Valiant 47 ‘Summer Passage’ Lost on Shoals of Isla Santa Margarita
We’re sad to report that while the Baja Ha-Ha was heading south, San Rafael Yacht Club members Wendy and Mike Koechler went aground while on their own trip south aboard their Valiant 47 Summer Passage. Shortly after the Ha-Ha finished, we received word from a reader that Summer Passage had run aground at Isla Santa Margarita, just south of Magdalena Bay.
Another San Rafael Yacht Club (SRYC) member spoke with Wendy and shared their notes on the conversation.
According to the SRYC member, Wendy reported that they had departed San Rafael in early October with their five-week-old puppy. They were sailing south between islands. Mike set the autopilot and came below to eat. Before he’d taken his first bite, the boat was suddenly hard aground and being pounded by waves. It was later that the couple learned the locals have nicknamed the area “Shipwreck Alley.”
Going on deck in heavy spray and mist, Mike was injured, with a broken foot and ribs. In addition, the dodger and panels were smashed. The boat settled onto her port side and started taking on water through her vents. The couple huddled for roughly 12 hours until daylight. They relayed that they didn’t have an EPIRB, but did fire off their supply of flares during the night.
It was the next morning when Mike saw three men on horseback. Local fishermen arrived. Somehow, Wendy was pulled into deeper water but rescued. Then the fishermen returned for Mike because he couldn’t evacuate on his own. The couple were taken to a hospital in San Carlos, and eventually made it to friends’ in Mazatlán.
Apparently, the Koechlers had been working on the boat for 10 years, doing an extensive refit before heading off on their dream cruise.
We did reach out to learn more from Wendy, and in a short email exchange, she explained that, for legal reasons, she couldn’t communicate with us now.
We’ve notified a few contacts in Mexico who were, so far, unaware of the loss. Valiants are very rugged boats, and we hoped she might have a chance of rescue, but it sounds as if she was a total loss.
We’re very sorry for the Koechlers’ loss and wish them the best.
Not sure we have the full story, an offshore passage without an EPIRB?
Doesn’t the HA HA require an EPRIB?
We definitely don’t have the whole story as we were not able to get any information directly from Wendy and Mike so we passed along the information that was available to us at the moment. We’ll provide updates when and if we get more accurate news.
The Koechlers were not participating in the Ha-Ha. They were cruising on their own and headed south sometime before the Baja Ha-Ha started. The Ha-Ha sailed offshore of where the boat went agrond and, to the best of our knowledge, none of the participants were aware of the accident at the ime they passed by. While the Ha-Ha and the Koechlers trip was out in the ocean it is actually coastal cruising though it would still be wise to have an EPIRB.
The Ha-Ha does not require an EPIRB but they are recommended. Here’s a story from 2023 on the Ha-Ha and emergency communications: https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/emergency-communications-baja-ha-ha/