When the superyacht Nakoa broke loose from its moorings Feb. 19, the crew could not react fast enough to thwart disaster. Now Nakoa lies at the bottom of the sea but only after first damaging coral rock and the protected coastal area of the Honolulu Bay.
Managing risk is all about being prepared for the future. Or put differently, it is about anticipating what could go wrong and having the tools and skills in place for the possibility.
A mooring is not the same thing as a typical anchor, but it holds a boat in place when necessary. Fact is, it is physically impossible that an anchor will always hold. Similarly, a mooring rope can snap or an anchor chain can break, there is never 100% safety. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use all technology available to at least work in that direction.
Grounded 28m Sunseeker yacht Nakoa sinks during salvage operation
When an anchor does begin to drift, or in the Nakoa case above, a boat rips loose, the captain and crew need to have an immediate warning signal to initialize corrective measures. Problematic can be tides, winds, neighboring boats all adding to complications. The Nakoa team was unprepared leading to harm to the reef, enormous salvage costs still to be assessed and ultimately the loss of the vessel.
AnchorGuardian provides not only immediate alarms in real-time with sub-meter accuracy, but offers an array of functionalities (anchor hold prediction, force on anchor, length of chain and scope etc.) all providing safety to sailor, ship and sea. Intelligent data supports the team to anchor in the best possible way during the entire anchoring process.
The Nakoa accident was certainly unnecessary for all parties involved.
Let’s work to protect the environment we have come to enjoy.
