Making the decision to abandon ship
Published on July 15th, 2024
On July 2nd, during the return delivery from the 2024 Newport Bermuda Race, the crew of Solution abandoned their 50-foot sloop, 200 miles south of Cape Cod, and were safely rescued by US Coast Guard Helicopter. The following was written by Carter Bacon, Owner and Captain of s/v Solution.
Solution was a 50-foot sloop, designed by K. Aage Nielsen and built by Paul Luke of East Boothbay, Maine, in 1963. She was expertly designed and solidly constructed for racing offshore in the North Atlantic, with 2 x 2 laminated 8 ply white oak frames, double planking of 7/8 mahogany over 3/8 cedar, bronze floor timbers and reinforcing members, and a plywood deck with fiberglass sheathing.
She has been maintained since 2000 to the highest standards by Rockport Marine, and has had undergone extensive replacement of structural members on numerous occasions whenever any questions as to her soundness were revealed by annual inspections. – Full report