Hi Neil,

I thought there was a thread about it at the time, but I can't find it...

The boat was a 7 year old Beneteau Oceanis. According to the owner, it began sinking after a rear bulkhead came adrift...

The boat was fairly new to the owners, who had purchased it without a survey. Hard to imagine, given they knew the rudder had been previously "worked on" after "clipping a rock". These folks had sold it all to go cruising, and were obviously trying to do it on the cheap, claiming a $500/month budget, not an easy task on a modern 50-footer...

Last October, the rudder fell out of the boat while sailing in 15 knots near Martinique. Had a new one shipping in from France, but installed it without ever hauling the boat for a closer inspection... As the rudder post on that boat is tied into the rear bulkhead that failed on that boat, it appears the attempt to effect the repair/replacement as cheaply as possible was a mistake...

Oh, and did I mention they were cruising that boat without insurance? Oh, well, you too can help them get back out there, so they can Live the Dream once again...

http://www.gofundme.com/8z4tjc

best regards,

Jon