Im not experienced or confident enough to make passage at night, but if i didnt have a life raft, id have an inflatable dinghy/paddle board/life ring as a back up in case my boat went down. If i was making passage at night id have an epirb also.

A bit hard to follow from overseas. What was the weather at the time and I haven't heard if they were wearing pfds. Anybody know?
They would have helped but I expect the water is pretty cold out there now. If the boat has sunk, which surely it must have if there has been an onshore breeze, a major knockdown or structural failure would have been pretty sudden.
I always track well offshore off the bight unless heading for Newcastle where I still stay offshore and track in at right angles.
I haven't been there in a sou easter but was there once in a 50+kt westerly, two handed on a then 77 year old mates boat. He built the boat (ferro) and was the only one who knew how to put a reef in. I roused him out at dawn, he got into his gear, clipped on and went forward and did the job. As he got back to the cockpit he just smiled and asked how I want my omelette.
Whitecaps from shore to us and spume everywhere.
Sad that these two don't have the chance for more good sailing memories, and clearly for their families and friends.

Winds were predominately WNW until the predicted SW change occurred, which happened around 2100.
I don't know what the sea state was, but I don't recall large seas or swell then.
Bom observations Latest Coastal Weather Observations Newcastle Nobbys recorded at Nobbys WNW avg 15kts gusting 20-25kts Thursday arvo/evening....then Thursday night/Friday morning predominatly SW 10-15kts gusting 20-22kts.

The link only shows the last few days, so not relevant now, but the numbers shown here is what I noted from the Thursday 3rd & Friday 4th got from the bom then.

One of the men did have a PFD on.

I am not judging the sailors for being "in too close".

If they did stay close to shore at Newcastle, this would have been because this is the only safe Port between Brooklyn and Port Stephens. If they were playing it safe, and the southerly became unmanageable, stopping short at Newcastle would have been the sensible option. The Marine Rescue base at Newcastle closes early around 18.00 hours.

Unfortunately though, from Newcastle to Port Stephens you need to do at least 20 nm to clear Stockton Bight.

On the Thursday they left I was at Palm Beach Pittwater planing to sail up to Brooklyn on the predicted southerly. According to the Seabreaze graph for Sydney, the southerly was predicted to build gradually after lunch. On dark, I gave up waiting for the southerly and steamed to Brooklyn. The wind persisted to blow a moderate to strong west southwesterly with a clear sky. When I woke at 4 am Friday, it was gusting with rain.

The sailors could have easily been mislead into proceeding past Newcastle to Port Stephens. Had the real southerly hit earlier they might have been tied up at the Newcastle Maritime Museum Wharf enjoying a late beer at Honeysuckle. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and they may have been caught-out in the shallow exposed Stockton Bight?

A tragic misadventure.

Ramona said...
I would never depend on the Seabreeze weather forecast for offshore sailing.

On the day in question it was difficult to even depend on real-time physical observations. I have no doubt the unfortunate sailors would have checked primary sources like the BOM. The authorities have also stated they had a responsible schedule with Marine Rescue.

The leg I steamed late that day from Barrenjoey to Brooklyn is inside Broken Bay.

I admit I do like the way Seabreaze uses a graph. It is easier to look at a picture than decipher a slab of words? Regardless, I always cross reference with the BOM Coastal Waters and 4 day barometric map forecasts.

Did anybody recognise the type of yacht they were sailing? There was an outboard mounted on the transom, but in rough seas that would not be much good.

Yara said..
Did anybody recognise the type of yacht they were sailing? There was an outboard mounted on the transom, but in rough seas that would not be much good.

Little Van de Stadt. Cisco will know exactly. I met, if not this exact boat, her sistership, in Gladstone Marina in 2010. New owners were delivering her north and had just arrived after a pretty rough passage from Brisbane.

Yes a Coroner will but it will be in about 18 months from now.