Wow...     I wondered what could have gone wrong with a 79' boat...      Unbelieveably it's sort of Covid related.. they couldn't get fuel ...   Here's the story first hand from those on board..
   
    Maike KnospeJune 29, 2021 5:22 am

Hello to all of you
First I want to say
thank you that you rescued my life and life of all crew members.
We are very grateful for that.
And I can’t believe that it happened
I think my life is change now
( my English is not so good but I try to explain what has happened)
We’ve bought the Barlovento 6 years ago
Many things were restored :
New deck, some new planks, new masts,
We let repaired the engine and at last we let change the gearbox of the engine, new propeller, we retorted the skylights and fixed it with new fasteners, the electric were new the pumps controled we changed old fasteners of sails and changed the ropes( don’t know the English word for that) …
Before we started we let change some planks again new kalfatere new painting
The crew member, 6 persons worked the last three weeks to restore the last things.
Than we started in Port Townsend sailed to Port Angeles. It was amazing
The boat was perfect for offshore we have thought.
For our safety we had a satellite phone on Bord. We thought we could telephone every day to a person who gives us the news about weather We had two possibilities to hear weather reports.
Than we sailed to Neah Bay.
We didn’t know that it was closed for foreigners. We couldn’t refuel the tanks
Than we made the first mistake
We have thought we would have enough diesel to come to San Francisco
( it was enough, but when the boat was so much moving the diesel also moving and than came air into the engine
Normal our captain can repair that but the boat was so much moving that it was difficult to work on the engine)
Next mistake was a misunderstanding when we telephoned for weather report
We thought the person on telephone knew our plan non stop to go to San Francisco
He thought we are sailing near the cost and he wanted to say that we must sail near the costs
But we didn’t understand that
Next day the satellite telephone doesn’t work. But for our experience we had no worry about weather because it was stabilized weather wind force 5
And it looked stabilized
But the waves growing up and weather wasn’t stabil
We tried to telephone but it doesn’t work
Than we tried to come nearer to the cost also with engine
And suddenly the engine get air
After a while the electric doesn’t work
Than came very big waves
The boat was stabil and very good in the water. Nothing happened
24 hours we fight in the waves when the pumps Stopped to work
It happened that water came through skylight because the big waves overruns the boat
We felt safe because we know how to do. But the water didn’t run off
It changed ten times the side and suddenly I can’t understand why the water came through the skylights
No cabinet doors could stay closed
All things flew through the boat
I must do a small break because I didn’t sleep since two days and than the next very big wave came
I flew from one to the other side no chance to fix myself . It feels horrible
I smashed with my head onto the cabinet
Like a ball I flew around
My arm was broken
My teeth were loose
Because of my violation
And because of fatigue we have felt that the ends comes nearer.
There was no place to sleep because of wetness and moving
The pumps stopped to work
It came more and more water through the skylights
But the boat was good
We started to pump with handcraft( me not because my arm was broken)
Than I had very much headaches
My husband became fearful that I have blood in my head
He gaves me something against pain and fixed my arm with a wooden spoon
They pumped and tried to surf with waves
The boat was 9 knots fast without sails. We never seen waves like that.
And my husband knows how to sail. He was often offshore sailing everywhere in the world
Maybe i was not strong enough for adventures like this
And certainly we started this trip to rasher
But we all together were so happy on Bord and Barlovento runs through the ocean
It was magical
There were everywhere little mistakes we’ve made.
And we had information that it’s possible to sail the west coast
But also we’ve heard that we must not sail at this time.
Than after 30 hours fighting with waves and the information that the wind doesn’t stop since next day we must stop and called emergency
I could tell more and more about
Because we all together can’t understand why we have made so much wrong things
Barlovento
It’s a tragedy
Sorry that we let it happened
Sorry !

       
    Shoot,,, I almost didn't recognize him, how he's grown.     Loved the act. !!!   

        And what a great tribute to his mom ...    That brought tears to my eyes.     

    I think people who do these things should have to pay the cost of the rescue effort.   
    He put the entire CG crew in a needless danger having to pull his dumbass out of the water.     

Wow...  I love this story !!!   

  I have twin daughters.   I couldn't imagine ever separating them.        I wonder how closely their lives have followed each other, even though a continent apart?     Similiar interests, etc ?
     
    DNA Testing has given us so much,  in many ways !        I never knew my father , or anything about my family on his side until last year.  A DNA test found a cousin in Minnesota who filled in all the blanks.        Turns out I was named after my grandfather, he and my father were avid spearfishing ab diving long before I was a twinkle...   LOL   


     

 Surf to Summit seats Bro...      They're pricey , but will last thru several kayaks..

https://www.surftosummit.com/collections/gts-series-kayak-seats/products/gts-pro-molded-foam-kayak-seat-standard-pack

  It's now an overfished area...   Last time I was there, must have been traps set every 40 yds all over (within paddling distances)

Nice !   Thanks for the report.       Where'd you launch ? 

    Like kayaks.... ya gotta find what's right for you.