybe it will be possible to deduce from condition of the holes which bolts snapped and which were ripped out of the hull.
Loss of a keel at sea while rare is not unique ... here is a link to the report on a South African yacht Manquini which lost its keel and all on board http://
Outside of hitting a submerged object which causes extensive damage there are three possibilities ... Unequally torqued keel bolts ... poor laminating in area of keel ... design error (unlikely)
Here is a link to my blog on this event http://
Outside of hitting a submerged object which causes extensive damage there are three possibilities ... Unequally torqued keel bolts ... poor laminating in area of keel ... design error (unlikely)
Here is a link to my blog on this event http://
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