In article , Jeff wrote:
Wayne.B wrote:
I'm not sure they can "order" you off, but once you've set off the
EPIRB and/or requested a rescue, its pretty hard, if not negligent, to
refuse after the crew has risked their lives (and possibly jeopardized
others) getting to you.

I couldn't find anything that says you are required to get off the
boat. But, I'm sure the pressure would be significant. On the other
hand, ultimately, the skipper is in charge of the vessel.

So this brings up the question, if you could quantify the risk, at
what point would you say, "please send a chopper"? Would you do it at
50% risk? 10%? 90%? Or should you wait until you're stepping into
the liferaft?

Good question. I wish it were possible to do it accurately. Many
people would go for the 50/50.. others would think a 5% chance is time
to leave. This is a pretty typical decision problem we all go through
from time to time. Is it safe to fly after 9/11? vs. driving across
the country? There are lots of studies that suggest we're not very
good at making these decisions based on the facts.

I have old cruising friends who spent a horrible night many years ago
at the hands of a hurricane - I won't tell the story now, but they
spent 8 hours struggling to save the boat, convinced they were going
to die. The next day they just drifted, recovering their strength.
Shortly thereafter, they said "If a helicopter appeared overhead then
[after the storm], we would have taken the ride." The funny thing is
that nowadays they don't carry an EPIRB because they don't think it's
fair to ask someone to risk their life because of their incompetence.

Well, if I were going off shore, I'd want one.

--
Capt. JG @@
www.sailnow.com