"Bob" wrote in message
...


50GT here with sailing and towing endorsements.


Argg since we are hanging our peckers out for all to gaze:


LIVE FROM FOUCHON LOUISIANA

100 grt/200 grt Near Coast
AB Unlimited, RFPNW

Next stop 1600 GRT Mate

Its pretty knarly in the oilpatch i get to tie-up the boat (900+GRT/
180+') using 3" nylon..... try humping that around n tossing an eye
over a bit.... Argg...!

What can you do with a OUPV? not much get the Master License its only
a day or two longer and then you can be a crewboat Captain like whats
his name of the SUNK Red Clown..... Hell you can get your MMC and go
work for a living
Bob



I think it's time everybody stopped beating up poor Joe for his being unable
to complete a simple voyage from Belize to Texas without sinking his beloved
"Red Cloud." After all, when you spend thousands upon thousands of hours at
sea as a professional captain like Joe has, sooner or later you will end up
having a mishap or two. The odds just piled up against poor Joe. He couldn't
help it. There was nothing he could have done to prevent that storm of the
century, early winter, cold front from sinking his boat. Let's look at it
closer.

1) Since Joe obviously is a motorboater and not a blowboater his diesel was
the only thing he was used to relying on. He was told over and over again by
this author that pilothouse sailboats were dangerous and not suited to an
extended ocean voyage. I guess a motorboater must have his pilothouse,
nonetheless . . .

2) Joe never developed adequate sailing skills and strategy because of his
overreliance on the diesel. He obviously knew nothing about sailing
standards and protocol. That football stadium sized American flag sort of
tells the whole sordid tale.

3) When the diesel failed Joe still kept the diesel mentality which told him
to bash to weather at all costs. Stick to the schedule. Muscle his way
through.

4) Poor Joe just didn't have what it takes to be a real sailor despite his
constant bragging about his sailing prowess. Like most of the good folks who
post to RBC, poor Joe is just another motorhead trying to be seen as a
sailor. He thought he could pull the wool over everybody's eyes with his
bullcrap but when push came to shove his inadequately prepared and crewed
motorsail boat was prematurely abandoned and pushed and shoved all the way
to the bottom of the Gulf.

So, please give motorboat Joe a break. It wasn't his fault. It was simply
HIS turn to be sunk by a little ole Gulf cold front. If even the most
competent of us real sailors who know how to sail and who know sailing
strategy and sailing preparation get sunk once in a while why should it be
expected that Joe NOT to be an eventual victim?

I guess I should thank MY lucky stars that after thousands of miles of ocean
voyaging under pure sail that I haven't sunk a boat to date. I'm sure skill
and preparation has NOTHING to do with it. It's just the luck of the draw.
Yup! That's the ticket.

Wilbur Hubbard