What Went Wrong — Lessons from S/V Escape
This video took me three years to make.
Two sailors lost their lives aboard S/V Escape, and this is a careful, experience-based breakdown of what went wrong to understand the seamanship lessons that matter.
Captain’s Locker — FREE DOWNLOAD
Gear, checklists, watch schedules, night-reef cards, emergency playbooks, and more that I actually use at sea:
https://bethecaptain.com/pages/locker
Be The Captain — my book on decision-making, judgment, and seamanship:
https://bethecaptain.com
Further Reading & Context
• Lessons From a Tragedy at Sea — real-world analysis and takeaways:
• Reefing a Sailboat — a practical primer on reefing techniques that work:
About This Video
I was one of the last people to see Karl and Annemarie before they departed Bermuda, and this analysis is grounded in real-world offshore experience. If we learn the right lessons from this, it can help prevent something similar from happening again.
If you found this video useful, consider subscribing and sharing your sailing plans in the comments.
Chapters:
00:00 Context & Intent
01:09 What Happened to S/V Escape
05:50 Lesson 1: Reef at Sunset
06:54 Lesson 2: Sail at 80 Percent
07:42 Lesson 3: Wind Against Current
08:43 Lesson 4: Reef Off the Wind
09:48 Lesson 5: A Ship Is a Crew Brain
11:26 Lesson 6: Boat Size and Control
12:59 Lesson 7: The First 72 Hours
13:36 Personal Reflection
14:09 The Captain’s Locker (Free Resources)
14:56 Final Takeaways
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This video took me three years to make.
Two sailors lost their lives aboard S/V Escape, and this is a careful, experience-based breakdown of what went wrong to understand the seamanship lessons that matter.
Captain’s Locker — FREE DOWNLOAD
Gear, checklists, watch schedules, night-reef cards, emergency playbooks, and more that I actually use at sea:
https://bethecaptain.com/pages/locker
Be The Captain — my book on decision-making, judgment, and seamanship:
https://bethecaptain.com
Further Reading & Context
• Lessons From a Tragedy at Sea — real-world analysis and takeaways:
https://www.morganscloud.com/2022/08/22/lessons-from-a-tragedy-at-sea/
• Reefing a Sailboat — a practical primer on reefing techniques that work:
https://www.morganscloud.com/2010/11/19/reefing-a-sailboat/
About This Video
I was one of the last people to see Karl and Annemarie before they departed Bermuda, and this analysis is grounded in real-world offshore experience. If we learn the right lessons from this, it can help prevent something similar from happening again.
If you found this video useful, consider subscribing and sharing your sailing plans in the comments.
Chapters:
00:00 Context & Intent
01:09 What Happened to S/V Escape
05:50 Lesson 1: Reef at Sunset
06:54 Lesson 2: Sail at 80 Percent
07:42 Lesson 3: Wind Against Current
08:43 Lesson 4: Reef Off the Wind
09:48 Lesson 5: A Ship Is a Crew Brain
11:26 Lesson 6: Boat Size and Control
12:59 Lesson 7: The First 72 Hours
13:36 Personal Reflection
14:09 The Captain’s Locker (Free Resources)
14:56 Final Takeaways
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