Bay of Biscay Claims Another Yacht

by Hartlepool Mail/Sail-World Cruising on 5 Nov 2006 The Bay of Biscay, notorious Bay on the path between Northern Europe and the warmer climes of the Mediterranean Sea and points west to the Caribbean, has claimed another yacht.

English couple Darren and Vicky Hewitt told the Hartlepool Mail they were lucky to be alive after being dramatically rescued. They were stranded for around 18 hours and were forced to endure 60ft waves crashing over their yacht, which is believed lost in the incident.
They hailed those who rescued them as 'true heroes'.
Speaking from Spain, Darren, 31, told the Mail: 'If the yacht had gone over abruptly we would have been left in the sea, 50 miles off the shore.
'It would have been fatal. There is no way we would have survived in those conditions.'
The couple set off on a dream trip in September and planned to spend a couple of years sailing around the world after selling their electronic door business earlier this year.
But on Wednesday evening, their dream turned into a nightmare when they were caught in a storm in the Bay of Biscay, as reported in yesterday's Mail.
They tried to steer their £25,000 yacht, Sentito, into La Coruna, but the winds and waves were too strong.
Darren added: 'We were there throughout the night and there were 60ft waves crashing over the yacht. It kept being physically knocked over on to its side.
'At one point we were both thinking 'this is it'.'
But eventually they were forced to abandon their yacht and were airlifted by helicopter to safety.
Darren does not know what has happened to the yacht, but believes it has sunk.
He added: 'We are both absolutely gutted. We have lost everything, our clothes, the yacht and everything on board.
'But, at the same time, we are lucky to be alive. We would both like to say a massive thank you to everybody involved in the rescue. They are true heroes.'
Darren and Vicky, 30, plan to remain in Spain - for the next few days at least - to see if their yacht is recovered.

Sailors take note: Why the couple were travelling so late in the season, was not explained, but it is well known that even in a moderate gale, the seas can become very rough in the Bay of Biscay. The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) suggests that boats travel south by the end of September to avoid the winter gales, and Jimmy Cornell, guru for the round-world cruiser, suggests that as the Bay is only 300 miles wide, then ‘if one leaves from places like Falmouth with a favourable forecast, one should be able to cross without being caught out by weather.’ ..but, obviously, not always…

The reason for bad sea conditions during adverse weather in the Bay of Biscay is that parts of the continental shelf extend far into the bay, and an aggravated swell from the Atlantic Ocean encounters a steep continental slope.