New Info on Loss of Seven Sisters

Although the body of former Bay Area sailor Tom Kardos still has not been found, many more details have emerged regarding the lead-up to the capsize of his boat, Seven Sisters, in Mexico’s Gulf of Tehuantepec late last month.

According to posts on Tom’s blog, his unique, 40-ft "wave-piercer yacht" was robbed of key pieces of equipment in Costa Rica last April while Kardos was in the US attending his daughter Lena’s college graduation. Among the many missing items were batteries, a 70-hp outboard engine, refrigeration components, and even the steering wheel. According to friends Bill Yeargan and Jean Strain, who run the annual El Salvador Rally, "All that was left was the electric maneuvering motor and rudder linkage. He steered the boat using only a tillerpilot. When he arrived here, he sailed over the bar, surprisingly avoiding every wave." 

Before leaving El Salvador October 22, Kardos told them his intention was to head to California. "From his track," wrote Bill, "it looks like he was sailing directly for Cabo San Lucas but would have no way to get weather forecasts for the Tehuantepec, which is blowing most of the time at this time of year. From his last reported position, he was 100 miles south of Huatulco on the edge of the Tehuantepec winds and seas. Our guess is that the boat could not handle the waves and turtled."

The 721-ft Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Tatry discovered the capsized hull in the Gulf of Tehuantapec on or about November 25. Kardos was never found, but there were many signs that he had been trying to survive atop the overturned hull. Photos taken by the ship’s crew show the attachment of the boat’s blue mainsail, presumably as a sun shade, as well as life jackets, at least one cushion, a container to catch fresh water, and various lines lashed across the overturned main hull. According to Krzysztof Gogol, a spokesman from the Tatry, sharks were swimming around the hull at the time of its discovery. The US Coast Guard was notified immediately about finding Seven Sisters, but they, too, were unable to locate Kardos.