This boat was owned by the recently deceased Alan Mc Gettigan (of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire Ireland) who had to abandon the boat in the midst of a severe storm on their way back to Ireland via the Azores. This all happened nearly 10 years ago. All on board, experienced sailors, were safely rescued. .
For those who dont know, the guy in the video is Matt Rutherford. First man to ever sail non stop, single handed around North and South America. He did it in a 27 foot long sailboat, what a legend. There's a documentary called "Red Dot on the Ocean"
The ship had only been left abandoned for 9 weeks back in 2013. This video, although released just four days ago on December 23rd, 2022, the abandoning of the ship occurred in February of 2013 and was found 9 weeks later, when these researchers stumbled upon it. 9 weeks with nobody manning it and no anchor or anything is impressive as hell. Shows you how durable these beauties can be.
@@George-Francis Well smartass, they are indeed supposed to stay afloat, but its impressive because it wasn't being captained. You know, you have to maneuver a boat in waves and storms, doing so you have to have your boat facing certain directions for ideal sailing and also, to not capsize. So maybe, just maybe, you could see how it's impressive that a boat survived what could have been terrible seas without navigating the waves. Just maybe?
I'm no sailor(though my father was) but it always awes me the sense of camaraderie while on the ocean, how they just stumbled upon a freight ship and convinced them to give you some fuel. When you're on the sea, It feels like everyone is a bit more honest and straightforward because they have to be, the seas are dangerous and you'll go that extra mile so that you know others will do the same to you. Maybe it's just me being a tad too emotional, but that's how I feel about life on the sea.
You might be surprised by how many sailboats get abandoned offshore for medical emergencies (or incompetence). I've been involved with two, one an elderly couple was airlifted off when the husband suffered a heart attack and we found the boat 2 weeks later adrift. The second was a novice who tried to sail across the Gulf of Mexico solo in Feb with no experience and a lack of seamanship skills. He lost his engine, couldn't sail and didn't know enough to put out a sea anchor so was beam to in 3-4m seas for several days before he made a distress call and abandoned his boat (we plucked him off his boat with our FRC and Coast Guard helo'd him from there).
@@terrulian Thats not as easy as it sounds. Many yachts have bouyancy chambers filled with expanded foam and are designed to stay afloat even if full of water. Maybe they could be craned onto a salvage vessel or towed but then who pays?
@@PeterWTaylor Good point. My guess would be that boats that will float when sunk to the gunwales are in the minority. But since they seem to know the make and model, this should be determinable. As to salvage, a Swan is worth a lot but craning it onto a ship in the middle of the ocean would be difficult without damaging it, potentially fatally. Either way, insurance will pay, assuming they have hull insurance, which a lot of folks don't carry.
@@PeterWTaylor Insurance pays 12% of the value of the boat if you recover it, so for a thing like this that's easily 20-40K. Heck when it's not way way out at sea you ussually have major trouble with greedy salvagers following you, speeding towards emergency calls, even navigating dangerously or causing damage to others just to try and get to a boat and claim it. Couple days ago I had to cut the line on one of them because he was hooked to a sinking boat that was on fire, and was so before the firefighters had released the vessel. Idiot even tried to threaten me before before firefighters lectured him and reported him to the coastguard. They will do anything for a payday. On one occasion I saw a salvager ignore two people in the water (14 degrees, no lifevests), hook their boat, and tow that towards them slowly to try and take them on board. We got there before he did. He was reported to the coastguard for poor seamanship and the lawsuit between the owners of the vessel and the salvager claiming a 12K fee off of them is ongoing.
Pity, Swans are battlewagons, they're awesome boats and tough as nails. It was sad to see it in that shape and very obvious that it had been through hell and back. The fact it was still afloat is a testament to how well they're built!
When you think about your troubles and bad luck , towing her ,breaking down , no wind for 23 days ,the boat seems cursed . I think that although it went bad , it could have ended much worse . I'm glad you're alive and well !
Old story but quite a story, great find, Swans are really skoocum vessels, I mean seriously, it got knocked down a couple of times, survived nine weeks drifting around (!!!?!!!) and was still afloat, a worthy craft that most sensible sailors would have hung onto through hell or high water, but I can see an older crew get tired of being smashed around. I am off to seek more of this story>>>>
When I was in the U.S.Navy we found a zodiac with divers flags posted, but we seen school of dolphin the fish Dorado and a few Black Tips circling the zodiac. We waited 2 hours in hope the diver would see our ship and surface but as it turned to 3 hours. We put our small boat in and brought the zodiac on board and pulled the flags from the water...realizing the owner possibly drowned. After bringing the zodiac on board our ship circling the area an additional hr. As the sun was setting we left the area, our chaplain said a brief prayer and we went to the Bahamas were the Coast Guard met us took possession of the Zodiac they returned to the area and conducted a search to no avail. This was in 1990
Mr. Rutherford, thank you for salvaging this lovely yacht. I see from other comments below that the crew were saved after unfortunately abandoning her in a fierce storm. Glad to see that you are still sailing & that your circumnavigation of the America's didn't put you off other sometimes arduous journeys at sea. PS: love the full beard & hairy bear look.
OMG that's a beautiful sailboat could you please let us know what happened to the owners? And I have a question if you find the boat again can you claim it as your own after a while?
When I lived in San Diego I took my old cabin cruiser out to the blue water. The water just called to me and I jumped in while not thinking about a safety line. I was barely able to catch up to it was the wind took it, I could totally see this happening to someone.
Looks to me like boat thats been through some very rough conditions.. Hope the crew are ok and rescued from what could have been quite a stressful experience.
Nice find, strange how they reported it sunk to the insurance co. I hope you got it back to port & fixed it up under salvage rules, original fault listed as Gunk in the Fuel Tank.
I read somewhere they got in a storm, were knocked down a couple of times and made it 80km off Bermuda. While there they lost all electronics and navigation with more bad weather coming in and well the narrow reefs around Bermuda with no charts engine etc they chose to abandon it. Pretty sure recovering it was planned but no lives were lost as I read.
for all the people speculating about everything ; he tells the whole story on his podcast , complete with contacting the owner , lawyers , insurance companies , salvage companies . there is a lot more to this story for anyone interested
@@chrisdekock8864 singlehanded sailor podcast , matt rutherford , is where i heard him tell the whole long story , including nearly dieing transferring batteries boat to boat . not sure which episode but you can find it
I read up on this. Can’t find anything newer than 2013. My guess is that it eventually took on enough water to sink. What a shame. It was a fairly new Swan 48. That is one hell of a boat.
Roger Bannon, This is an amazing story. What a find. Under maritime law, whoever puts a line on an abandoned vessel at sea owns the vessel. Swans are among the finest big sailboats made.
Er no that’s not the case. You can make a claim for salvage and you will be rewarded with a percentage of its value. The boat will be owned by the insurance company.
@@paulreading8980 This after ten seconds searching seems to agree with the OP in so many words! The law of salvage is a principle of maritime law whereby any person who helps recover another person's ship or cargo in peril at sea is entitled to a reward commensurate with the value of the property saved. Maritime law is inherently international, and although salvage laws vary from one country to another, generally there are established conditions to be met to allow a claim of salvage.[1] The vessel must be in peril, either immediate or forthcoming; the "salvor" must be acting voluntarily and under no pre-existing contract; and the salvor must be successful in their efforts, though payment for partial success may be granted if the environment is protected.
3. There are very specific conditions set to define acts that are considered to be salvage. Salvage can encompass a wide meaning depending on the context. This ambiguity can lead to contention or legal issues after salvage operations. Merely returning a portion of the property to the owner of a ship is not constituted as an act of salvage. Care must be taken by salvors to ensure that they adhere to certain rules such that they are entitled to rewards. Similarly, ship owners must be aware of the conditions pertaining to salvage such that they are not forced to pay out unnecessary awards. The rules for such a rendered service to be considered as an act of maritime salvage are: 1. Property salvaged includes one of the following- a ship or vessel, the cargo on board, or payable freight. Liability salvage entails making efforts to protect the environment from damage. 2. The property mentioned must face real peril, but not necessarily absolute or immediately. 3. The salvor’s service must be voluntary i.e., they did not act under prior contracts or obligations. There must be no self-preservation interests involved. 4. Lastly, some pre-defined level of success must be achieved, else no pay is legally entitled to the salvor (referred to in the industry as “No Cure; No Pay”). 4. There are very specific conditions set to define the award and contractual payment awarded to the salvor. Alongside contracts created to safeguard the payments assured to a salvor on completion of a successful salvage, there are several conditions that determine the award that can be expected. These conditions include but are not limited to: 1. The extent of success of the salvage. 2. The extent of potential danger faced by the salvor. 3. The valuation of the salvaged property. 4. All the articles listed within the relevant sections of the 1989 Salvage Convention. 5. Adherence to the proposed time frame to complete the salvage. 5. In recent times, another factor that determines the size of the reward includes whether a reasonable effort was made to prevent environmental damages. Both salvors and ship owners must be aware of the regulations and Articles 13 and 14 of the IMO Convention in order to ensure that a suitable amount of reward is agreed upon.
Salvage awards A salvor, acting properly under the law, is likely to be entitled to a salvage award. This salvage award cannot exceed the salved value of the recovered material. The Receiver can arrange for independent valuations to help owners and finders agree on a fair salvage award. Other factors are also taken into account when determining salvage awards, including: the measure of success obtained by the salvor the skills and efforts of the salvor the nature and degree of danger
Good try on the salvage, if you had been able to get commo off to Ireland and the insured principle they might have facilitated a hand. Glad you got to port! 👍
Nothing brave about that it's called good seamanship .and salvage rights means cash ok I'm a Brazilian sailor and found few like this and cashed in usually they were drug runners boats .abandoned
@@dannyw7662 Well, with no headstay, the mast is likely to come down if you put any load on it, and more likely than not the engine was dead or out of fuel or both.
@@duncanbryson1167 it's crazy how many times boats have survived horrendous storm's ,and crew have vanished in a liferaft , maybe watching inflatable boats fall to bits over the years has given me a warped sense of distrust of the silly things , LoL
@@jeffreystorer4966 I added something to my own individual comment. I had a look for articles and it was actually a ship that took them off following a distress call.
I have mad respect for the men and women who put out to sea. Your courage and abilities are admirable. I pray for all, wishing you calm seas and good fortune. 🌹👊🏽💕💯👍🏽🌹
1980's onboard a naval ship out of of San Diego bound from Hawaii we passed a junk with a .50 caliber mounted on its bow, since it was international waters we could do nothing, but we rendered aid to a sail boat a man his wife and 2 daughter had became sick and needed fuel. We brought the family on board and our corpsman checked them out and we refuel their sail boat, they were told of that boat with the gun...we left the area to do our op....3 days later as we return to Hawaii our Port Lookout spotted something big in the water half submerged. As we got closer it was identified as a sailboat. Upon inspection by out seal team that dove on the boat it had taken small arms fire and video tapes was brought back and it was later found to be that family...no survivors. Our Seal Team commander wanted to go after that junk because we had passed it about 4 hrs earlier heading back to Hawaii. The Captain was mad as hell! He said we can't be sure and we are not a bunch goddamm mercenaries. So it was stated that Seal Team Sea Fox needed to test the engines and its equipment so we put the Seal Team in their boat out but not before they loaded out with weapons. We had to remain on station....it was a little after midnight and all hell broke loose on the horizon...you can hear automatic weapons fire and some explosion 💥 💥 💥! Later that morning as we were bringing back the Sea Fox the Seal Team Leader met the Captain he asked how was training he said training went as expected...He handed the captain one of our ships hat. As parting gifts to the sailboat family the Captain gave them hats with the ship name on it. The Captain stormed away saying those motherfuckers!! Be careful out there Costal pirates are very real.
@@captnkirk6180 one other thing about this Captain he use to say, that he would say that he had training that people wanted to steal planes and try to ✈ fly them into a ship or building. Once while going on port of call in Egypt we had 2 zodiac come along side of us the Captain asked which one had the harbor Captain? A LCDR said I would imagine. The Captain quickly snapped! :Fuck Your Imagination", get a gun stick in their face and find the fuck out!! You never know if those fuckers got a bomb or not. A weapons was brought up to main deck and pointed at the small boats. Neither had the tug boat Captain...his zodiac was trying to catch up to us the other two veered away. I was on the bridge during this exchange. The tug Captain didn't know who they were. God Bless you Captain R.V.B.the only officer of 4 ships I remember respect and would go to hell and back with.
@@bullbutter2931 you don't have to you weren't there and probably never served in the military. There are many stories that military people never talk about...many.
I completely missed the date of 2013 at the beginning of the video when I first watched it and only caught it when I watched some of the “full video” in the link. The way this video is edited and presented, you would think this just happened if you missed that date at the beginning.
i once played a coast guard video game with a random dude on the east coast US living on a boat during a storm. only thing he worried about was all the drifting boats coming by going out into the open water. it is possible that this was a boat that got loose in a storm from an anchorage or not to greatly protected marina.
Interesting scenario. If the boat and crew had set sail, someone will know about them, and Matt will be able to gather the info. It’s possible the skipper was single handing and went over, and the un-maned vessel floundered in a bad seaway, which would account for the “riffled through” look of the main saloon and cabins. Perhaps a delivery? Perhaps robbery? Still in any case, someone would be missing the skipper and the boat.
The four crew were rescued by a cargo ship 60 miles off the coast of Bermuda after suffering two knockdowns and engine failure. This was in early 2013.
@@manyproject5 , once again showing how hard it really is to sink a well built modern sailing vessel. The crew almost always breaks before the boat does.
I believe when a Mariner leaves port, they agree to take their own life in their own hands, and should never expect someone else to risk their life for theirs. And what goes with that is the “unwritten” maritime law, that an abandoned yacht is scuttled, and never left as a hazard to navigation. And how you know that’s a maritime law, is because of the the terms “hazard to navigation” and “scuttled”. Those terms exist because those are the rules. By the same token, when a Mariner is in need, all in the vicinity have the responsibility to come to the rescue. Shame on them for leaving their boat adrift. Matt could have just as easily run into that boat at night, as accidentally discovered it in the daylight.
So this boat has been out to sea for almost ten years? Wow, that's unbelievable. Great job, finding her, towing her back in. And I'm glad there was no tragedy, on that boat. The ocean is beautiful, but she's dangerous. I love my boat, and all the toys on her. But everything I would ever need to survive whether shipwrecked, stranded, shelter, communication, firearm, and shelter, is always onboard. I've always been like that from my 1st 16ft Bayliner, I restored at 18 yrs old. Stay safe all of you. Sailboat. Nothing ever goes perfectly planned. ⛵🌊🙏
No, this video was recorded in 2013, not long after the sailboat was abandoned in a storm by its crew. The video is 10 years old, not that the sailboat was floating around the Atlantic for 10 years before happened upon. Very misleading video without context, always, always get your information from a variety of sources & compare for contextual accuracy.
> This boat was owned by the recently deceased Alan Mc Gettigan who had to abandon the boat in the midst of a severe storm on their way back to Ireland. All on board were safely rescued. Astonishing to see boat is still afloat so many years later.
I'm a sailing man. It's easy to get self-righteous & over-critical. But I did a bit of reading about Alan Mc Gettigan & the boat he abandonded. Ship's batteries were exhausted. Yep - that's what batteries do. That's why boats carry an independent generator. Engine wouldn't run properly - mucky fuel shaken up by bad weather. Yep - that's what happens in a boat - so before a voyage, u clean out the bottom of the tanks, purge all the lines, & clean/ replace the filters. Cooker wouldn't work cos it needed electricity. Batteries flat. We're back to needing a generator. Why was the boat dismasted? It sh hv had a storm jib up, and laid ahull. The boat was abandoned in perfectly good condition - no hull damage at all. No attempt to make a jury rig from spinnaker poles or whatever. Everything about the incident screams unprepared crew, captain, and ship. The crew gave up before the boat did.
And yet, the following reports say that the owner and the crew were all very experienced , were rescued by a Greek freighter after running into difficulties during a storm and reported the yacht as having sunken. Sad that such workmanship should be so easily abandoned. It was very enlightening to read your notes about the preparation on sail worthiness a good sailor makes. Makes you wonder how their cars are looked after, doesn't it.
So what happened to the boat - you salvaged it but had to cut it loose - so where is it now can you give me an approximate GPS position I'd like to go find it ?
Roger Bannon's post states this was abandoned a decade ago in a storm. That may be true. BUT, a sail boat did NOT survive TEN YEARS abandoned at sea, yet remain in such pristine condition. That's simply not possible. The video shows, both outside and inside, ZERO appreciable aging, no moist air induced algae inside, no barnacles outside. At 1:42, it's clear that even the sails are in good shape - no tears, and not discolored by mold/mildew/rot. Someone retrieved it - many years ago. They then either claimed it, or at least used, docked and maintained it. The abandonment was recent, perhaps an engine failure.
So, since she was cut loose, die Wolfhound finally sink or was she recovered eventually? It would really be a shame since quite obviously she's a really fine vessel.
@@TheSighphiguy Yes. My understanding is that they cut loose the abandoned ship as it was threatening their own vessel’s rudder etc. After many days of no wind they were able to get to Bermuda. So…they left the other sailboat out there.
There isn't much information provided, but it looks like the forestay is gone. Still, you could run a halyard to the bow to stabilize the mast and put up the mainsail. If in the end it couldn't be sailed, or towed, or motored for salvage, then you could still remove anything of value. And if there was a means to contact the nearest authorities, you could determine if the boat should be scuttled to prevent it from being a hazard to navigation.
Perhaps who ever was sailing her was lost overboard or murdered, the vessel searched for valuables, and then set adrift. The condition she was in when you boarded her certainly looked as though she had been rifled. No skipper worth his salt would keep his vessel in that condition.
It does appear that they were not the first people to find that boat. But I've sailed offshore a lot, and although I try to be really good about wearing a harness, there have been a couple of times when I wasn't wearing one when I should have been and then I get to thinking about how sad it would be to fall overboard and watch your boat continuing on without you on autopilot, with my wife sleeping below with no clue of what just happened.
if you are going to leave your boat, and you are convinced you are never going to see it again, the last thing on your mind is tidying up before you leave, you grab your passports, some clothing, the valuables you can carry and you leave it, and by the looks of it they went through some weather before that,
Okay then, now I want to know so much more!!!! I hope you make $cash$ money to keep your adventure going. My name is Alex, I’m 60, and since COVID, have purchased a powered boat and found a new love❤ for the water. (Safely close to shore with A tow boa t US gold membership!) You guys rock. Now I NEED to know what happened to the captain of the lost boat?!
@@jeromebreeding3302 Looked like the roller furling was completely gone. Not sure how the rig would have handled without some kind of a fore tension for support.
I remember when that boat got abandoned. I was working at the Naval Academy, and was joking with some of my fellow sailors to see if anybody had friends in Intel who could get us sat imagery to locate it. I mean, it's a Swan 47. Amazing that she's still in such good shape. Man. I'da been trying everything to bring that sucker into Bermuda. Ev-a ree-thing.
If you only have one person who knows how to sail the boat, and that person has a heart attach or becomes severely ill, which could happen, and then the engine breaks down, I suppose you have to try to abandon the boat. It's probably not the first time it happened.
Sounds like marine salvage laws are complicated enough to discourage most people from attempting any recovery on behalf of the owner(s), which seems counterintuitive, but that pretty much sums up most international law.
Would love to see an update on this legitimate salvage. I would have kept her and sold my smaller boat, using the money to fix up the bigger/better boat.
What year was this , I was stuck in the doldrums 2018 when we came across an abandoned boat, we were low on fuel, no wind, we’re unable to get closer than a 100 meters, we drifted apart after 6 days.
Well I think you just demonstrated what a lot of people who don't know much about boats don't understand. Towing another boat a long distance in the ocean is very very hard. Everyone who hasn't tried to tow a boat like that I always wonders why people don't salvage boats they find floating in the ocean. You just showed everyone why. We helped out a sailor and towed another sailboat from the Exumas to Eluethera one time, with our sailboat, in the daylight, on a relatively calm day. Doing it, I realized that it would be impossible to continue that tow at night or with any kind of sea at all.
It would benefit everyone who goes to sea,to learn about towing, also how to be towed. All Cadets who train for a professional life in Merchant Navy, will learn these skills and many more.
Why is it impossible? They were doing it. They almost did it. What if it took an extra month? They could have made $50,000 for that extra month or better.
For a Swan 48 that seems to be in pretty good shape, I would contact the appropriate Bermuda and US officials to see if the boat has been reported stranded, hijacked or missing and if nothing, check with them regarding ownership rights to an abandoned boat in international waters. If they say the equivalent of “finders keepers”, it would be worth it to spend a few thousand $ to hire a boat that could tow it at a good pace and a marine engine mechanic. If the mechanic can get it running, great, if he can’t tow it back…either way, you’ll have a boat that will be worth probably several times what you spent to haul it back.
I drive a Colvin Gazelle schooner, too. Mine is gaff-rigged and she can keep me really busy when I have to single-hand somewhere. I'm ready to downsize if anybody's interested.
Why not? That's a boat you could sell for tens of thousands of dollars. It's not everyday you find a jackpot such as that. Plus it's not a risk at all if you know what you are doing and have someone watching the line.
the boat would still be registered under the original owner and upon returning the vessel to land, it would be handed over to them. by towing it back they would simply be doing the original owners a favor.
@@vandacrewsailing ,,,,"doing a favor" and hopefully being compensated! Should something unforeseen happen to my boat I would hate to think "finders keepers." Still eager to find out what and how it all started! Thanks vanderascrewsailing.
Legally, If you find a boat that has been Abandoned at sea, The boat is technically still the property of the Boat Owner. BUT, You can get a cut of the total value of the boat (20-40% is usually fair) for returning it to safe harbor. If they don't agree to send you the Cut, The dispute goes to the local maritime court (Who usually rule in favor of whomever is salvaging, because y'know, You put all the effort in)
The law of salvage is a principle of maritime law whereby any person who helps recover another person's ship or cargo in peril at sea is entitled to a reward commensurate with the value of the property saved. Maritime law is inherently international, and although salvage laws vary from one country to another, generally there are established conditions to be met to allow a claim of salvage.[1] The vessel must be in peril, either immediate or forthcoming; the "salvor" must be acting voluntarily and under no pre-existing contract; and the salvor must be successful in their efforts, though payment for partial success may be granted if the environment is protected. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_salvage
how crazy, have you been able to find information as to what happened and Im assuming they were air lifted or rescued by a freighter and had to abandon the vessel. I guess its probably a good thing you had to cut it loose before getting becalmed as you would of probably been stuck pushing the boat away for 20 some days! although that boat would of been well worth the hardship of the salvage.
I noticed a couple of drawers opened and from my recollection that isn't likely to happen on it's own. They also look like they were rifled through. I have to wonder if this wasn't a pirate booty that once broken, they abandoned as you did. It is unfortunate that you were not able to recover the wreck, the Swan is a coveted design and that boat looked like it would have made a sweet prize. I also noticed the lack of any foul weather gear in the locker, I wonder if that's evidence of the ship being lost in a storm. There seemed to be ample sails present in the fore peak. I wonder if you happened to notice any electronics as those might be the first things that a pirate crew would remove as a prize if they had to abandon her. I would love to hear more about the condition when you found her. For example, what was the state of hatches at the time you boarded her? Were the batteries charged or depleted? Were there any groceries on board, any fresh groceries? Did you retrieve any registration documents? I noticed the broken forward mainstay and I have to wonder what other damage you noted. I did forensic computer studies for a few years and it's kind of a bug that infected me, asking questions. I hope you find the answers for yourself as I can only imagine what it would be like to have actually been there. Thanks for sharing.
@@stephencrowther524 If a mast isn't secured securely by the stays the mast is coming down.Tgeira a good chance that could cause serious damage and injury. A mast not properly secured is very dangerous.Its a very high risk strategy your suggsting
@@JohnJohn-cu7nk Yet plenty have rigged jury masts, post incident, and sailed thousands of miles to a safe port. Clearly you are unaware of jury rigging and don't know you are talking about. If you want to learn, Google Jury Rigged Masts, there are even knots available for jury rigging.
Like what.It looks like the furling sail broke in strong winds.From that s point on you can't use the main sail.Once the engine is broke your stuck bobbing about.The panel in the front cabin tells me it's leaking somewhere from the ceiling .Probably due to losing the front furling sail and the forward stays being ripped out.??)
This boat was owned by the recently deceased Alan Mc Gettigan (of the Royal Irish Yacht Club, Dun Laoghaire Ireland) who had to abandon the boat in the midst of a severe storm on their way back to Ireland via the Azores. This all happened nearly 10 years ago. All on board, experienced sailors, were safely rescued. .
Thank you for the good information.
surprised she still swims.. she was abandoned years ago, no?
WOW!
This video was from 2013 though......
Swan quality...
For those who dont know, the guy in the video is Matt Rutherford. First man to ever sail non stop, single handed around North and South America. He did it in a 27 foot long sailboat, what a legend. There's a documentary called "Red Dot on the Ocean"
Too bad he wasn't able to salvage it. That Swan would have been a real prize.
I thought that was him! Great documentary.
Sounded like Matt he’s speaks very well
Wow I am fascinated by these individuals who take this on. I am going watch doc now. Thanks for sharing!
Oh wow….a legend indeed!
The ship had only been left abandoned for 9 weeks back in 2013. This video, although released just four days ago on December 23rd, 2022, the abandoning of the ship occurred in February of 2013 and was found 9 weeks later, when these researchers stumbled upon it.
9 weeks with nobody manning it and no anchor or anything is impressive as hell. Shows you how durable these beauties can be.
9 weeks floating is impressive? arent boats supposed to do that?
@@George-Francis If there is no storm then yeah it's normal.
@@George-Francis I think the impressive part is that the ship kept floating for so long unmanned.
@Not Expat Joe Yes. I didn't clarify. It's an older video being shown in a new video. Videoception.
@@George-Francis Well smartass, they are indeed supposed to stay afloat, but its impressive because it wasn't being captained. You know, you have to maneuver a boat in waves and storms, doing so you have to have your boat facing certain directions for ideal sailing and also, to not capsize.
So maybe, just maybe, you could see how it's impressive that a boat survived what could have been terrible seas without navigating the waves.
Just maybe?
I like how this guy tells a story. Short, sweet and to the point.
no ending for abandoned vessel
not good
i wanted to know more
Brevity is Super Important when you're in the Doldrums with not One Thing 2 do for 28 days.😊 Makes Entire Sense.
He has a podcast on solo sailing, which I found entertaining. He does it on pretty much a shoestring budget, which makes it especially interesting.
I'm no sailor(though my father was) but it always awes me the sense of camaraderie while on the ocean, how they just stumbled upon a freight ship and convinced them to give you some fuel. When you're on the sea, It feels like everyone is a bit more honest and straightforward because they have to be, the seas are dangerous and you'll go that extra mile so that you know others will do the same to you. Maybe it's just me being a tad too emotional, but that's how I feel about life on the sea.
That is exactly like you ve said.
Selfish people don't last long on the ocean... You have to work together
Truck driving is kind of similar
Unless you're sailing around the horn of Africa.
@@doublewhopper67 Okay.
You might be surprised by how many sailboats get abandoned offshore for medical emergencies (or incompetence). I've been involved with two, one an elderly couple was airlifted off when the husband suffered a heart attack and we found the boat 2 weeks later adrift. The second was a novice who tried to sail across the Gulf of Mexico solo in Feb with no experience and a lack of seamanship skills. He lost his engine, couldn't sail and didn't know enough to put out a sea anchor so was beam to in 3-4m seas for several days before he made a distress call and abandoned his boat (we plucked him off his boat with our FRC and Coast Guard helo'd him from there).
Why aren't these boats scuttled? Unlit at night, they are a navigation hazard.
@@terrulian Thats not as easy as it sounds. Many yachts have bouyancy chambers filled with expanded foam and are designed to stay afloat even if full of water. Maybe they could be craned onto a salvage vessel or towed but then who pays?
@@PeterWTaylor Good point. My guess would be that boats that will float when sunk to the gunwales are in the minority. But since they seem to know the make and model, this should be determinable. As to salvage, a Swan is worth a lot but craning it onto a ship in the middle of the ocean would be difficult without damaging it, potentially fatally. Either way, insurance will pay, assuming they have hull insurance, which a lot of folks don't carry.
Wow the gulf can get crazy. Not a good idea to go with no knowledge
@@PeterWTaylor Insurance pays 12% of the value of the boat if you recover it, so for a thing like this that's easily 20-40K.
Heck when it's not way way out at sea you ussually have major trouble with greedy salvagers following you, speeding towards emergency calls, even navigating dangerously or causing damage to others just to try and get to a boat and claim it. Couple days ago I had to cut the line on one of them because he was hooked to a sinking boat that was on fire, and was so before the firefighters had released the vessel.
Idiot even tried to threaten me before before firefighters lectured him and reported him to the coastguard. They will do anything for a payday.
On one occasion I saw a salvager ignore two people in the water (14 degrees, no lifevests), hook their boat, and tow that towards them slowly to try and take them on board. We got there before he did. He was reported to the coastguard for poor seamanship and the lawsuit between the owners of the vessel and the salvager claiming a 12K fee off of them is ongoing.
Pity, Swans are battlewagons, they're awesome boats and tough as nails. It was sad to see it in that shape and very obvious that it had been through hell and back. The fact it was still afloat is a testament to how well they're built!
When you think about your troubles and bad luck , towing her ,breaking down , no wind for 23 days ,the boat seems cursed . I think that although it went bad , it could have ended much worse . I'm glad you're alive and well !
Stupid superstitions belong to the weak minded.
Or... an Obvious general Lack of seamanship by these guys...
@@jfmc2581 Do you think the guy in the video is not a good sailor because the engine broke down and there was no wind?
Maybe it was in the Bermuda Triangle 😮
@@c4gstorm878 ,Yes absolutely yes on both counts!!! If you knew the first thing about offshore sailing and seamanship you would know so too !!
Old story but quite a story, great find, Swans are really skoocum vessels, I mean seriously, it got knocked down a couple of times, survived nine weeks drifting around (!!!?!!!) and was still afloat, a worthy craft that most sensible sailors would have hung onto through hell or high water, but I can see an older crew get tired of being smashed around. I am off to seek more of this story>>>>
When I was in the U.S.Navy we found a zodiac with divers flags posted, but we seen school of dolphin the fish Dorado and a few Black Tips circling the zodiac. We waited 2 hours in hope the diver would see our ship and surface but as it turned to 3 hours. We put our small boat in and brought the zodiac on board and pulled the flags from the water...realizing the owner possibly drowned. After bringing the zodiac on board our ship circling the area an additional hr. As the sun was setting we left the area, our chaplain said a brief prayer and we went to the Bahamas were the Coast Guard met us took possession of the Zodiac they returned to the area and conducted a search to no avail. This was in 1990
It was me....We were the rescue swimmers and we played a prank. Carry on....
@@roosdad1 carry on smartly recruit and remove the relative bearing grease from your life
You didn't get to keep the boat?
@@Dawreckk if you could keep a boat found put at sea, would you keep that boat?
@@thebarbers2273 legitimate salvage?
Mr. Rutherford, thank you for salvaging this lovely yacht. I see from other comments below that the crew were saved after unfortunately abandoning her in a fierce storm. Glad to see that you are still sailing & that your circumnavigation of the America's didn't put you off other sometimes arduous journeys at sea. PS: love the full beard & hairy bear look.
did-he salvage it? he cut it free or do u
got a follow up video?
Hairy bear look?
OMG that's a beautiful sailboat could you please let us know what happened to the owners? And I have a question if you find the boat again can you claim it as your own after a while?
When I lived in San Diego I took my old cabin cruiser out to the blue water. The water just called to me and I jumped in while not thinking about a safety line. I was barely able to catch up to it was the wind took it, I could totally see this happening to someone.
Looks to me like boat thats been through some very rough conditions.. Hope the crew are ok and rescued from what could have been quite a stressful experience.
yes, that bent pulpit is not a good sign.
They were going for a North Atlantic crossing in February. Who crosses in February?
Nice find, strange how they reported it sunk to the insurance co.
I hope you got it back to port & fixed it up under salvage rules, original fault listed as Gunk in the Fuel Tank.
The chance of ever coming across it again was nearly zero…
10 years ago
Why does every moran on the internet think there's this "salvage rule" where you can just take boats you find unoccupied?
Becalmed for 23 days is brutal
I read somewhere they got in a storm, were knocked down a couple of times and made it 80km off Bermuda. While there they lost all electronics and navigation with more bad weather coming in and well the narrow reefs around Bermuda with no charts engine etc they chose to abandon it. Pretty sure recovering it was planned but no lives were lost as I read.
No paper charts is a death sentence under the right circumstances.
for all the people speculating about everything ; he tells the whole story on his podcast , complete with contacting the owner , lawyers , insurance companies , salvage companies . there is a lot more to this story for anyone interested
Where could I find those podcasts? Sounds like an interesting story indeed!
@@chrisdekock8864 singlehanded sailor podcast , matt rutherford , is where i heard him tell the whole long story , including nearly dieing transferring batteries boat to boat . not sure which episode but you can find it
I read up on this. Can’t find anything newer than 2013. My guess is that it eventually took on enough water to sink.
What a shame. It was a fairly new Swan 48. That is one hell of a boat.
@@petec9686 episode 161 singlehanded sailing ,,march 2022
@@jeffgold3091 thanks
this was in 2013, 4 crew were plucked from distressed SV Wolfhound days earlier in 20-foot waves and 50 knots wind, by an Ocean Freighter.
That doesn't seem like big weather really for a blue water vessel is it? I wonder what happened
Roger Bannon, This is an amazing story. What a find. Under maritime law, whoever puts a line on an abandoned vessel at sea owns the vessel. Swans are among the finest big sailboats made.
Er no that’s not the case. You can make a claim for salvage and you will be rewarded with a percentage of its value. The boat will be owned by the insurance company.
You just need a really good maritime lawyer, like Chareth Cutestory.
@@paulreading8980 This after ten seconds searching seems to agree with the OP in so many words!
The law of salvage is a principle of maritime law whereby any person who helps recover another person's ship or cargo in peril at sea is entitled to a reward commensurate with the value of the property saved.
Maritime law is inherently international, and although salvage laws vary from one country to another, generally there are established conditions to be met to allow a claim of salvage.[1] The vessel must be in peril, either immediate or forthcoming; the "salvor" must be acting voluntarily and under no pre-existing contract; and the salvor must be successful in their efforts, though payment for partial success may be granted if the environment is protected.
3. There are very specific conditions set to define acts that are considered to be salvage.
Salvage can encompass a wide meaning depending on the context. This ambiguity can lead to contention or legal issues after salvage operations. Merely returning a portion of the property to the owner of a ship is not constituted as an act of salvage. Care must be taken by salvors to ensure that they adhere to certain rules such that they are entitled to rewards. Similarly, ship owners must be aware of the conditions pertaining to salvage such that they are not forced to pay out unnecessary awards.
The rules for such a rendered service to be considered as an act of maritime salvage are:
1. Property salvaged includes one of the following- a ship or vessel, the cargo on board, or payable freight. Liability salvage entails making efforts to protect the environment from damage.
2. The property mentioned must face real peril, but not necessarily absolute or immediately.
3. The salvor’s service must be voluntary i.e., they did not act under prior contracts or obligations. There must be no self-preservation interests involved.
4. Lastly, some pre-defined level of success must be achieved, else no pay is legally entitled to the salvor (referred to in the industry as “No Cure; No Pay”).
4. There are very specific conditions set to define the award and contractual payment awarded to the salvor.
Alongside contracts created to safeguard the payments assured to a salvor on completion of a successful salvage, there are several conditions that determine the award that can be expected. These conditions include but are not limited to:
1. The extent of success of the salvage.
2. The extent of potential danger faced by the salvor.
3. The valuation of the salvaged property.
4. All the articles listed within the relevant sections of the 1989 Salvage Convention.
5. Adherence to the proposed time frame to complete the salvage.
5. In recent times, another factor that determines the size of the reward includes whether a reasonable effort was made to prevent environmental damages.
Both salvors and ship owners must be aware of the regulations and Articles 13 and 14 of the IMO Convention in order to ensure that a suitable amount of reward is agreed upon.
Salvage awards
A salvor, acting properly under the law, is likely to be entitled to a salvage award. This salvage award cannot exceed the salved value of the recovered material.
The Receiver can arrange for independent valuations to help owners and finders agree on a fair salvage award.
Other factors are also taken into account when determining salvage awards, including:
the measure of success obtained by the salvor
the skills and efforts of the salvor
the nature and degree of danger
He has an entire podcast with an episode dedicated to this incident. Single handed . Interesting story
"I'm afraid to open doors and cabinets" as he opens door and cabinets...
He said that he was afraid to, not that he wasn't going to.
Good try on the salvage, if you had been able to get commo off to Ireland and the insured principle they might have facilitated a hand. Glad you got to port! 👍
Wow that was crazy. I don`t think I would risk myself towing back an empty vessel. You are a brave sailor that`s for sure.
Nothing brave about that it's called good seamanship .and salvage rights means cash ok I'm a Brazilian sailor and found few like this and cashed in usually they were drug runners boats .abandoned
He never explained why he did not attempt to sail it or start the engine and motor it
Bloody oath I’d risk towing it back. A free boat in good condition?!
@@dannyw7662 Well, with no headstay, the mast is likely to come down if you put any load on it, and more likely than not the engine was dead or out of fuel or both.
@@dannyw7662 He mentioned the boat's engine was down. Tho I'm not sure why he didn't try to go under sails.
Such a nice vessel! Tragic they had to abandon it, thankfully they were all safely rescued
read the @rogerbannon3695 comment
Never step down into a liferaft , while it floats there's hope
Just said something similar.
Unless you are trying to escape an un extinguishable fire.
@@duncanbryson1167 it's crazy how many times boats have survived horrendous storm's ,and crew have vanished in a liferaft , maybe watching inflatable boats fall to bits over the years has given me a warped sense of distrust of the silly things , LoL
@@jeffreystorer4966
I added something to my own individual comment. I had a look for articles and it was actually a ship that took them off following a distress call.
The crew was rescued by another ship, they didn't just get into a little plastic raft instead of their boat.
Matt! I hope you keep making UA-cam content! I will gladly subscribe and follow along!!!
I have mad respect for the men and women who put out to sea. Your courage and abilities are admirable. I pray for all, wishing you calm seas and good fortune. 🌹👊🏽💕💯👍🏽🌹
Seems worthwhile to go back prepared to tow it back and claim it as salvage!,
Now that is a sea adventure thank you for sharing.
Sailor: "I'm afraid to open doors and cabinets.".... Proceeds to immediately open all the doors and cabinets.
"i'm affraid to open doors and cabinets" proceeds to open them at the same time.
1980's onboard a naval ship out of of San Diego bound from Hawaii we passed a junk with a .50 caliber mounted on its bow, since it was international waters we could do nothing, but we rendered aid to a sail boat a man his wife and 2 daughter had became sick and needed fuel. We brought the family on board and our corpsman checked them out and we refuel their sail boat, they were told of that boat with the gun...we left the area to do our op....3 days later as we return to Hawaii our Port Lookout spotted something big in the water half submerged. As we got closer it was identified as a sailboat. Upon inspection by out seal team that dove on the boat it had taken small arms fire and video tapes was brought back and it was later found to be that family...no survivors. Our Seal Team commander wanted to go after that junk because we had passed it about 4 hrs earlier heading back to Hawaii. The Captain was mad as hell! He said we can't be sure and we are not a bunch goddamm mercenaries. So it was stated that Seal Team Sea Fox needed to test the engines and its equipment so we put the Seal Team in their boat out but not before they loaded out with weapons. We had to remain on station....it was a little after midnight and all hell broke loose on the horizon...you can hear automatic weapons fire and some explosion 💥 💥 💥! Later that morning as we were bringing back the Sea Fox the Seal Team Leader met the Captain he asked how was training he said training went as expected...He handed the captain one of our ships hat. As parting gifts to the sailboat family the Captain gave them hats with the ship name on it. The Captain stormed away saying those motherfuckers!! Be careful out there Costal pirates are very real.
Wow!
Nice uplifting story . Had to read it twice so I could sleep nicely
@@captnkirk6180 one other thing about this Captain he use to say, that he would say that he had training that people wanted to steal planes and try to ✈ fly them into a ship or building. Once while going on port of call in Egypt we had 2 zodiac come along side of us the Captain asked which one had the harbor Captain? A LCDR said I would imagine. The Captain quickly snapped! :Fuck Your Imagination", get a gun stick in their face and find the fuck out!! You never know if those fuckers got a bomb or not. A weapons was brought up to main deck and pointed at the small boats. Neither had the tug boat Captain...his zodiac was trying to catch up to us the other two veered away. I was on the bridge during this exchange. The tug Captain didn't know who they were.
God Bless you Captain R.V.B.the only officer of 4 ships I remember respect and would go to hell and back with.
Don't believe it
@@bullbutter2931 you don't have to you weren't there and probably never served in the military. There are many stories that military people never talk about...many.
I completely missed the date of 2013 at the beginning of the video when I first watched it and only caught it when I watched some of the “full video” in the link. The way this video is edited and presented, you would think this just happened if you missed that date at the beginning.
23 days in the Atlantic... hell no! Sorry to hear you guys went through that
Hey, did you think about just splitting up your crew and sailing it to where you want? Would that have been possible?
i once played a coast guard video game with a random dude on the east coast US living on a boat during a storm. only thing he worried about was all the drifting boats coming by going out into the open water. it is possible that this was a boat that got loose in a storm from an anchorage or not to greatly protected marina.
It looked as though the lockers were empty, all foul weather gear/safety gear missing.
If this was Stormworks, I'd be interested in that random dude's Steam review lmao, sounds like a real enthusiast.
Interesting scenario. If the boat and crew had set sail, someone will know about them, and Matt will be able to gather the info. It’s possible the skipper was single handing and went over, and the un-maned vessel floundered in a bad seaway, which would account for the “riffled through” look of the main saloon and cabins. Perhaps a delivery? Perhaps robbery? Still in any case, someone would be missing the skipper and the boat.
The four crew were rescued by a cargo ship 60 miles off the coast of Bermuda after suffering two knockdowns and engine failure. This was in early 2013.
@@manyproject5 , once again showing how hard it really is to sink a well built modern sailing vessel. The crew almost always breaks before the boat does.
So it’s been drifting for 8years?
I believe when a Mariner leaves port, they agree to take their own life in their own hands, and should never expect someone else to risk their life for theirs. And what goes with that is the “unwritten” maritime law, that an abandoned yacht is scuttled, and never left as a hazard to navigation. And how you know that’s a maritime law, is because of the the terms “hazard to navigation” and “scuttled”. Those terms exist because those are the rules. By the same token, when a Mariner is in need, all in the vicinity have the responsibility to come to the rescue. Shame on them for leaving their boat adrift. Matt could have just as easily run into that boat at night, as accidentally discovered it in the daylight.
@@chrisrjcox the video is likely from 2016 as there’s a link in the description to an original video from that time
So how's the new boat working out,saw you came back just before I left on my new one.
Its like a boat themed RPG game. "We were running low on fuel so we convinced a passing freighter for diesel"
So this boat has been out to sea for almost ten years? Wow, that's unbelievable. Great job, finding her, towing her back in. And I'm glad there was no tragedy, on that boat. The ocean is beautiful, but she's dangerous. I love my boat, and all the toys on her. But everything I would ever need to survive whether shipwrecked, stranded, shelter, communication, firearm, and shelter, is always onboard. I've always been like that from my 1st 16ft Bayliner, I restored at 18 yrs old. Stay safe all of you. Sailboat. Nothing ever goes perfectly planned. ⛵🌊🙏
No, this video was recorded in 2013, not long after the sailboat was abandoned in a storm by its crew. The video is 10 years old, not that the sailboat was floating around the Atlantic for 10 years before happened upon. Very misleading video without context, always, always get your information from a variety of sources & compare for contextual accuracy.
Mate you'd be able to smell a dead body of the top deck
Matt has the best stories
Bro just mentioned being adrift for 23 days like it was a Sunday nap
Please keep us updated on what you find out about this boat.
> This boat was owned by the recently deceased Alan Mc Gettigan who had to abandon the boat in the midst of a severe storm on their way back to Ireland. All on board were safely rescued. Astonishing to see boat is still afloat so many years later.
I'm a sailing man. It's easy to get self-righteous & over-critical. But I did a bit of reading about Alan Mc Gettigan & the boat he abandonded. Ship's batteries were exhausted. Yep - that's what batteries do. That's why boats carry an independent generator. Engine wouldn't run properly - mucky fuel shaken up by bad weather. Yep - that's what happens in a boat - so before a voyage, u clean out the bottom of the tanks, purge all the lines, & clean/ replace the filters. Cooker wouldn't work cos it needed electricity. Batteries flat. We're back to needing a generator. Why was the boat dismasted? It sh hv had a storm jib up, and laid ahull. The boat was abandoned in perfectly good condition - no hull damage at all. No attempt to make a jury rig from spinnaker poles or whatever. Everything about the incident screams unprepared crew, captain, and ship. The crew gave up before the boat did.
Better to have stayed on and died like real men
Research again before you criticize re invertor / generator not working / recently purchased vessel etc.
Owning a sailboat does not make you "a sailing man".
And yet, the following reports say that the owner and the crew were all very experienced , were rescued by a Greek freighter after running into difficulties during a storm and reported the yacht as having sunken. Sad that such workmanship should be so easily abandoned. It was very enlightening to read your notes about the preparation on sail worthiness a good sailor makes. Makes you wonder how their cars are looked after, doesn't it.
So what happened to the boat - you salvaged it but had to cut it loose - so where is it now can you give me an approximate GPS position I'd like to go find it ?
Roger Bannon's post states this was abandoned a decade ago in a storm. That may be true. BUT, a sail boat did NOT survive TEN YEARS abandoned at sea, yet remain in such pristine condition. That's simply not possible. The video shows, both outside and inside, ZERO appreciable aging, no moist air induced algae inside, no barnacles outside.
At 1:42, it's clear that even the sails are in good shape - no tears, and not discolored by mold/mildew/rot.
Someone retrieved it - many years ago. They then either claimed it, or at least used, docked and maintained it. The abandonment was recent, perhaps an engine failure.
This video was recorded 10 years ago you dummy.
That has to be a eerie feeling to not have any wind out in the middle of the ocean...
oh i would be terrified
Its actually relaxing. But 23 days of it? No thanks.....
My god that had to be terrifying!
That’s a good story! Could you have kept it if you could have made it in with the boat
Dang that boat has bad luck! Spread to yours! Glad y'all made it home safe
Well done for trying to salvage.
That's a FREE Swan 48. I wouldn't have given up that easily.
I am sure it was not easy, their engine broke down, they were stuck for almost a month and when they cut ties, it was to protect their ruder...
Did you get to keep the boat?
So, since she was cut loose, die Wolfhound finally sink or was she recovered eventually?
It would really be a shame since quite obviously she's a really fine vessel.
Too bad you didn't have enough crew to sail back the other free boat
Does anyone know what eventually became of this yacht? Was it eventually towed into port? Perhaps it’s still afloat out there somewhere.
didnt you watch the end of the video?
@@TheSighphiguy Yes. My understanding is that they cut loose the abandoned ship as it was threatening their own vessel’s rudder etc. After many days of no wind they were able to get to Bermuda. So…they left the other sailboat out there.
@@nansenscat9315 another comment said it was eventually found
I hope you go back for the boat what a find sorry to hear about your engine😢failure!!!
Never leave your boat unless it's sinking really fast
There isn't much information provided, but it looks like the forestay is gone. Still, you could run a halyard to the bow to stabilize the mast and put up the mainsail. If in the end it couldn't be sailed, or towed, or motored for salvage, then you could still remove anything of value. And if there was a means to contact the nearest authorities, you could determine if the boat should be scuttled to prevent it from being a hazard to navigation.
Perhaps who ever was sailing her was lost overboard or murdered, the vessel searched for valuables, and then set adrift. The condition she was in when you boarded her certainly looked as though she had been rifled. No skipper worth his salt would keep his vessel in that condition.
The owner had obviously abandoned ship.The clue is in the furling sail and the smashed how pulpit
Watch the video again.
It does appear that they were not the first people to find that boat. But I've sailed offshore a lot, and although I try to be really good about wearing a harness, there have been a couple of times when I wasn't wearing one when I should have been and then I get to thinking about how sad it would be to fall overboard and watch your boat continuing on without you on autopilot, with my wife sleeping below with no clue of what just happened.
if you are going to leave your boat, and you are convinced you are never going to see it again, the last thing on your mind is tidying up before you leave, you grab your passports, some clothing, the valuables you can carry and you leave it, and by the looks of it they went through some weather before that,
Any update on the boat, did it get salvaged or sunk?
Okay then, now I want to know so much more!!!!
I hope you make $cash$ money to keep your adventure going.
My name is Alex, I’m 60, and since COVID, have purchased a powered boat and found a new love❤ for the water. (Safely close to shore with A tow boa t US gold membership!)
You guys rock.
Now I NEED to know what happened to the captain of the lost boat?!
Should've tried to sail it. Those are beautiful boats. And expensive.
I was thinking the same thing. Why not raise the sails and get her to safety that way ?
@@jeromebreeding3302 Looked like the roller furling was completely gone. Not sure how the rig would have handled without some kind of a fore tension for support.
@@brenthendricks8182 Not very familiar with sail-boats. There's the main-sail, the jib, and a spinacer. Just enough knowledge to be dangerous.
I remember when that boat got abandoned. I was working at the Naval Academy, and was joking with some of my fellow sailors to see if anybody had friends in Intel who could get us sat imagery to locate it. I mean, it's a Swan 47. Amazing that she's still in such good shape. Man. I'da been trying everything to bring that sucker into Bermuda. Ev-a ree-thing.
Me too! Nice vessel
They should have sailed them both rather than tow
@@davefletch3063 good luck sailing that thing with how broken the mast looked. Would have been quite dangerous.
Yeah got to be a million quid there 😎
@@davefletch3063 That's what I was thinking...
How is it possible it hasnt sunk in that many years and still looking in that great nick ? This video doesnt look that old ?
If you only have one person who knows how to sail the boat, and that person has a heart attach or becomes severely ill, which could happen, and then the engine breaks down, I suppose you have to try to abandon the boat. It's probably not the first time it happened.
Look like it was abandoned but good shape
Ohhh, Thank you for finding my boat. If you could return it to Panama City, Fl. I would sure appreciate it.
congrats on your new boat? if you find this in open waters its your to keep right?
Sounds like marine salvage laws are complicated enough to discourage most people from attempting any recovery on behalf of the owner(s), which seems counterintuitive, but that pretty much sums up most international law.
what an adventure, thanks for sharing, if you ever find out what happened let us know
Would love to see an update on this legitimate salvage. I would have kept her and sold my smaller boat, using the money to fix up the bigger/better boat.
There was no salvage the boat was reported sunk after they cut the line and let it go for the last time.
What’s crazier is there 100’s of abandoned ships in the ocean
What year was this , I was stuck in the doldrums 2018 when we came across an abandoned boat, we were low on fuel, no wind, we’re unable to get closer than a 100 meters, we drifted apart after 6 days.
Well done for helping and sticking with it which is the right thing to do 👏👏
Well I think you just demonstrated what a lot of people who don't know much about boats don't understand. Towing another boat a long distance in the ocean is very very hard. Everyone who hasn't tried to tow a boat like that I always wonders why people don't salvage boats they find floating in the ocean. You just showed everyone why. We helped out a sailor and towed another sailboat from the Exumas to Eluethera one time, with our sailboat, in the daylight, on a relatively calm day. Doing it, I realized that it would be impossible to continue that tow at night or with any kind of sea at all.
It would benefit everyone who goes to sea,to learn about towing, also how to be towed.
All Cadets who train for a professional life in Merchant Navy, will learn these skills and many more.
Why is it impossible? They were doing it. They almost did it. What if it took an extra month? They could have made $50,000 for that extra month or better.
For a Swan 48 that seems to be in pretty good shape, I would contact the appropriate Bermuda and US officials to see if the boat has been reported stranded, hijacked or missing and if nothing, check with them regarding ownership rights to an abandoned boat in international waters. If they say the equivalent of “finders keepers”, it would be worth it to spend a few thousand $ to hire a boat that could tow it at a good pace and a marine engine mechanic. If the mechanic can get it running, great, if he can’t tow it back…either way, you’ll have a boat that will be worth probably several times what you spent to haul it back.
@@johnkosowski3321 , because you're not going to get a month of calm weather in the Atlantic.
@@johnkosowski3321 And instead it destroyed their motor for nil result !!!
Never leave,a floating vessel.
Even in that condition it was worth more than $100k. I am so relieved you found no remains.
Omg! This was an emotional rollercoaster. At first, I thought "Hell yeah he's getting a free sailboat!" then "well shit."
Ha ha! Me too!
When you see empty cars on the side of the road and think "Hell yeah Im getting a free car!"???
I would have sailed her back home
Especially with it being a Swan!
Nice boat. Mine looks like a floating homeless camp but I wouldn't trade my lifestyle for nothing else.
I drive a Colvin Gazelle schooner, too. Mine is gaff-rigged and she can keep me really busy when I have to single-hand somewhere. I'm ready to downsize if anybody's interested.
Never ever risk your own vessel to save another vessel that doesn’t have people onboard.
He was'nt doing it for charity.
Why not? That's a boat you could sell for tens of thousands of dollars. It's not everyday you find a jackpot such as that.
Plus it's not a risk at all if you know what you are doing and have someone watching the line.
@@evolicious You dont get to keep it you dummy.
Hope things did work-out for you and the abandoned boat! What are the laws regarding lot sail boats?
the half min. is yours. depends on work you must do.
the boat would still be registered under the original owner and upon returning the vessel to land, it would be handed over to them. by towing it back they would simply be doing the original owners a favor.
@@vandacrewsailing ,,,,"doing a favor" and hopefully being compensated! Should something unforeseen happen to my boat I would hate to think "finders keepers." Still eager to find out what and how it all started! Thanks vanderascrewsailing.
Legally, If you find a boat that has been Abandoned at sea, The boat is technically still the property of the Boat Owner. BUT, You can get a cut of the total value of the boat (20-40% is usually fair) for returning it to safe harbor.
If they don't agree to send you the Cut, The dispute goes to the local maritime court (Who usually rule in favor of whomever is salvaging, because y'know, You put all the effort in)
The law of salvage is a principle of maritime law whereby any person who helps recover another person's ship or cargo in peril at sea is entitled to a reward commensurate with the value of the property saved.
Maritime law is inherently international, and although salvage laws vary from one country to another, generally there are established conditions to be met to allow a claim of salvage.[1] The vessel must be in peril, either immediate or forthcoming; the "salvor" must be acting voluntarily and under no pre-existing contract; and the salvor must be successful in their efforts, though payment for partial success may be granted if the environment is protected.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_salvage
Does make you wonder whether they really needed to abandon it. Those Swans were built like tanks.
What a find , best news worthy story in a very long time
kiss that payday good-bye
They did 9 years ago ...
The fact that that boat is still afloat in the ocean. How many storms have come across that vessel over the years...
The video was shot in 2013, the same year that the boat was abandoned.
Good find, pity it wasn’t possible to get it back to land.
how crazy, have you been able to find information as to what happened and Im assuming they were air lifted or rescued by a freighter and had to abandon the vessel. I guess its probably a good thing you had to cut it loose before getting becalmed as you would of probably been stuck pushing the boat away for 20 some days! although that boat would of been well worth the hardship of the salvage.
That’s a hell of a well made vessel
To still be afloat years after being abandoned! Who knows what it’s seen….
The video was shot in 2013, the same year that the boat was abandoned.
the video is 10 years old, dummy.
They don't call it the Bermuda Triangle for nothing
The whole windless ocean terrifies me
Nice of the lads to give you that fuel.
I noticed a couple of drawers opened and from my recollection that isn't likely to happen on it's own. They also look like they were rifled through. I have to wonder if this wasn't a pirate booty that once broken, they abandoned as you did. It is unfortunate that you were not able to recover the wreck, the Swan is a coveted design and that boat looked like it would have made a sweet prize. I also noticed the lack of any foul weather gear in the locker, I wonder if that's evidence of the ship being lost in a storm. There seemed to be ample sails present in the fore peak. I wonder if you happened to notice any electronics as those might be the first things that a pirate crew would remove as a prize if they had to abandon her. I would love to hear more about the condition when you found her. For example, what was the state of hatches at the time you boarded her? Were the batteries charged or depleted? Were there any groceries on board, any fresh groceries? Did you retrieve any registration documents? I noticed the broken forward mainstay and I have to wonder what other damage you noted. I did forensic computer studies for a few years and it's kind of a bug that infected me, asking questions. I hope you find the answers for yourself as I can only imagine what it would be like to have actually been there. Thanks for sharing.
The furling sail had broke so the mast had no stability to even use the main sail.
Once the engine is broke our out of fuel your dead in the water.
@@JohnJohn-cu7nk So rig a temporary forestay…
@@stephencrowther524 If a mast isn't secured securely by the stays the mast is coming down.Tgeira a good chance that could cause serious damage and injury.
A mast not properly secured is very dangerous.Its a very high risk strategy your suggsting
@@JohnJohn-cu7nk Yet plenty have rigged jury masts, post incident, and sailed thousands of miles to a safe port. Clearly you are unaware of jury rigging and don't know you are talking about. If you want to learn, Google Jury Rigged Masts, there are even knots available for jury rigging.
Questions, nine years late...
It all happened 2013.
There is a WHOLE lot being unsaid at this point. I'm taking all of this with a big grain of salt . . . .
Like what.It looks like the furling sail broke in strong winds.From that s point on you can't use the main sail.Once the engine is broke your stuck bobbing about.The panel in the front cabin tells me it's leaking somewhere from the ceiling .Probably due to losing the front furling sail and the forward stays being ripped out.??)
Like what? They found an abandoned boat, tried to salvage it and tow it in, and it just became too difficult. What's unbelievable about that?
Thomas the unbeliever 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
@@JohnJohn-cu7nk What the hell is a "furling sail"? I can tell you never owned a sailboat in your life. Furling is a mechanism, not a sail.
This is how they got us last time!! When the pirate ghosts jumped out and said SURPRISE it totally got us so good.
When he opened that closet door, for some reason I was expecting a guy in a gorilla suit to pop out. That would have been funny as hell 😂