Couple sells off everything to buy sailboat and live at sea, sinks on second day

[Anti Federalist]

Not as easy at it looks folks.



Couple sells everything for sailboat. It sinks on day 2

http://www.ajc.com/news/couple-sells...FYXvBKMyEFWTM/

Ryan W. Miller USA TODAY

8:34 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018

A Colorado couple said they sold everything they owned to buy a sailboat and set out for the open seas together.

Within two days, their dream became a nautical nightmare.

On their way to Key West, Tanner Broadwell and Nikki Walsh's voyage abruptly ended in John’s Pass off Madeira Beach, Fla., when their 28-foot sailboat struck something underwater Wednesday night.

"We hit something in about 8 or 9 feet of water and it stopped the boat completely," Broadwell told TV station WFTS.

The couple who abandoned their workaday lives to buy a sailboat for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure instead lost almost everything when it sank on day two of their journey off Florida. They escaped injury when the 28-foot boat hit something and capsized Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico near Madeira Beach.

Water flooded into the cabin, starting to sink their fantasy life. The couple grabbed social security cards, cash, IDs and their pug Remy as they called for rescue.

A ship arrived about an hour later, the Tampa Bay Times reported, but the water was too shallow for it to approach.

So the couple and Remy jumped in, leaving their dream vessel behind to capsize.

"Everything I've worked for, everything I've owned since I was a child, I brought with me. It's just floating away and there's nothing I can do," Walsh told WFTS.

Broadwell and Walsh left Colorado last year after selling off all their belongings, including a car, to buy Lagniappe for $5,000. It took a year and another $5,000 to get the boat ready to sail, Tampa Bay Times reported.

Now, it could cost thousands to remove Lagniappe from the channel.

Even with no savings and no place to live, the couple said they're not giving up on sailing again one day.

"The boat sank," Walsh told WFTS, "but our dreams didn't sink with the boat."

[oyarde]

What did he hit ?

[Anti Federalist]

What did he hit ?

God only knows. Rocks, wrecks, markers...no telling.

If he was further south, and hit coral, he'd be liable to fines and arrest.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/...403.93345.html

[oyarde]

Looks like that is kind of between Capri and Bay Pines east of St Petersburg . I wonder if the fishing is good ? That whole area may just be a chunk of corral , @Anti Federalist , how deep does a sail boat that big sit in the water ?

[oyarde]

God only knows. Rocks, wrecks, markers...no telling.

If he was further south, and hit coral, he'd be liable to fines and arrest.

http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/...403.93345.html

Looks like that thing is just a giant marina , you would think they would have a marker out ......

[oyarde]

Looks like a good place for @Danke to take me fishing .

[Anti Federalist]

Looks like that is kind of between Capri and Bay Pines east of St Petersburg . I wonder if the fishing is good ? That whole area may just be a chunk of corral , @Anti Federalist , how deep does a sail boat that big sit in the water ?

I'm guessing, based on what they paid for it, it was a "cheap" Hunter or something similar.

Assuming a fixed keel, a sailing vessel that size and type will draw 4 to 6 feet.

[oyarde]

I'm guessing, based on what they paid for it, it was a "cheap" Hunter or something similar.

Assuming a fixed keel, a sailing vessel that size and type will draw 4 to 6 feet.

Yeah , I have never had anything that big and the total price they had in it seems really cheap . I almost have to guess he missed a marker .

[Anti Federalist]

Yeah , I have never had anything that big and the total price they had in it seems really cheap . I almost have to guess he missed a marker .

Most likely.

It's a pretty shoal approach to that inlet, which is where I am assuming they were heading.

[timosman]

Yeah , I have never had anything that big and the total price they had in it seems really cheap . I almost have to guess he missed a marker .

Red Right Returning - https://www.cruisingworld.com/red-right-returning

[oyarde]

If I sold off everything and moved I would still just end up the same , a cabin in the woods . The whole sailboat thing is just too much work for me .

[PursuePeace]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...oat-sinks.html

I admired them until I got to this part:

Neither Broadwell nor Walsh had any boating experience, but that didn't stop them from buying the 49-year-old vessel from Alabama, last April.

The couple had zero sailing experience, but Broadwell's father helped them get from the point of purchase to their eventual launching location.

https://www.gofundme.com/new-sailing-life

NOPE. Pay for your own mistakes.

[oyarde]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...oat-sinks.html

I admired them until I got to this part:









https://www.gofundme.com/new-sailing-life

NOPE. Pay for your own mistakes.

My Dad would say that is what you do on your day off and get a job .LOL

[angelatc]

Not as easy at it looks folks.


On their way to Key West, Tanner Broadwell and Nikki Walsh's voyage abruptly ended in John’s Pass off Madeira Beach, Fla., when their 28-foot sailboat struck something underwater Wednesday night. t."

As a former resident of the suncoast, the John's Pass thing makes it hysterical.

[pcosmar]

"We hit something in about 8 or 9 feet of water"

Novice sailing with their home.. in the flats..

I sailed the flats in a "Sunbird",, and it's tricky work when you know the area. wind and tide. and lots of hazards.

[pcosmar]

If I sold off everything and moved I would still just end up the same , a cabin in the woods . The whole sailboat thing is just too much work for me .

The city girl wouldn't go for it. I tried.

a very nice boat called the "Freebird". Hand built (master craftsman) 30' double ender sailboat,, with swing keel.

a missed opportunity,

[angelatc]

[url]








https://www.gofundme.com/new-sailing-life

NOPE. Pay for your own mistakes.

Setting off around the world with apparently zero cash. How were they planning to eat?

[angelatc]

Well, if I thought I could get a sailboat like this for $10,000 I'd be tempted to start taking sailing lessons.

[oyarde]

It is amazing how little you can buy for 10K of some things these days . I added a 21' x 13' lean to onto an outbuilding couple summers ago . I had it all ( matl.'s ) in back of my pickup and got a huge discount on the tin because it was a customer return . Boards , screws , tin , about 600.00 .

[dannno]

Setting off around the world with apparently zero cash. How were they planning to eat?

Shellfish for breakfast, boiled fish for lunch, grilled fish for dinner.......


rotten fish.....

[oyarde]

The boat I use now I could still row if I had to if the motor quit and shallow water is not a problem . Good enough for me. I would rather fish .

[loveshiscountry]

"The boat sank," Walsh told WFTS, "but our dreams didn't sink with the boat."

Maybe not but what little common sense they had, did. If their dog had any sense it would bolt.

[pcosmar]

Well, if I thought I could get a sailboat like this for $10,000 I'd be tempted to start taking sailing lessons.

For 10k you could get a reasonably nice live aboard sailboat..(28-32)

much less if you like work. Salvageable boats are available after every storm.
anything from clean up to major overhaul. at bargain prices.

[XNavyNuke]

NOPE. Pay for your own mistakes.

They're almost halfway to their goal in two days. They're going to blow through their goal and score big.

RPFrs are just soooooo nice. Their travails are getting thoroughly mocked by the crew at the Sailing Anarchy forums.

XNN

[acptulsa]

They're almost halfway to their goal in two days. They're going to blow through their goal and score big.

RPFrs are just soooooo nice. Their travails are getting thoroughly mocked by the crew at the Sailing Anarchy forums.

XNN

Funny how little patience those who spend years learning a skill have with those who blithely assume, 'Oh, any idiot can do that, even me...'

https://www.gofundme.com/new-sailing-life

Oh, they set up an 'I'm an idiot, send me money' account. Good move.

[Danke]

With GPS, can it be that difficult to avoid shallow waters?

[Anti Federalist]

With GPS, can it be that difficult to avoid shallow waters?

Well, that's assuming that they even had one.

But let's assume they did.

Looking at that inlet with the shoals on each side, I can imagine there would be a strong, perhaps very strong, north to south set, maybe as much as a couple of knots.

Even with GPS and a chart plotter, holding that line, in an underpowered sailboat on auxiliary engine power, in what may have been rough waters, perhaps in the dark, with an unskilled skipper at the helm...would be like expecting good results on a final approach with 30 knots of crosswind on a short landing with a guy who had not even soloed yet.

[Danke]

Not as easy at it looks folks.Couple sells everything for sailboat. It sinks on day 2http://www.ajc.com/news/couple-sells...FYXvBKMyEFWTM/Ryan W. Miller USA TODAY 8:34 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018A Colorado couple said they sold everything they owned to buy a sailboat and set out for the open seas together.Within two days, their dream became a nautical nightmare.On their way to Key West, Tanner Broadwell and Nikki Walsh's voyage abruptly ended in John’s Pass off Madeira Beach, Fla., when their 28-foot sailboat struck something underwater Wednesday night. "We hit something in about 8 or 9 feet of water and it stopped the boat completely," Broadwell told TV station WFTS. The couple who abandoned their workaday lives to buy a sailboat for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure instead lost almost everything when it sank on day two of their journey off Florida. They escaped injury when the 28-foot boat hit something and capsized Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico near Madeira Beach.Water flooded into the cabin, starting to sink their fantasy life. The couple grabbed social security cards, cash, IDs and their pug Remy as they called for rescue. A ship arrived about an hour later, the Tampa Bay Times reported, but the water was too shallow for it to approach. So the couple and Remy jumped in, leaving their dream vessel behind to capsize."Everything I've worked for, everything I've owned since I was a child, I brought with me. It's just floating away and there's nothing I can do," Walsh told WFTS. Broadwell and Walsh left Colorado last year after selling off all their belongings, including a car, to buy Lagniappe for $5,000. It took a year and another $5,000 to get the boat ready to sail, Tampa Bay Times reported. Now, it could cost thousands to remove Lagniappe from the channel. Even with no savings and no place to live, the couple said they're not giving up on sailing again one day."The boat sank," Walsh told WFTS, "but our dreams didn't sink with the boat."

[Danke]

Well, that's assuming that they even had one.

But let's assume they did.

Looking at that inlet with the shoals on each side, I can imagine there would be a strong, perhaps very strong, north to south set, maybe as much as a couple of knots.

Even with GPS and a chart plotter, holding that line, in an underpowered sailboat on auxiliary engine power, in what may have been rough waters, perhaps in the dark, with an unskilled skipper at the helm...would be like expecting good results on a final approach with 30 knots of crosswind on a short landing with a guy who had not even soloed yet.

Ya, don’t know where they were and what kind of equipment. But with my limited boat experience, I know when I’m over my head I’d stay in deeper waters until either help arrives or go somewhere else.


But I’m the type of person that won’t do anything like that without extensive training. Fly a helicopter, no fricked way, unless I was military trained or weathly enough to get many hours of training well beyond the minimum.

[otherone]

Water flooded into the cabin, starting to sink their fantasy life. The couple grabbed social security cards

"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a whimper."