Tall Ship Concordia sinks with 64 aboard - all saved

AP February 19, 2010


A Nova Scotia-based ship carrying dozens of students has sunk off Brazil, but everyone is safe and there were no serious injuries, officials say. 

The Brazilian navy said the tall ship 
SV Concordia went down about 550 kilometres southeast of Rio de Janeiro in rough seas.
West Island College International, of Lunenburg, which runs the Class Afloat program, said all 64 people aboard were rescued from four life-rafts by merchant vessels early Friday.

The 48 students, eight teachers and eight crew had to abandon ship and spent the night in life-rafts equipped with blankets and some food. A Brazilian navy helicopter spotted the rafts and dropped medical supplies.
The rescued people were expected to be moved to a navy frigate and taken to Rio de Janeiro. 
Ships with poor stability get struck by microbursts and ships with good stability get struck by squalls.


For intelligent discussion of the stability issues see the Wooden Boat Forum


Richard Hudson on Issuma was approaching that region as he makes his way north from Uruguay in deep water east of the continental shelf.  he did not encounter the storm system.  But Richard  went through the weather forecasts he receives on board and provides this report(with some interpolations by me):


[Note that Beaufort scale 8 is 34 - 40 Knots with waves 13 - 20 feet.  And that these are informed guesstimates.  Actual conditions may have been more severe.  We won't know the analysis for a while. - GWC]

According to the AP story, it was Thursday night, so Feb 18, and the ship was about 550 km SE of Rio de Janeiro.  That puts it likely in Forecast Area Bravo (possibly Delta--my forecast area map is not very detailed). 

The relevant part of the GMDSS Metarea V forecast for Thursday noon (GMT) to Friday noon (GMT) (winds in Beaufort, seas in metres): 

PART TWO - ANALYSIS AT 180000 (hours)

LOW 1006 AT 29S 043W. 

HIGH 1020 AT 40S 047W. 

C(old)-FRONT OVER RIO DE JANEIRO EXTENDING TO SE AND MOVING WITH 10 KTS TO NE.

I T C Z* 02N020W, 02N030W, 01N040W AND 01N050W WITH 3/4 DEGREES  (*Intertropical convergence Zone)

WIDE WITH LIGHT/MOD SHWRS AND ISOL THUNDERSTORMS IN THE

WHOLE BAND.

PART THREE - WEATHER FCST VALID FM 181200 TO 191200 (hours)AREA BRAVO

SHWRS AND ISOL THUNDERSTORMS N OF AREA. 

WIND SE/E BACK(ing to)  E/NE

(Force) 5/7 OCNL 8 BECMG 4/5 OCNL 6 WITH GUSTS. 

WAVES S/SE 2.0/3.0 (meters) BECMG

SE/E 2.0/2.5. 

VIS GOOD DECR TO MOD DURING SHWRS.