Why this Bavaria Sailboat LOST THE MAST (Pt. 4/4)

Описание: After rescuing three sailors from a dismasted Bavaria 44 offshore, something immediately felt wrong.

Long before I knew the details, I had a strong sense that the boat simply didn’t belong where we found it—not because of bad luck, but because of design and rigging realities that tend to show up only when boats are pushed offshore.

I wanted more than a gut feeling. I wanted to understand why.

That answer came later, through a chance reunion in Ensenada and a long conversation with master rigger Chris Catterton—the same rigger who re-rigged Te Vega, the Mason 65 I sailed across the Pacific.

When I was asked to help with this boat’s rigging, I called Chris. He ended up fabricating most of the new rig, which we installed in Ensenada. Before he left, we sat down and talked—about Yara, weak points in modern rigs, design assumptions, and where things actually fail offshore.

This video is that conversation.

It’s not a teardown. It’s not hindsight blame. It’s an honest look at how rigs are designed, where margins disappear, and why some boats struggle when taken far beyond coastal use.

Related videos in this series

▶️ Part 1
   • Open Ocean RESCUE: "MAYDAY WE'RE DISMASTED...  

▶️ Part 2
   • Open Ocean RESCUE: Arriving at the Broken ...  

▶️ Part 3
   • Open Ocean Rescue: ABANDON SHIP  (Pt. 3/4)  

▶️ Part 4
   • Why this Bavaria Sailboat LOST THE MAST (P...  

▶️ Arrival LIVE with rescued sailors
https://youtube.com/live/ofBdvXgEBTY

📘 Be The Captain — Offshore Captain’s Field Manual
Rescues like this don’t happen because of one failure. They happen when design limits, rigging assumptions, fatigue, and decision-making quietly stack up offshore.

That’s what Be The Captain is about—learning to recognize those chains before they tighten.

First Edition hardcover + audiobook available here:
👉 https://bethecaptain.com

👇 Discussion
Where do you think modern cruising rigs are most vulnerable offshore?
Chris’s perspective opened my eyes—curious to hear yours.