Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

A large boat went onto the beach on Long Island NY last year.

We'll not likely hear the real details, but it looks like the whole crew nodded off. The boat was lost. That happens as we all know. Could be simply what happened on the Hinkley? So sad when people die that close to shore.

On thing about grounding on a shore is that usually, you can walk off. Most groundings are benign to both boats and the people onboard these days, thankfully. Much less the case in the past. The groundings have always been with us, and will always be with us. Isn't that in the nature of going off on boats?

On Ode to Joy, we may never know enough.

One "other" thing that haunts me(feeling some attachment to the boat and owner), is the centerboard linkage on the Alden Challenger.

The linkage as designed in 1959, may cause catastrophic problems in a grounding, if the board is down. I know that gremlin all too well.

My hat is off to everyone that has pulled info, like the current at that time, together. It's nice to have the most info in my grasp to get a better understanding of the circumstances before the accident.

The one thing that you almost never get though is what was happening on Ode to Joy, and what decisions led up to the catastrophe? That may stay with the boat.

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