[Marmot]

Originally Posted by Capt J

What I find really really strange. Is that the initial mayday was called, and 7 hours later the boat is still floating. Usually you call a mayday after all options have been exhausted, and there is no other option. Its not like the vessel was 1000 NM from land where it would take a day or more for help to arrive and one would put out an early mayday.

That is not really unusual. It is far easier to cancel a mayday than to wish you had broadcast one after it is too late.

As far as the boat still floating, it is also not unusual for a vessel to assume an "angle of loll" and remain floating with a severe list for days or even weeks. It appears that the flooding was reduced enough by crew actions or pure luck and geometry that the end was delayed longer than anyone predicted.

[Yacht News]

Press Statement from Proteksan & Turquoise on March 1, 2012

Istanbul, Turkey

Proteksan Turquoise, the builders of the 60 metre yacht, M/Y Yogi, that sank off Skyros, Greece on February 17, wishes to give an update to the release that was sent out on February 21 as it was then stated that the builder’s representatives would meet the owners, the Captain and crew on or around March 1, so as to gain an understanding of the sequence of events that lead to the casualty. It would now seem that this meeting has been postponed until March 9 at the earliest and, therefore, Proteksan Turquoise will continue to refrain from speculating on the sad event before full clarification is available.

Proteksan Turquoise would, nevertheless, like to again stress the point that M/Y Yogi’s construction and outfitting work was surveyed and certified by ABS and classed as XA1, Commercial Yachting Service, XAMS and built to MCA/LY2 compliance. She was also surveyed by the French Flag Authority during the construction period and placed on the Commercial French Registry.

The yacht’s original building programme was under the former Captain’s supervision and there has been no claim concerning her performance or engines up until the time she left the yard on February 15, where she had undergone some guarantee work, mainly paint, some interior decoration, carpet change and some minor technical adjustments.
Further updates will be released when more information becomes available.

[Mike448]

Wow, the owners / crew / insurance sure do know how to attract attention to them selves

[RVN-BR]

Why do you say that? As I said before it looks like the owner and insurance are perhaps "teamed" and for now keeping the yard away... perhaps it is part of some sort of settlement in which they (owners) will later help the insurance recoup some payout by going against the builder?

who knows...

But keeping low and just "not commenting", isnt a way of attracting attention Mike, no matter how much we wish to get them out of their comfort zone and have them share a bit of what happened on that eventful night, i'm pretty sure they dont care how we feel, and as i said, not saying anything *is* the best way to let it die... it has pretty much (even though it was on a LOT of news sites the day it happened)... If the owners were also commenting and releasing news all the time, surely some of those would have continued with updates...

Way it looks to me is the yard is in the dark, possibly due to reasons above, and is trying to keep their side of the story being heard, and trying to make a little noise so ppl realize they arent admitting any blame, etc... also by saying what they are they imply guilt on other parts...

[Marmot]

I believe it is much more likely that the owners do not want the yard to find out exactly what happened. It is highly unlikely that a structural or design failure that would lead to this type of sinking would remain undercover so long.

If there was some mechanical failure that the crew could not deal with it is in the overall interest of the industry to learn what it was in order to protect other vessels and crews. If the crew is a victim of design or construction failure we would be deafened by the outrage and clamor for change. The silence speaks volumes.

I believe, and I am far from alone, that we have another "Lady Candida" in the works. While there is a great deal for all involved to gain from describing the circumstances of a technical failure, the firewall put up by owner and crew points toward a "softer" reason for this bizarre sinking.

[K1W1]

Originally Posted by Marmot

Lady Candida

.........Shiralee, Miss Turnberry, Nadine, Yogi...Just another thread in the rich tapestry of life of the rich and infamous.

[MountainGuy]

What is actually known about the exact location where Yogi went down? How deep is it? How far away from shore? Could Yogi be recovered? Is it possible to take pictures of her (and I do not mean renting Navy class subs)? Is the location of sinking "watched"/"marked"?

[K1W1]

Hi,

Very little is known as to exact location , depth or how it lay's on the bottom, it might have drifted some after submerging.

No one posting here knows for sure.

[Marmot]

Looking at bottom profiles of the general area described in the reports, the bottom in that area appears to be around 500m to 750m. That is well within the range of small manned submersibles and ROVs. I would be very surprised if the underwriters, flag, and/or the builders don't contract for a video survey at the very least.

[Marmot]

Well, it looks like the 9th has come and gone so we are into the "or later" part of Proteksan's hopes to interview the crew.

The silence is deafening.

[carelm]

Originally Posted by Marmot

Well, it looks like the 9th has come and gone so we are into the "or later" part of Proteksan's hopes to interview the crew.

The silence is deafening.

My guess is that they got lawyered up. From now on, only the suits will do the talking.

[K1W1]

Originally Posted by carelm

My guess is that they got lawyered up. From now on, only the suits will do the talking.

Hi,

I think you have hit the nail on the head there.

I have asked a few folks I know who were forthcoming with "inside info" after it happened.

I have had better replies from dead relatives recently.

It seems the whole thing is shut as tight as a fishes arse - Watertight.

[Marmot]

"... they got lawyered up." That is the real shame in this affair.

Class and flag have an obligation to owners, crew, and charter "guests" to prevent incidents like this from occurring in the first place. And when they do, to prevent them becoming real tragedies.

By burying the facts behind the sinking - facts, not blame or some derived root cause - but the sequence of factual events known by those directly involved, Class and Flag are failing miserably in their mandate to enhance maritime safety.

Only when it involves a yacht do Flag and Class maintain such silence after a sinking or fire. When a ship or other boat suffers a similar fate the circumstances are widely published as soon as they are confirmed. The final accident report and findings take much longer of course but the immediate facts concerning the accident are not witheld from those who might gain a safety benefit from that information.

If there was a mechanical failure, the builder and other opertors of similarly equipped vessels need to know. If it was due to inadequate crew training or lack of familiarization or knowledge, or competence then Flag has to make those issues known to those who train and evaluate crew performance.

When the family of an UHNW individual is lost under circumstances similar to any of the growing list of shadowy yacht accidents and the press finally connects the dots, our industry will suffer. Maybe we will have earned it because none of us demand the oversight and information we pay for when we register a boat or undergo a periodic survey.

[carelm]

Originally Posted by Marmot

"... they got lawyered up." That is the real shame in this affair.

I would agree with you on this. However, when you are talking about a case in which somewhere north of $100M is involved (the cost of the yacht, damages sought, lawyer fees and the like) the actual truth may not come out. Maybe what the industry needs is an accident investigation organization similar to what the FAA does, but done on an international scale.

[K1W1]

Originally Posted by carelm

Maybe what the industry needs is an accident investigation organization similar to what the FAA does, but done on an international scale.

Hi,

If there is an aircraft accident that is not in the US or involving a US Aircraft does the FAA still stick it's nose in?

The Red Ensign countries can rely on the Marine Accident Investigation Branch to carry out investigations. They do not apportion blame just lay out the facts that led to the accident/casualty.


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