Keeps coming back, Blue Gold. I was first officer on it in 2007/2008. Not surprised it eventually would end like this. Still got 2 bath towels from that time. Very good quality, lasts forever. The ownership of that yacht has always been a dodgy matter. The family who owns it is a bit chaotic, likely on purpose. If you get my drift... By the way, it could easily be salvaged from that place, but the fighting about the ownership and the total incompetent people involved makes it so far impossible. Poor Blue Gold, she is a beautiful boat on the inside!
Was the boat insured? Got to ask because the owner, not the insurers kept the Captain on as caretaker. Six years later the boat is abandoned with no reputable salvage company appointed to recover the vessel sooner than later.
@@krispinscanlon-hill5207 The captain in my time was a drunk German. I forgot his name due to his insignificance. The yacht was based in Tahiti at the time and cruising around in the area with charter guests. It was quite disastrous, the chartering I mean. Not due to the crew, though. Some guests are truly bad. The reason I never, ever, would buy something from Esprit. ;-) The owner was (and is) a colorful Dutch businessman, very knowledgeable and experienced in international law and tax constructions. He and his family are very nice people.
I agree !!! And him stating that it's a week away from being yanked off that beach and it has been sitting there for that long I could smell the 💩 thru the phone !!!!! And 2 say he is the rightful owner I'd have him prove it cause if he was indeed shouldn't be hard for him to do so or prove it but again back to that 💩.
Colin's story telling is so incredible! Thank you for bringing stories from around the world that might not otherwise be told. You're truly an inspiration!
Gday Colin, I’ve been following the Blue Gold story from here in Australia since she went up. I’m a Tug Captain here in Oz for the last 26 years and came from towage in the off shore oil and gas before that. I like many, looked into the salvage. Due to its remoteness an idea we had was build prefab side bed cradles from very large section I (RSJ) beam and basically right it and move it incrementally with hydraulics. Jack it from the side cradles etc. After all it’s only 360 tons. You only have to move it a few mm at a time. The reality now though is that the Blue Gold was due for a refit long before it went aground. If somebody should buy her now they’d basically end up with a bare hull that will need replating in many areas. Then new everything and I mean absolutely everything. We do yearly salvaging training at work as part of our preparedness to go out and say keep a tanker from going up on the bricks here in Oz. We do it with the guys from United Salvage. They are a great bunch of guys. I told them about the Blue Gold and one way they have salvaged similar vessels is to beach a large barge or two fitted with very large powerful winches next to the casualty. They get the barges up at high water on a spring tide so it’s as near high and dry as they can get it. Then flood the barge full of water. The winches are run out to ground tackle, anchors etc in deeper water and back to the casualty. They’ve had good success with that method. Unfortunately the moist tropics and casual caretaking will have taken its toll long before now on the interior. It’s always sad seeing a vessel aground. I love the channel mate, Cheers 👍👍🍻
One of the problems is getting all the stuff to Vanuatu, and back when the job is done. It's probably gonna cost so much it is no longer worth while. The solution I see is using an inflatable raft with enough volume to float Blue Gold, bring it under her, inflate it and wait for the highest tide to pull it of the beach. There are some Dutch salvage companies of world fame pulling off impossible jobs, however, they don't seem to be interested. BTW, the owner has very, very good connections with them. So, it puzzles me a bit why they didn't jump into this. Unless a group of enthusiasts with help of crowd funding take on this case, I'm afraid this is gonna be Blue Gold's grave.
@@paulvandriel2344 Hi Paul, You are right. The remoteness is a big reason for the headaches. The logistics of getting all the equipement there through the available means of transport makes things very expensive. Your idea has merit but I fear the lack of available water to float a bag system, cost of the system, fabricating connection points, etc-etc. Our idea involved lifting it up and back incrementally. The main reason for that was to try and put the least effects on the surrounding environment as possible. Also not rip the bottom out of it. The owner was tied up in court back in the day, so his family were paying for the village to gaurd/care for it. Everyone was expecting someone to be organised, but when you start doing the sums…. If they had insurance, it would have been off years ago. You could easily spend a million bucks just fabricating and mobilising gear to get there, depending on which systems someone employed to “try” and move it. Our idea involved welding pads and a structure to each side. The logistics of that is huge. Then there’s the headaches if it floats. Remembering whatever floats can sink due to damaged, rusted hull plating. There is a good video still on UA-cam that goes for an hour that was put up by an Italian boat broker. Yes, it was for sale and for sale for a reason. A vessel of this size is expensive to maintain and it was due a major refit. The vid shows in it, on it and under it. You will note the condition of the anchors when it was at anchor in the video. Thank goodness nobody died. For all those people sitting there with there cogs turning, a large modern tug in Australia working in a large port charges “roughly” approximately 7-10k per movement for an inbound ship, then the same again to take it out again. The average job length, say an hour. That’s for a tug within cooee of its home base. If you can come up with a way that doesn’t involve large horsepowered vessels then you’re on a winner. But then is the prize worth it? All the very best, Cheers 🍻🍻
Anyone is dreaming if they think this is an economic proposition. The boat is only worth scrap and in that location scarp value is zero. It will never move.
You've got my bush mechanic neurones going with this. What if something like this could be assembled locally as a one off job? A single lift & swing arc, some heavy pins, cable, engine & gears.
@@johnh9031 too right, he looked like he had been breaking coconuts on his noggin! Only thing he was thinking was his next wangk! Derek the Derro the dunny can merchant!!
@@ParlayRevival Colin surely with your extensive experience you could smell a wangka a mile away, you certainly have started to interesting comment’s especially the ex- 1st mate who use to work on the Superyacht.
No chance is that guy the legal owner of that vessel that guy has just bullied his way in and bullied people to thinking he’s the owner hence why he refused to answer how he became the owner because he isn’t and has no explanation on it because he’s a liar and taking advantage! You guys should of said to him if he has no proof then to go away and carried on your quest to explore once a beautiful boat Another amazing video Colin 👍🤠
Colin - your weekly videos are a highlight of my Sundays. The Parlay Revival story is a fascinating one and you do a marvelous job of telling it and sharing it. Thank you for being a class act. Those who crew with you are blessed to be aboard such a special vessel. Fair winds & following seas!
I currently live in Vanuatu. We went and stayed on Moso a few months ago and of course we were interested in looking at Blue Gold. Myself and the kids climbed all over it at low tide with the permission of the locals. Trust me, inside has been gutted, anything of value is long gone. It hasn’t been kept weather tight and a lot of water damage is evident to all the once fine woodwork. The downhill rail side of the boat is badly rusted from being covered at high tide. Ten years is a long time for a steel boat to be on a reef in the full tropical weather. I doubt it will ever be salvaged given the murky ownership history.
@@ParlayRevival That's why this guy wouldn't let you look inside. He probably tries to find a fool who wants to buy it for big money. Images of the ruined interior on the web wouldn't help with that.
Love how you help people and interact with locals. So few cruisers seem to do it at all. I plan to take all my tools when I get my next boat… including two welders etc to help other people.
New subscriber. Love this. Living vicariously today. I lived in the USVI for 16 years on St. John. I did marine repair and auto mechanics home repairs. I had friends in the BVI. Miss them. My brother Bill was a yacht captain down there for a long time. He drove the Mustang and then the Atlanta. He still goes down there on charters. I’m in Colorado now really missing the ocean. I’m glad to find this.
My husband and I stayed near there 9 years ago and saw it stranded. I couldn’t believe it was still there, but now I understand. Will be going back in May so will see if it’s still there then! Thanks for a fascinating episode. It’s assume they didn’t take the opportunity to draw on your salvaging expertise.
Way to go Colin, always thinking of others regarding the shovels, woks etc, your a one and only in the UA-cam Sailing world when it comes to selfless service. Throwing one million dollars at that yacht wouldn’t even touch the sides, “tell that guy his dreaming” What a story!
Accumulated thoughts on the sinking of the Bayesian… Bayesien had a motorized keel that retracted into a keel box or keel trunk. The reason for the retractable keel was to allow Bayesien access to shallow draft locations. Being a yacht built for guests, you want to get them into as many locations as possible. The keel would be raised while at anchor so it wouldn’t make noise and annoy the guests. In the lowered position, the keel would move around from the motion of tides or current, that movement would create an annoying noise when the keel tapped on the side of its enclosure. Bayesien has a “Stability Information Book,” this book outlines the “righting characteristics” of Bayesien (specifically). Bayesien was required to have the keel in a lowered position when under sail or more than 60 nautical miles from shore. At all other times the keel could be in the fully raised position. One of the critical areas that will - most likely - receive attention is the “downflooding angle”. This is the angle at which the Bayesien will start to take on water through dampers in the hull (imagine an exhaust pipe for blowing out fumes and one for for bringing in fresh air). Those dampers allow for the running of generators (electricity) and HVAC (air conditioning) systems necessary for crew and guest comfort. The downflooding angle of the Bayesien was 40-45 degrees. What that means…if you were sailing and the vessel was heeling over (beyond 40-45 degree downflooding angle) they would want the dampers closed. Another metric in the Stability Information Book would be the “AVS”…Angle of Vanishing Stability. This is the angle the Bayesien could be pushed over, with keel in the retracted position, and be expected to return to an upright position. The AVS for Bayesien was 77 degrees. So…at anchor…keel raised…dampers open (so air conditioning can run and keep the guests comfortable)…the Bayesien is hit with a freak wind event that pushes her over past 40-45 degrees, probably past the AVS of 77 degrees. It’s at this point she starts to take on water through those open dampers and no longer has the ability to self right (past the 77 degrees of AVS). It was a tragedy, a freak accident.
Colin, the cogs are turning!. What an adventure it would be for you to do a deal with whoever the rightful owners are, and get 20 volunteers out there with some dredging gear and chip out whatever remains so it’s floating in a wet-dock of sorts. What a story it would be to clean this yacht up and make it your next adventure boat. I’ll donate a week of my time to help if you ever do it!
Thanks Colin for sharing this,,, actually the chanel dug along the kheel was dug by me and the chief,,, but she is a beautiful yacht, hope she floats again.
@@ParlayRevival sure is bro, I had to spend 3-4 hours in the water almost every day of the week diving without using an under water breathalyzer, just me mask and snorkel. Luckily we use a trash pump to help suck out the sand and mud, but coral, Clay and stones, l had to use a crowbar, so I guess one could say the main tool used for digging the trench along the kheel of that super yaght, is just a crowbar 😁
The Story of Blue Gold leaves me wondering will she ever sail again? But even more impressive is your editing Colin and attention to detail is absolutely PHENOMENAL! The amount of time and effort bringing us amazing content is appreciated! 🇳🇿🤙
I saw this rusty trough on the reef twice. I didn't even think that there was a fight for ownership of it and that a lot of ordinary people have pleasant memories of working on it) thanks for the emotions
Thanks Parlay for another great episode! If anyone wants to see what she looks like before the accident - there is a video called "Blue Gold Movie" from Teo Simeon here on youtube. It was posted 9 years ago.
I grew up in my dads boat shop. I love all boats but this Blue Gold has stole my heart. I just want to thank everyone involved with saving her, and remind them, theres nothing about her that cant be fixed, shes so beautiful.
It's not gonna happen for one million bucks that's for sure, think the "owner" is really low balling that number. Then again, he's made 3 or 4 unsuccessful attemps to move her off the beach, it sounds and looks like he nickles and dimes things. If he was willing to spend the money, a good salvage team would already have The Blue Gold floating again... they aren't going to dig around it with metal buckets. So maybe he'll do the same thing when refitting the boat, try to do it on the cheap. I guess you get the results you pay for!
Good story that I'll be glad to follow. I helped get a sailboat off the shore of Eleuthera, Bahamas 44 years ago. It was an obviously smaller (53 foot Cheoy Lee) but well onshore, and the head of the operation had a good plan involving a heavy steel cable tightened around the now current waterline, over 70 heavy duty aircraft tire innertubes (instead of lifting bags) to be strung on that cable and then inflated with scuba tanks. He had precut many rollers from Casurina pine, the hardest pine in the world, and he dove under the boat putting his arm and the rollers between the ship and the hull again and again as two of us winched her off the shore. Her hull had a hole you could swim through, but we had 2" pumps aplenty to stay ahead of it and we did save the ship. Other adventures followed, but we did save the ship, the insurance company refused to pay the salvage bill and my friend got to keep the beautiful teak cabin motorsailer. One important thing that would help save Blue Gold is to get two or more strong ropes to the top of each mast, and by hook or by crook, pull the masts OVER MORE so less weight is on the center keel and slide her off on her SIDE. Good Luck!
G'day Crew, Great vid Colin , The story of the Blue Gold is sure a complex and convoluted tale of woe. Personally, coming from a marine engineering background, i cant see this vessle being refloated . If it were a viable proposition, it would have already been salvaged . Now ,after all this time , chances are the vessles opperating & propultion systems are all beyond repair ,and the interior is likely to have been pilfered past the point of no return . So the future of The Blue Gold is bleak at best . Respect....!
Using an anchor ball and a split ring would save a lot of lifting. Having one for the time the anchor winch fails saves a ton of work especially if you are by yourself but you do need room to circle your anchor! Cheers, John
Hi Colin Blue gold .. I have dived inside and outside.. a few years ago. Below the water line the centre board is half down. Which stops it from being draged astern. Inside i suspect it is full of water also if it was ever refloated ..it is better leaving where it is.. there problems as you are aware would just begin!!
Many years ago, my family kept a boat on the Hamble River when Valsheeda (One of the original J boats, ~ 135' long) was stuck in the mud. It just made us cry to see such an amazing yacht being ravaged by the years and weather. Fortunately, she was salvaged and brought back to life, at incredible cost. Hoping Blue Gold will have the same fate!
As someone who sailed all the remotes islands of Vanuatu including the banks and Torrez i can say shovels are a damn good idea. Hard to introduce stuff that takes maintenance or alters the dynamics of the island. Really love the idea. Fishing gear should be reconsidered. The missionaries did that and they overfishing the reef. Need to explain the difference of pelegic fishing vs reef fishing. The reefs are very small in say uraparapara so one season will destroy the reef
I saw the ‘Blue Gold Movie’ here on YT about the boat, which was recorded shortly before the stranding. The video is quite strange because it documents the entire ship, its equipment, technology, propulsion and hull in overlenght and in many unnecessary details. Shortly before it is thrown onto the reef and becomes a case for the insurance company. In the video you can also see that it is no longer in the best condition, the hull in particular is quite overgrown and it has probably been there for quite a while. The chosen anchorage between two islands may be good in normal weather conditions, but in a cyclone it is the worst possible choice. You can be thrown ashore on two sides. Why didn't they leave the anchorage when the cyclone was approaching to get a safe distance between themselves and the island? This ship can survive a cyclone in open water.
That guy is totally full of it. He's claiming or poaching it based on the location and that he managed to get the locals to dig out the keel in hopes of floating it into a payday. I seriously dought he has two nickels to rub together
What info could you deduce from this video or any others on UA-cam to what this guys financial status is, you’re 💯% completely speculating, come on people, you discredit yourselves to do that when you fabricate and manufacture guesses about other people.
Sad to hear all that work did not get the desired results. I lived near the Rogue river in Oregon wher the river gold miners were using a cheap siphon attached to an outboard lower unit to move tons of material off the bottom. Just a thought. Love the channel.
You hit the nail on the head in one of your last comments Colin. Drag it off bow first on a lean sideways with some airbags secured below the starboard gunnel. Maybe a Crain at the front just to take 20T even off the front and a massive tug.
I worked on her during a refit in Rotterdam about 25+? years ago. Quite chilly living in a caravan in Heijplaat in winter. Renamed from "White Gull" I believe. The owner had a ship yard where they built/refurbished submarines and army tanks. I spent many hours removing concrete ballast from the bilge with a jack hammer. All part of the plan I suppose?
My wife and I were in Vanuatu in August and went snorkelling with Nixon. He, like every single person we met was a wonderful human! We can’t wait to go back!
Can’t wait to see your next spot esprit santos..lived there for 5 months as diving instructor…million dollar reef, and of course the famous SS Coolidge….fantastic dives!!!!!! Love from BC Canada 🇨🇦
I love how he said "we've been doing this and we've been dong that" that guy is so fat he wouldn't be doing anything. Just observing and throwing orders around
Its been noted that the systems room vents were compromised at 42 degrees heal and the vents had to be closed via control panel on the bridge. Its expected that when she’s raised those vents will be found open. With the vents closed the max point of no return is like 86 degrees. Its going to come down to finger pointing regarding design flaw? Vs operator error etc.
Start with inflatables bags to create some space underneath then high pressure sprays and manual movement of material that it is resting on. It appears to be mostly on sand.
You and your crew are an Amazing group of people. I'm sure many non sailors. & sailors alike with me as well. YOU PARLEY ARRIVAL and the whole sailing community are wonderful humans.. Stay safe and let's Parley someday.
To salvage that ship, I think there is an easier way. They have this stuff that is essentially a temporary retainer wall that comes in sections. It's used to keep sea water out during construction projects. If they put that stuff around the entire ship and then filled it with water via a large pump they could raise the water around the ship by 2 or 3 meters (or more). The wall would need to be at least twice as long as the ship so it could get back to deeper water. After everything is moved they can just remove those wall sections and not have a lot of additional damage to the area. Essentially it would be a 100 meter long above ground swimming pool. Another idea would be to get something equivalent to a water monitor jet like they used to mine gold a long time ago. Position those under the water beneath the ship so that it blows away all of the debris holding it up. This option would be a lot cheaper than the wall. You can move A LOT of ground with one of those.
HI Colin, I have been following your channel for years. I am x navy retired and grew up in a boat shop. I am currently living in the Philippines. I thought that part of your journey will include the Philippines. If you do come to the country it would be nice to just stop by for a pic. I hope to hear back and enjoy the live style. . Regards Derek
Its the Captain. The weather was forcasted days before. Strange there is no film of it. Wind up to 280 kmph and a patrolboat was hitting them? Realy! How many boats where at the same "place" at that time? for a patroleboat to work?
You spot on there. Wtf was it doing there. With two anchors, two huge hp engines. Pointed into the cyclone between two islands. I can't see why with some skill it didn't make it.
Brilliant video .. thank you Colin!! 💕💕 So sad to see Blue Gold wasting away like that. Would love to see you salvage it. Dodgy Derek looks like he’s a real piece of work. I wonder what would have happened if you had just ignored him or asked for proof of ownership. What’s with the phone? 🤣
Depends on which country you refit it in. And what standard you really want. $1 million would get it back on the water and cruising not to say it would be all the high-quality into your that it had when New .
Wow, the man with the tattoos. I remember seeing you on YT wow a couple years ago? when you first were searching for a boat in the bvi? after the hurricane had destroyed much of the sailing communities. There was a lot of damaged, sunken boats and it was really interesting watching you decide on the cat and if it was worth repair. I mean if I recall correctly, you and your partner? Even worked out costs down to the dollar for the whole project. It's so cool to see that you all complered repairs and have been sailing a beautiful cat. If Blue Gold can be hauled and repaired, refitted that will be just an incredible yacht especially for cruising the South Pacific. That long waterline is good for 12-15 knots on a breezy day I'm guessing. And the masts look like real working masts not just for cosmetics. Would that rig be called a ketch or a schooner. I hope someone floats that boat.
Keeps coming back, Blue Gold. I was first officer on it in 2007/2008. Not surprised it eventually would end like this. Still got 2 bath towels from that time. Very good quality, lasts forever. The ownership of that yacht has always been a dodgy matter. The family who owns it is a bit chaotic, likely on purpose. If you get my drift... By the way, it could easily be salvaged from that place, but the fighting about the ownership and the total incompetent people involved makes it so far impossible. Poor Blue Gold, she is a beautiful boat on the inside!
i can see this video causing an international incident 🤣
@@red_ben3487 I think they've unintentionally stirred up some crabs!!
Do you know if there was a captain of this boat named Alain Desmot?
Was the boat insured? Got to ask because the owner, not the insurers kept the Captain on as caretaker. Six years later the boat is abandoned with no reputable salvage company appointed to recover the vessel sooner than later.
@@krispinscanlon-hill5207 The captain in my time was a drunk German. I forgot his name due to his insignificance. The yacht was based in Tahiti at the time and cruising around in the area with charter guests. It was quite disastrous, the chartering I mean. Not due to the crew, though. Some guests are truly bad. The reason I never, ever, would buy something from Esprit. ;-) The owner was (and is) a colorful Dutch businessman, very knowledgeable and experienced in international law and tax constructions. He and his family are very nice people.
The conman "owner" was a real piece of work. That boat will be there in 25 years sitting on the same "rock" that can't be removed.
That's what I was hearing also. Grandiose plans by a delusional opportunist.
I agree !!! And him stating that it's a week away from being yanked off that beach and it has been sitting there for that long I could smell the 💩 thru the phone !!!!! And 2 say he is the rightful owner I'd have him prove it cause if he was indeed shouldn't be hard for him to do so or prove it but again back to that 💩.
And he thinks a million would get going ha ha ha 😂
@@fritzk9118Comment of the day " Grandiose plans by a delusional opportunist"
yeah fantast first class
Colin's story telling is so incredible! Thank you for bringing stories from around the world that might not otherwise be told. You're truly an inspiration!
Our pleasure!
I have been a consistent viewer of the channel for four years. This episode was gripping, Colin you are an excellent story teller.
Oh thanks mate!
I’ve met quite a few dereks in my time, you were more respectful than I would have been
Gday Colin,
I’ve been following the Blue Gold story from here in Australia since she went up. I’m a Tug Captain here in Oz for the last 26 years and came from towage in the off shore oil and gas before that. I like many, looked into the salvage. Due to its remoteness an idea we had was build prefab side bed cradles from very large section I (RSJ) beam and basically right it and move it incrementally with hydraulics. Jack it from the side cradles etc. After all it’s only 360 tons. You only have to move it a few mm at a time. The reality now though is that the Blue Gold was due for a refit long before it went aground. If somebody should buy her now they’d basically end up with a bare hull that will need replating in many areas. Then new everything and I mean absolutely everything.
We do yearly salvaging training at work as part of our preparedness to go out and say keep a tanker from going up on the bricks here in Oz. We do it with the guys from United Salvage. They are a great bunch of guys. I told them about the Blue Gold and one way they have salvaged similar vessels is to beach a large barge or two fitted with very large powerful winches next to the casualty. They get the barges up at high water on a spring tide so it’s as near high and dry as they can get it. Then flood the barge full of water. The winches are run out to ground tackle, anchors etc in deeper water and back to the casualty. They’ve had good success with that method.
Unfortunately the moist tropics and casual caretaking will have taken its toll long before now on the interior.
It’s always sad seeing a vessel aground. I love the channel mate,
Cheers 👍👍🍻
One of the problems is getting all the stuff to Vanuatu, and back when the job is done. It's probably gonna cost so much it is no longer worth while. The solution I see is using an inflatable raft with enough volume to float Blue Gold, bring it under her, inflate it and wait for the highest tide to pull it of the beach. There are some Dutch salvage companies of world fame pulling off impossible jobs, however, they don't seem to be interested. BTW, the owner has very, very good connections with them. So, it puzzles me a bit why they didn't jump into this. Unless a group of enthusiasts with help of crowd funding take on this case, I'm afraid this is gonna be Blue Gold's grave.
@@paulvandriel2344
Hi Paul,
You are right. The remoteness is a big reason for the headaches. The logistics of getting all the equipement there through the available means of transport makes things very expensive. Your idea has merit but I fear the lack of available water to float a bag system, cost of the system, fabricating connection points, etc-etc. Our idea involved lifting it up and back incrementally. The main reason for that was to try and put the least effects on the surrounding environment as possible. Also not rip the bottom out of it. The owner was tied up in court back in the day, so his family were paying for the village to gaurd/care for it. Everyone was expecting someone to be organised, but when you start doing the sums…. If they had insurance, it would have been off years ago.
You could easily spend a million bucks just fabricating and mobilising gear to get there, depending on which systems someone employed to “try” and move it. Our idea involved welding pads and a structure to each side. The logistics of that is huge. Then there’s the headaches if it floats. Remembering whatever floats can sink due to damaged, rusted hull plating.
There is a good video still on UA-cam that goes for an hour that was put up by an Italian boat broker. Yes, it was for sale and for sale for a reason. A vessel of this size is expensive to maintain and it was due a major refit. The vid shows in it, on it and under it. You will note the condition of the anchors when it was at anchor in the video. Thank goodness nobody died.
For all those people sitting there with there cogs turning, a large modern tug in Australia working in a large port charges “roughly” approximately 7-10k per movement for an inbound ship, then the same again to take it out again. The average job length, say an hour. That’s for a tug within cooee of its home base.
If you can come up with a way that doesn’t involve large horsepowered vessels then you’re on a winner. But then is the prize worth it?
All the very best,
Cheers 🍻🍻
Anyone is dreaming if they think this is an economic proposition. The boat is only worth scrap and in that location scarp value is zero. It will never move.
@@Nick-zj9trexactly. The solution is to leave it.
You've got my bush mechanic neurones going with this. What if something like this could be assembled locally as a one off job? A single lift & swing arc, some heavy pins, cable, engine & gears.
Determination is one thing. Arrogance is another.
Thanks for sharing.
Colin is such a class act.
Colin’s “oh , yup” when the guy said it was coming out next week😂
Yaa he was lien thru his teeth at that very statement I could smell the 💩 thru the phone.
🤣
@@johnh9031 too right, he looked like he had been breaking coconuts on his noggin! Only thing he was thinking was his next wangk! Derek the Derro the dunny can merchant!!
Old mate is sus as! Owns it, pffft!
@@ParlayRevival Colin surely with your extensive experience you could smell a wangka a mile away, you certainly have started to interesting comment’s especially the ex- 1st mate who use to work on the Superyacht.
No chance is that guy the legal owner of that vessel that guy has just bullied his way in and bullied people to thinking he’s the owner hence why he refused to answer how he became the owner because he isn’t and has no explanation on it because he’s a liar and taking advantage!
You guys should of said to him if he has no proof then to go away and carried on your quest to explore once a beautiful boat
Another amazing video Colin 👍🤠
Colin - your weekly videos are a highlight of my Sundays. The Parlay Revival story is a fascinating one and you do a marvelous job of telling it and sharing it. Thank you for being a class act. Those who crew with you are blessed to be aboard such a special vessel. Fair winds & following seas!
Thanks for watching Stephen!
I currently live in Vanuatu. We went and stayed on Moso a few months ago and of course we were interested in looking at Blue Gold. Myself and the kids climbed all over it at low tide with the permission of the locals. Trust me, inside has been gutted, anything of value is long gone. It hasn’t been kept weather tight and a lot of water damage is evident to all the once fine woodwork. The downhill rail side of the boat is badly rusted from being covered at high tide. Ten years is a long time for a steel boat to be on a reef in the full tropical weather. I doubt it will ever be salvaged given the murky ownership history.
I figured as much but thanks for confirming!!
@@ParlayRevival That's why this guy wouldn't let you look inside. He probably tries to find a fool who wants to buy it for big money. Images of the ruined interior on the web wouldn't help with that.
@@paulvandriel2344 or he's looting it all himself and not the true owner.
@@oliverf944 Clarify who is "he"?
The plot is thickening!
Love how you help people and interact with locals.
So few cruisers seem to do it at all.
I plan to take all my tools when I get my next boat… including two welders etc to help other people.
New subscriber. Love this. Living vicariously today. I lived in the USVI for 16 years on St. John. I did marine repair and auto mechanics home repairs. I had friends in the BVI. Miss them. My brother Bill was a yacht captain down there for a long time. He drove the Mustang and then the Atlanta. He still goes down there on charters. I’m in Colorado now really missing the ocean. I’m glad to find this.
Nice content, very high quality editing, really good cinematography, zero BS drama. Thank you.
My husband and I stayed near there 9 years ago and saw it stranded. I couldn’t believe it was still there, but now I understand. Will be going back in May so will see if it’s still there then!
Thanks for a fascinating episode. It’s assume they didn’t take the opportunity to draw on your salvaging expertise.
Please update us after your visit.
Way to go Colin, always thinking of others regarding the shovels, woks etc, your a one and only in the UA-cam Sailing world when it comes to selfless service.
Throwing one million dollars at that yacht wouldn’t even touch the sides, “tell that guy his dreaming” What a story!
I agree with you about the one million! And Cheers!
Dodgy Derick wldnt even have a $ to rub the boat down with...
Love to see that guys paperwork on the boat!
Accumulated thoughts on the sinking of the Bayesian…
Bayesien had a motorized keel that retracted into a keel box or keel trunk. The reason for the retractable keel was to allow Bayesien access to shallow draft locations. Being a yacht built for guests, you want to get them into as many locations as possible.
The keel would be raised while at anchor so it wouldn’t make noise and annoy the guests. In the lowered position, the keel would move around from the motion of tides or current, that movement would create an annoying noise when the keel tapped on the side of its enclosure.
Bayesien has a “Stability Information Book,” this book outlines the “righting characteristics” of Bayesien (specifically). Bayesien was required to have the keel in a lowered position when under sail or more than 60 nautical miles from shore. At all other times the keel could be in the fully raised position.
One of the critical areas that will - most likely - receive attention is the “downflooding angle”. This is the angle at which the Bayesien will start to take on water through dampers in the hull (imagine an exhaust pipe for blowing out fumes and one for for bringing in fresh air). Those dampers allow for the running of generators (electricity) and HVAC (air conditioning) systems necessary for crew and guest comfort. The downflooding angle of the Bayesien was 40-45 degrees. What that means…if you were sailing and the vessel was heeling over (beyond 40-45 degree downflooding angle) they would want the dampers closed.
Another metric in the Stability Information Book would be the “AVS”…Angle of Vanishing Stability. This is the angle the Bayesien could be pushed over, with keel in the retracted position, and be expected to return to an upright position. The AVS for Bayesien was 77 degrees.
So…at anchor…keel raised…dampers open (so air conditioning can run and keep the guests comfortable)…the Bayesien is hit with a freak wind event that pushes her over past 40-45 degrees, probably past the AVS of 77 degrees. It’s at this point she starts to take on water through those open dampers and no longer has the ability to self right (past the 77 degrees of AVS).
It was a tragedy, a freak accident.
Thank you....this now makes sense on what most likely happened.
Very detailed analysis, thank you.
Pretty sure this is a chatGPT summary.
@ Pretty sure it’s not.
Thanks interesting reading.
The keel would automatically lower sailing up wind if not it would be up.
Yes this was a freak and tragic weather system.
Wow, what an amazing history behind that super yacht! Great job following up on it, Colin, and for diving in to explore! 😍🙌
Colin, the cogs are turning!. What an adventure it would be for you to do a deal with whoever the rightful owners are, and get 20 volunteers out there with some dredging gear and chip out whatever remains so it’s floating in a wet-dock of sorts. What a story it would be to clean this yacht up and make it your next adventure boat. I’ll donate a week of my time to help if you ever do it!
Always saddening vessel on the beach
Tanks for your inspiration
Captain Colin
Thanks Colin for sharing this,,, actually the chanel dug along the kheel was dug by me and the chief,,, but she is a beautiful yacht, hope she floats again.
Man it looks like a lot of work!
😮 So is it really true that whoever gets it out or salvages it owns it?
@UBGood that's what I heard but not really sure about it.
@@ParlayRevival sure is bro, I had to spend 3-4 hours in the water almost every day of the week diving without using an under water breathalyzer, just me mask and snorkel. Luckily we use a trash pump to help suck out the sand and mud, but coral, Clay and stones, l had to use a crowbar, so I guess one could say the main tool used for digging the trench along the kheel of that super yaght, is just a crowbar 😁
Let me know what you think of my comment above mentioning pulling the masts further over before trying to slide her off.
The Story of Blue Gold leaves me wondering will she ever sail again? But even more impressive is your editing Colin and attention to detail is absolutely PHENOMENAL! The amount of time and effort bringing us amazing content is appreciated! 🇳🇿🤙
Not likely 😐👍🍺
Thank you! this one was alot of work to film and edit so really appreciate comments like this!
I was impressed with the captains retelling,he probably would have ride the cyclone out without the interference/collision with other boat
I saw this rusty trough on the reef twice. I didn't even think that there was a fight for ownership of it and that a lot of ordinary people have pleasant memories of working on it)
thanks for the emotions
Hi everyone, Ady from the UK here ! Loving your adventures. We are all big fans of Sailing in to Freedom......
Thanks Parlay for another great episode!
If anyone wants to see what she looks like before the accident - there is a video called "Blue Gold Movie" from Teo Simeon here on youtube. It was posted 9 years ago.
I grew up in my dads boat shop. I love all boats but this Blue Gold has stole my heart. I just want to thank everyone involved with saving her, and remind them, theres nothing about her that cant be fixed, shes so beautiful.
Loved the story of the ship reck Blue Gold looking forward to the salvage refloating story
It's not gonna happen for one million bucks that's for sure, think the "owner" is really low balling that number. Then again, he's made 3 or 4 unsuccessful attemps to move her off the beach, it sounds and looks like he nickles and dimes things. If he was willing to spend the money, a good salvage team would already have The Blue Gold floating again... they aren't going to dig around it with metal buckets. So maybe he'll do the same thing when refitting the boat, try to do it on the cheap. I guess you get the results you pay for!
Well put together team!
Shame to see such a boat parked up like that to maybe not ever float again.
Wow. Very interesting story! Thanks!
That was amazing to watch. Such an interesting story!
Good story that I'll be glad to follow. I helped get a sailboat off the shore of Eleuthera, Bahamas 44 years ago. It was an obviously smaller (53 foot Cheoy Lee) but well onshore, and the head of the operation had a good plan involving a heavy steel cable tightened around the now current waterline, over 70 heavy duty aircraft tire innertubes (instead of lifting bags) to be strung on that cable and then inflated with scuba tanks. He had precut many rollers from Casurina pine, the hardest pine in the world, and he dove under the boat putting his arm and the rollers between the ship and the hull again and again as two of us winched her off the shore. Her hull had a hole you could swim through, but we had 2" pumps aplenty to stay ahead of it and we did save the ship. Other adventures followed, but we did save the ship, the insurance company refused to pay the salvage bill and my friend got to keep the beautiful teak cabin motorsailer. One important thing that would help save Blue Gold is to get two or more strong ropes to the top of each mast, and by hook or by crook, pull the masts OVER MORE so less weight is on the center keel and slide her off on her SIDE. Good Luck!
Dodgy Derick. Love Vanuatu been many times from Oz as friends live there. Hope this mystery is solved stay on it Parlay love your work!
😂😅😂. Mr. DD. 😅
Sunday fun day with parlay Thanks for the videos guys. 👍
Our pleasure!
G'day Crew,
Great vid Colin ,
The story of the Blue Gold is sure a complex and convoluted tale of woe.
Personally,
coming from a marine engineering background, i cant see this vessle being
refloated .
If it were a viable proposition, it would have already been salvaged .
Now ,after all this time ,
chances are the vessles opperating & propultion systems are all beyond repair ,and the interior is likely to have been pilfered past the point of no return .
So the future of The Blue Gold is bleak at best .
Respect....!
Agree with ya...
Using an anchor ball and a split ring would save a lot of lifting. Having one for the time the anchor winch fails saves a ton of work especially if you are by yourself but you do need room to circle your anchor!
Cheers, John
Amazing episode Colin ! Thnx 4 tha update on tha failed attempt ❤
Great episode. Fascinating!
Great episode, thank you, Colin...... I never miss an episode. It's a great adventure. Bob N
Oh cheers for watching Bob!
Shoulda just listened to the chief and jumped aboard! That dude is a charlatan.
Ooo Im intrigued to who really owns it and what its future will be. Thank you Colin a good episode
Great video. Thank you Brit and Parlay crew. You remain an inspiration.
Thanks so much Gary !
Hi Colin Blue gold .. I have dived inside and outside.. a few years ago. Below the water line the centre board is half down. Which stops it from being draged astern. Inside i suspect it is full of water also if it was ever refloated ..it is better leaving where it is.. there problems as you are aware would just begin!!
Many years ago, my family kept a boat on the Hamble River when Valsheeda (One of the original J boats, ~ 135' long) was stuck in the mud. It just made us cry to see such an amazing yacht being ravaged by the years and weather. Fortunately, she was salvaged and brought back to life, at incredible cost. Hoping Blue Gold will have the same fate!
If I remember correctly she was in a mud berth next to Universal's yard with a young couple living on board.
Wasn't that ' Endeavour '?
As someone who dealt with bullshit and bullshit artists as a cop for two decades, i got the impression you where knee deep in both.
Correct
Doesn't take 2 decades of being a cop to see right through that guy's bs though. It was pretty obvious he's not the legitimate owner
Is bet so also I smelled shit thru the phone.
The majority of police believe BS. Why do you think there is so much corruption.
He’s a sleepy bs drunk
Wow, what a story. A very interesting & intriguing story
Best of luck to getting her off.
Great episode guys! I’ve seen the boat on other videos but never got the details until now.
Yea we found an old one of Nahoas as well!
Such a beautiful boat that one. No wonder everyone wants a piece of her. Hopefully it will turn out OK for her, regardless of all the BS.
6 years that’s a dedicated captain.
He was such a nice guy was Nixon
This is so exciting and Colin you rock!!! Love your voice projection
As someone who sailed all the remotes islands of Vanuatu including the banks and Torrez i can say shovels are a damn good idea. Hard to introduce stuff that takes maintenance or alters the dynamics of the island. Really love the idea. Fishing gear should be reconsidered. The missionaries did that and they overfishing the reef. Need to explain the difference of pelegic fishing vs reef fishing. The reefs are very small in say uraparapara so one season will destroy the reef
Crazy story Colin, thanks for sharing!
I saw the ‘Blue Gold Movie’ here on YT about the boat, which was recorded shortly before the stranding. The video is quite strange because it documents the entire ship, its equipment, technology, propulsion and hull in overlenght and in many unnecessary details. Shortly before it is thrown onto the reef and becomes a case for the insurance company. In the video you can also see that it is no longer in the best condition, the hull in particular is quite overgrown and it has probably been there for quite a while.
The chosen anchorage between two islands may be good in normal weather conditions, but in a cyclone it is the worst possible choice. You can be thrown ashore on two sides. Why didn't they leave the anchorage when the cyclone was approaching to get a safe distance between themselves and the island? This ship can survive a cyclone in open water.
That guy is totally full of it. He's claiming or poaching it based on the location and that he managed to get the locals to dig out the keel in hopes of floating it into a payday. I seriously dought he has two nickels to rub together
he's after salvage rights.... shifty as....
What info could you deduce from this video or any others on UA-cam to what this guys financial status is, you’re 💯% completely speculating, come on people, you discredit yourselves to do that when you fabricate and manufacture guesses about other people.
Dodgy Derick 😅
*Missing teeth and a gravy stained tshirt are unusual symptoms for a man with substantial assets.*
Doubt not dought!
Colin - and here I was thinking it was going to be the new Parlay Revival II. Wow what a challenge and such bad luck for such a great looking ship.
Sad to hear all that work did not get the desired results. I lived near the Rogue river in Oregon wher the river gold miners were using a cheap siphon attached to an outboard lower unit to move tons of material off the bottom. Just a thought. Love the channel.
You hit the nail on the head in one of your last comments Colin. Drag it off bow first on a lean sideways with some airbags secured below the starboard gunnel. Maybe a Crain at the front just to take 20T even off the front and a massive tug.
I worked on her during a refit in Rotterdam about 25+? years ago. Quite chilly living in a caravan in Heijplaat in winter. Renamed from "White Gull" I believe. The owner had a ship yard where they built/refurbished submarines and army tanks. I spent many hours removing concrete ballast from the bilge with a jack hammer. All part of the plan I suppose?
Do you know if one of the captains of this boat was a French guy, Alain Desmot?
I still have photos of this refitt at RDM
@@krispinscanlon-hill5207
Alain Georges Paul Desmot, Captain as of 1 December 2005
My wife and I were in Vanuatu in August and went snorkelling with Nixon. He, like every single person we met was a wonderful human! We can’t wait to go back!
Can’t wait to see your next spot esprit santos..lived there for 5 months as diving instructor…million dollar reef, and of course the famous SS Coolidge….fantastic dives!!!!!!
Love from BC Canada 🇨🇦
There’s a bunch of articles about the boat, the owners, the government s and different communities who want it gone. Very interesting.
Amazing story. Thanks for bringing it to us
Fascinating episode..
Wow. That is a biggin ! And it's a beauty ! It looks like your boats Big Daddy ! That is crazy how big it is. And super special.
Super cool video".
Thank you 4 sharing.
Sad kinda ending eh ?
The Blue Gold was a beauty .
We had some epic surf in the north of New Zealand from Cyclone Pam as sh slowly moved south and down the east coast.
I can imagine Grant!
Colin mate - the expression on your face speaks 1000 words while you're speaking with "the owner"! 😁😁😁
Dodgy Derick 😅
I love how he said "we've been doing this and we've been dong that" that guy is so fat he wouldn't be doing anything. Just observing and throwing orders around
Brilliant video chaps really enjoyed it,thanks,
Thanks for sharing 😊
I remember hearing of that cyclone happening while I was in Korea. I never thought that ship would end up on the reef
Its been noted that the systems room vents were compromised at 42 degrees heal and the vents had to be closed via control panel on the bridge. Its expected that when she’s raised those vents will be found open. With the vents closed the max point of no return is like 86 degrees. Its going to come down to finger pointing regarding design flaw? Vs operator error etc.
You are incredible- keep at it. I can’t wait to take my (what was a graveyard yacht) around the world. Did her up myself 😊
As always another great video. Looking forward to the next.
All my friends load up with every brassierre they can lay their hands on because such a high demand !
I love Nixon's SHIRT!
Another great video. Happy to have found you. ❤️🇨🇦
Start with inflatables bags to create some space underneath then high pressure sprays and manual movement of material that it is resting on. It appears to be mostly on sand.
Wow. Amazing again guys 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Interesting project. Could make a whole UA-cam series out of Blue Gold.
Derek seems passionate about Blue Gold, but wow... Such a gross underestimation of both physics and finance 😳. Thanks for sharing.
You and your crew are an Amazing group of people. I'm sure many non sailors. & sailors alike with me as well. YOU PARLEY ARRIVAL and the whole sailing community are wonderful humans.. Stay safe and let's Parley someday.
My new all-time #1 Episode 🥇🏆
Love adventures!
wow cheers!
I can't make up my mind on what is funnier, rolling a 400 tonne boat on coconut logs or refitting a 50m superyacht for 1 million.
Excellent Episode.!
To salvage that ship, I think there is an easier way. They have this stuff that is essentially a temporary retainer wall that comes in sections. It's used to keep sea water out during construction projects. If they put that stuff around the entire ship and then filled it with water via a large pump they could raise the water around the ship by 2 or 3 meters (or more). The wall would need to be at least twice as long as the ship so it could get back to deeper water. After everything is moved they can just remove those wall sections and not have a lot of additional damage to the area. Essentially it would be a 100 meter long above ground swimming pool.
Another idea would be to get something equivalent to a water monitor jet like they used to mine gold a long time ago. Position those under the water beneath the ship so that it blows away all of the debris holding it up. This option would be a lot cheaper than the wall. You can move A LOT of ground with one of those.
I would just use a sky jack...but you would need a fairly big one.
Couple of outboards plumbed into flexible hoses would blow a big hole under that hull.. might make the water change colour ..😂😂
A ton of dynamite under the hull. Let the bang off and easy to take the wreck away in a wheelbarrow. QED
He should watch "The Burden of Dreams". Werner Herzog have some experience moving boats over mountains.
Don't you mean 'Fitzcarraldo'?
@ yes! The Burden of Dreams is a great documentary about the making of Fitzcarraldo! Very funny and interesting!
HI Colin, I have been following your channel for years. I am x navy retired and grew up in a boat shop. I am currently living in the Philippines. I thought that part of your journey will include the Philippines. If you do come to the country it would be nice to just stop by for a pic. I hope to hear back and enjoy the live style. . Regards Derek
That salvage would be UA-cam gold!
Its the Captain. The weather was forcasted days before. Strange there is no film of it. Wind up to 280 kmph and a patrolboat was hitting them? Realy! How many boats where at the same "place" at that time? for a patroleboat to work?
You spot on there. Wtf was it doing there. With two anchors, two huge hp engines. Pointed into the cyclone between two islands. I can't see why with some skill it didn't make it.
I was getting excited would love too have watched you bring that ship back too it’s original glory. I would think maybe time too refurbish a new boat
Another amazing episode!!
Brilliant video .. thank you Colin!! 💕💕 So sad to see Blue Gold wasting away like that. Would love to see you salvage it. Dodgy Derek looks like he’s a real piece of work. I wonder what would have happened if you had just ignored him or asked for proof of ownership. What’s with the phone? 🤣
Great story , thank you .
Can’t wait to see captain Derek in action 😂
20:39 the guy that said “HE” owns The Blue Gold, 1 million dollars won’t even touch the money it will take to reduce that beautiful boat.
Depends on which country you refit it in. And what standard you really want. $1 million would get it back on the water and cruising not to say it would be all the high-quality into your that it had when New .
No way has that guy got access to $1m and doubtful anyone would loan him close to what is needed.
Agreed!
I’d say you’d have to at least invest 15 to 20M to get it somewhat decent again
Let alone the recovery will probably cost 1 million
Incredible story. Subbed
Wow, the man with the tattoos. I remember seeing you on YT wow a couple years ago? when you first were searching for a boat in the bvi? after the hurricane had destroyed much of the sailing communities. There was a lot of damaged, sunken boats and it was really interesting watching you decide on the cat and if it was worth repair. I mean if I recall correctly, you and your partner? Even worked out costs down to the dollar for the whole project. It's so cool to see that you all complered repairs and have been sailing a beautiful cat. If Blue Gold can be hauled and repaired, refitted that will be just an incredible yacht especially for cruising the South Pacific. That long waterline is good for 12-15 knots on a breezy day I'm guessing. And the masts look like real working masts not just for cosmetics. Would that rig be called a ketch or a schooner. I hope someone floats that boat.
Very interesting, ill be keen to hear progress on the fate of the Blue Gold.