AVON, N.C.
Crew members on the destroyer Gonzalez labored six hours in rough seas off the Virginia coast to repair a crippled sailboat earlier this month, and the owner, who had been drifting for four days, resumed his trip down the coast.
He didn't get very far.
One week after his Nov. 8 rescue, the 56-foot Gypsy Dane went aground on a Hatteras Island beach while the 64-year-old sailor was reportedly below, making a sandwich, said David Carter, Cape Hatteras National Seashore park ranger.
"He said before he went down below, there was no land in sight," Carter said.
The vessel has been stuck fast in the swash since then.
The sailor, Toronto resident Yves Oger, was heading to Charleston, S.C. The vessel does not appear to be damaged, Carter said. Oger was uninjured.
Attempts to tow it off the beach a mile south of the Avon pier were unsuccessful Monday, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Chris Porter.
Porter said that when the boat came ashore Saturday afternoon, winds were up to 30 knots and the ocean had swells of 6 to 8 feet. Although the vessel's hull appears to be well-constructed, he said, there is concern about the rudder, which is half buried in the sand.
"The vessel itself has kind of created a sandbar behind it, and it actually made it shallower," he said.
After a salvage plan is approved, he said, the boat tow company will try again at high tide today to pull out the sailboat.
Sailors on the Gonzalez, which was 200 miles off the coast for training exercises, had spent six hours repairing the Gypsy Dane's rudder and cutting off line from a fouled shaft and screw.
The two-masted vessel had been damaged in a storm, and the rudder was in bad shape. Crew members built new parts and overhauled the rudder. A rescue swimmer and another sailor also labored for more than an hour to cut a line that had twisted about 50 times around the propeller and shaft.
The Coast Guard then determined that the Gypsy Dane and Oger were fit enough to continue to Charleston.
All hazardous materials have been ordered removed from the grounded vessel, including fuel, Porter said. So far, there do not appear to be any violations, he said, but the incident is still under investigation.
Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com
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Sailor?
He is French need I say more?
Grounded Sailboat
Wow. High tide is right about now or maybe within the last hour or so. It was supposed to be a few feet above normal. That is good news for this sailor . The bad news is there is a gale warning in effect for the entire eastern seaboard.
Foul Rigging
Back in the day, he would have been "flogged 'round the fleet" and his grog ration halved, just for his rigging alone!
Just another example
Of someone that can afford a boat and have absolutly NO clue on how to run one! I have pulled 14 people out of the water over the yrs. I was inverviewed on tv yrs ago about a fatal boat acccident, I said then as I do now there must be a license, of some type, for everyone that runs a boat. This is the only industry that you can go buy a multimillion dollar piece of machinary and have NO training at all and get on and go!!!
Sandwich
There was a similar case where a man driving a Winnebago put on his cruise control while driving down the highway and went back to the kitchen to make a sandwich. That did not end up well, either.
Wonder if it is the same guy?
Take The Highway
Maybe he should load the boat on a long trailer finish the trip by highway.
Boat Aground
The Coast Guard is slipping.....this guy would be dangerous on a skateboard.
Isnt Suicide against the law
At sea you are required to maintain a watch at all times! While perhaps a smaller craft like this might not seem like a threat many craft rely on radar to watch the area ahead while the crewmen do other things. Solo sailing (and I have done some) requires a constant awarness of your suroundings . In this case,at the very least his tack should have been offshore before taking the time to go below. The excuse that no land was in sight is not valid in this day of cheap GPS . While I am glad to live in a world where a man can still sail off in search of dreams , this man should be taken to court on several counts including reckless endangement where the judge should insure that knowlage and responacability of being a captain is instilled.
Garr....
That landlubber don't know a jibe from a jib. Garr
Guess who is paying for all this
and all this for a non-US citizen. He needs to get the hell out into international water.
Hummmmm
Sixty-four and sailing alone? Already rescued recently? Sailing close to the Hatteras shoreline is no joking matter. He's is lucky he wasn't near there a week or so ago.
Misnomer
The article refers to him as a "sailor." Perhaps sailor is not the correct word for this person?
Darwin Keeps trying
But human kindness, navy professionalism, and blind luck are winning!
Does this man have a drivers' license??
Please say no.
long lunch
must have eaten his sandwich with chop sticks. (:-}
OKAY
You might want to take up a new hobby...GOOD LUCK
Job for Mr. Oger
While I admire Mr. Oger's courage in sailing alone...it seems his best choise is to become a rescue training aid for the Navy and Coast Guard
Hmmm...
Makes you wonder, how big was the sandwich?!?! I mean, he said when he went below he didn't see land. How long was he down there? Geez, this guy should probably take up a new hobby.