It must a be a sad existence to be a solo sailor and have no one care enough to report you missing or try and make and contact about your well being.

www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/mummified-body-of-german-adventurer-found-inside-yacht-drifting-off-philippines/news-story/e6cd680732bfb61e6e2ca110323ed6c5

I got the same story off Facebook. Bit better photos and info here.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3469044/Mummified-body-German-adventurer-vanished-inside-drifting-yacht-Philippines.html

We might have more follow up info on this story. At least some idea where the yacht was at the time this bloke pegged out. It might not be the owner that's dead either!

incredible !! must be alot of calm weather there !!!

i,m trying imagine staying seated like that in a gale , even if alive !!!!

Death is not always sad. Only sad when life is ended prematurely.

The repose of the guy at the chart table suggests he was still on the pace and putting his last fix on the chart.

Good on him. He lived his life to the full. R.I.P.

sirgallivant said..

No, l beg to differ. Death is only a different dimension. I do not want anyone crying at my funeral.
There is nothing wrong with death. I would hate to live forever. We are not here for a long time, but for a good time!
Death is inevitable. Live with it!

Dwelling on it is sick, though.

I realized when I was about 4 years old that that was the end result it pissed me off a little. But I guess Ive had lots of fun since then

I guess we'll never know but it sure looks like he died doing what he loved

Some more info down the page here. As usual we are suffering poor media.

www.clipperroundtheworld.com/news/article/race-8-day-3--fleet-blasting-up-waves-the-size-of-houses

The saddest thing in this story is how alone in the world he was to have no one miss him that long.

Many years ago before Internet and mobile I was transitting through iHorta Azzores met a guy about mid 70s sailing on his own.
He was on a 40ft steel yacht single handed, I questioned him why .
Turns out he was in a nursing home in the U.K. Discharged himself jumped on his yacht (obviously an old salt)
followed the trades south.
Questioning him ,why go alone ,answer he doesn't want anyone to feel responsible for him and doesn't want to die in a nursing home .
He leaves port sails for 25 days sails around the Atlantic catch a fish every couple of days no Destination Just follows the breeze then aims for closest land after 25 days at sea aims for land ,picks up his pension check ,carton of beer ,stocks up with water and some food then bobs about the ocean.
I totally admire him ,just think about it what a way to go ,saw my parents die in Nursing home definetly not the way to lose 40yrs of assets.
What do think???????

spiggie said..
Many years ago before Internet and mobile I was transitting through iHorta Azzores met a guy about mid 70s sailing on his own.
He was on a 40ft steel yacht single handed, I questioned him why .
Turns out he was in a nursing home in the U.K. Discharged himself jumped on his yacht (obviously an old salt)
followed the trades south.
Questioning him ,why go alone ,answer he doesn't want anyone to feel responsible for him and doesn't want to die in a nursing home .
He leaves port sails for 25 days sails around the Atlantic catch a fish every couple of days no Destination Just follows the breeze then aims for closest land after 25 days at sea aims for land ,picks up his pension check ,carton of beer ,stocks up with water and some food then bobs about the ocean.
I totally admire him ,just think about it what a way to go ,saw my parents die in Nursing home definetly not the way to lose 40yrs of assets.
What do think???????

Totes understand Spiggie. It probably takes a stint in a nursing home to know there's more to life
than sitting around watching everybody to see who's going to shuffle off their mortal coil next.

nods said..
given the mayhem on board dismasted etc....drifting for months.

At the very end of the clip there is a shot near the cockpit door, two of the sheets are nicely coiled??

how could they stay like that?

Yeah, almost looks like the clipper wasn't the first to visit,,, neatly coiled sheets?? Maybe an earlier visiting sailor fidgeting whilst pondering the thoughts of what to do next. "Can not help here,,,, best get on my way".

Jolene,

I have sheets coiled like that and they get stiff and set in the sun so don't move much, reckon that's whats going on there.

nswsailor said..
Jolene,

I have sheets coiled like that and they get stiff and set in the sun so don't move much, reckon that's whats going on there.

You may be right nswsailor ,, my comment is reflected from my gut as to what I may do if I came across such a situation.

nods said...

Given that to demast the boat it has been at an angle around 90 deg or more, and then returned, the ropes seem to have all come back nicely - just seems odd.

There is something fishy here. It just seems too neat and tidy. If it had been like this for a long time there would be mould growing.
Could it be a photoshopped set up? I note the clipper video didn't go below so we can't see the body.

I can imagine a scenario where there was a rigging fitting failure in relatively mild conditions. Skipper runs around like mad clearing the rig away, gets a heart attack, sits down to rest or call for help, and he is gone.....

Yara said..
I can imagine a scenario where there was a rigging fitting failure in relatively mild conditions. Skipper runs around like mad clearing the rig away, gets a heart attack, sits down to rest or call for help, and he is gone.....

That sums it up pretty well. I would also think that due to the lack of insects and bugs found out in the ocean, a body may decompose very differently to how it would on land.