Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

She would log 15,000 miles each year, carrying her crew and passengers
around the world: Europe. Asia. New Zealand. The South Pacific.

The Dorothea, a 107-foot yacht, was built at the yard of famed
boat-builder Vic Franck and designed by Seattle naval architect William
Garden.

Millions were spent refurbishing it last year in Ballard. Since leaving
the boatyard last April, it already had sailed 7,500 miles.

But the boat burned and sank off the coast of Costa Rica 2-½ weeks ago,
leaving the crew wondering how a virtually brand-new boat would suddenly
explode in flames.

"We're all devastated," said John Crupi, the captain of the Dorothea.
"The boat's been in the family for 16 years. It's like losing a family
member."

Crupi, who was one of five crew members on the boat when it caught fire,
said he was on his way to the Galápagos Islands to meet the boat's
owners, former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Steven Green and his wife,
Dorothea. Crupi said they were three days away from their destination.

Crupi said the fire spread so rapidly the crew had just 20 minutes to
jump in the water and then get into a life raft and set off an emergency
signal.

Within three hours, Crupi said, they were spotted by an aircraft from
U.S. Customs and Border Protection out of Texas which alerted a nearby
Panamanian tuna boat. The tuna boat picked them up and later delivered
them to a Navy vessel that had arrived at the scene.

Crupi said they were 220 miles southwest of Costa Rica and if the
aircraft hadn't been nearby they might still be floating in the Pacific
Ocean.

Juan Munoz Torres, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
said the fire was discovered in the engine room and when the crew jumped
into the life boats, they moved a half-mile away from the burning
vessel, worried it might explode.

"The fact they were so far away from land, if we wouldn't have been in
the area, they could have spent days in the water before someone rescued
them," Torres said.

The crew plans for disasters, "but we never expect something would
happen," Crupi said. The boat was in Seattle for an overhaul, from
December 2005 through April 2007.

"She was stunning. Truly a beautiful boat," he said. "She was cared
after like a brand-new boat and she really looked like it."

The boat, launched in 1967 from Vic Franck's boatyard, was the biggest
boat the shipyard had ever built, said Crupi. Launched as the Kakki M.,
she was later renamed the Tara T, then the Savvy Lady and finally the
Dorothea.

Neil Rabinowitz, a Bainbridge Island photographer who documented the
retrofit of the Dorothea, was shocked to hear it had burned.

"It was a classic boat," he said. "It had very unique lines. It was a
distinctive vessel."

Patty Henderson, with GTH Design Techniques in Poulsbo, Kitsap County,
worked on the retrofit of the interior of the boat.

"It's so difficult, how we feel," she said. "She had a real spirit. The
five crew members got safely off the boat, and we're immensely grateful
for that. It's terribly sad.

"In the whole industry, fire is one of the most frightful things that
can happen. And they were in the middle of the ocean."

Crupi, who had been living on the boat, is now living in a hotel in
Miami, Fla., dealing with insurance companies.

"Everybody's devastated," he said. "I lost my house and my job in one
day. It's a pretty big deal."

On Dec 24, 10:59*am, HK wrote:
* Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

By Susan Gilmore
Seattle Times staff reporter

She would log 15,000 miles each year, carrying her crew and passengers
around the world: Europe. Asia. New Zealand. The South Pacific.

The Dorothea, a 107-foot yacht, was built at the yard of famed
boat-builder Vic Franck and designed by Seattle naval architect William
Garden.

Millions were spent refurbishing it last year in Ballard. Since leaving
the boatyard last April, it already had sailed 7,500 miles.

But the boat burned and sank off the coast of Costa Rica 2-½ weeks ago,
leaving the crew wondering how a virtually brand-new boat would suddenly
explode in flames.

"We're all devastated," said John Crupi, the captain of the Dorothea.
"The boat's been in the family for 16 years. It's like losing a family
member."

Crupi, who was one of five crew members on the boat when it caught fire,
said he was on his way to the Galápagos Islands to meet the boat's
owners, former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Steven Green and his wife,
Dorothea. Crupi said they were three days away from their destination.

Crupi said the fire spread so rapidly the crew had just 20 minutes to
jump in the water and then get into a life raft and set off an emergency
signal.

Within three hours, Crupi said, they were spotted by an aircraft from
U.S. Customs and Border Protection out of Texas which alerted a nearby
Panamanian tuna boat. The tuna boat picked them up and later delivered
them to a Navy vessel that had arrived at the scene.

Crupi said they were 220 miles southwest of Costa Rica and if the
aircraft hadn't been nearby they might still be floating in the Pacific
Ocean.

Juan Munoz Torres, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection,
said the fire was discovered in the engine room and when the crew jumped
into the life boats, they moved a half-mile away from the burning
vessel, worried it might explode.

"The fact they were so far away from land, if we wouldn't have been in
the area, they could have spent days in the water before someone rescued
them," Torres said.

The crew plans for disasters, "but we never expect something would
happen," Crupi said. The boat was in Seattle for an overhaul, from
December 2005 through April 2007.

"She was stunning. Truly a beautiful boat," he said. "She was cared
after like a brand-new boat and she really looked like it."

The boat, launched in 1967 from Vic Franck's boatyard, was the biggest
boat the shipyard had ever built, said Crupi. Launched as the Kakki M.,
she was later renamed the Tara T, then the Savvy Lady and finally the
Dorothea.

Neil Rabinowitz, a Bainbridge Island photographer who documented the
retrofit of the Dorothea, was shocked to hear it had burned.

"It was a classic boat," he said. "It had very unique lines. It was a
distinctive vessel."

Patty Henderson, with GTH Design Techniques in Poulsbo, Kitsap County,
worked on the retrofit of the interior of the boat.

"It's so difficult, how we feel," she said. "She had a real spirit. The
five crew members got safely off the boat, and we're immensely grateful
for that. It's terribly sad.

"In the whole industry, fire is one of the most frightful things that
can happen. And they were in the middle of the ocean."

Crupi, who had been living on the boat, is now living in a hotel in
Miami, Fla., dealing with insurance companies.

"Everybody's devastated," he said. "I lost my house and my job in one
day. It's a pretty big deal."

Harry, when you had your Hatt and your lobsta boat floating RV's was
fire a concern for you?

On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:

Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

John H. wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:

Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*


Sorry, John, but there's nothing about those floating RVs I find
appealing. I have no interest or desire in living on a boat, or in
wasting a lot of time getting to where I want to go. If I want to go to
Florida, I'll head over to National or up to BWI and hop on a jet plane.

Maybe it is different with you and Whine. You're both retired, with
nothing to do. That sort of indolence has no appeal for me.

On Dec 24, 2:21*pm, HK wrote:
John H. wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:

*Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Sorry, John, but there's nothing about those floating RVs I find
appealing. I have no interest or desire in living on a boat, or in
wasting a lot of time getting to where I want to go. If I want to go to
Florida, I'll head over to National or up to BWI and hop on a jet plane.

Maybe it is different with you and Whine. You're both retired, with
nothing to do. That sort of indolence has no appeal for me.

Harry, then why did you own a Hatt and a Zimmerman like lobsta boat?

On Dec 24, 3:48*pm, wrote:
On Dec 24, 2:21*pm, HK wrote:





John H. wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:

*Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Sorry, John, but there's nothing about those floating RVs I find
appealing. I have no interest or desire in living on a boat, or in
wasting a lot of time getting to where I want to go. If I want to go to
Florida, I'll head over to National or up to BWI and hop on a jet plane.

Maybe it is different with you and Whine. You're both retired, with
nothing to do. That sort of indolence has no appeal for me.

*Harry, then why did you own a Hatt and a Zimmerman like lobsta boat?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

crickets.........

On Dec 25, 3:03*pm, wrote:
On Dec 24, 3:48*pm, wrote:





On Dec 24, 2:21*pm, HK wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:

*Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Sorry, John, but there's nothing about those floating RVs I find
appealing. I have no interest or desire in living on a boat, or in
wasting a lot of time getting to where I want to go. If I want to go to
Florida, I'll head over to National or up to BWI and hop on a jet plane.

Maybe it is different with you and Whine. You're both retired, with
nothing to do. That sort of indolence has no appeal for me.

*Harry, then why did you own a Hatt and a Zimmerman like lobsta boat?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

crickets.........- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry has posted a graphic that suggests that you are in the Bozo bin,
again... On a side note Loogie, Merry Christmas

wrote:
On Dec 25, 3:03 pm, wrote:
On Dec 24, 3:48 pm, wrote:





On Dec 24, 2:21 pm, HK wrote:
John H. wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:
Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle
That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H
*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*
Sorry, John, but there's nothing about those floating RVs I find
appealing. I have no interest or desire in living on a boat, or in
wasting a lot of time getting to where I want to go. If I want to go to
Florida, I'll head over to National or up to BWI and hop on a jet plane.
Maybe it is different with you and Whine. You're both retired, with
nothing to do. That sort of indolence has no appeal for me.
Harry, then why did you own a Hatt and a Zimmerman like lobsta boat?- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
crickets.........- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry has posted a graphic that suggests that you are in the Bozo bin,
again... On a side note Loogie, Merry Christmas



Indeed, I revived the bozo bin after inactivating it for a while. The
needle on my rec.boats dum-foch-ometer started rising, and reviving the
bin seemed appropriate. Works a little smoother in this iteration of
t'bird.

Reggie's already got two entries. I'm sure once he realizes he's
blocked, he'll vary his sign-on here, in hopes I'll walk through the
sewage he dumps in rec.boats. Nah.

On Dec 25, 7:03*pm, wrote:
On Dec 25, 3:03*pm, wrote:





On Dec 24, 3:48*pm, wrote:

On Dec 24, 2:21*pm, HK wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:

*Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Sorry, John, but there's nothing about those floating RVs I find
appealing. I have no interest or desire in living on a boat, or in
wasting a lot of time getting to where I want to go. If I want to go to
Florida, I'll head over to National or up to BWI and hop on a jet plane.

Maybe it is different with you and Whine. You're both retired, with
nothing to do. That sort of indolence has no appeal for me.

*Harry, then why did you own a Hatt and a Zimmerman like lobsta boat?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

crickets.........- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry has posted a graphic that suggests that you are in the Bozo bin,
again... * * * *On a side note Loogie, Merry Christmas - Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Same to ya!

On Dec 25, 7:03*pm, wrote:
On Dec 25, 3:03*pm, wrote:





On Dec 24, 3:48*pm, wrote:

On Dec 24, 2:21*pm, HK wrote:

John H. wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 10:59:25 -0500, HK wrote:

*Yacht burns, sinks at sea after overhaul in Seattle

That old Green Monster's got a hold on you, doesn't it Harry??
--
John H

*Have a Super Christmas and a Spectacular New Year!*

Sorry, John, but there's nothing about those floating RVs I find
appealing. I have no interest or desire in living on a boat, or in
wasting a lot of time getting to where I want to go. If I want to go to
Florida, I'll head over to National or up to BWI and hop on a jet plane.

Maybe it is different with you and Whine. You're both retired, with
nothing to do. That sort of indolence has no appeal for me.

*Harry, then why did you own a Hatt and a Zimmerman like lobsta boat?- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

crickets.........- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Harry has posted a graphic that suggests that you are in the Bozo bin,
again... * * * *On a side note Loogie, Merry Christmas - Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Why don't you ask him for me, then. I'd really like to know!