Hi, Wilbur, and list, retitling for thread consistency,
"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in message
anews.com...
In your defense and perhaps Joe's, it is easy to get caught up in this
rescue madness. Witness the poor bloke on the 'Satori.'
http://www.westsail.org/satori.html
Rescue services exist to rescue. They need people to practice on just to
hone their skills. I think they actually appreciate some degree of sailor
ineptitude so they can justify their very expensive existence. They sucker
or guile people into being their guinea pigs. Joe fell for it and you
apparently fell for it, too even when there was little real danger to you
or the vessel.
Agreed. We were uncomfortable, but we couldn't have drowned if we'd tried
(hard to drown on an otherwise dry shelf! - especially when the only water
getting into the boat came around a tranducer core) :{))
As to falling for it, we were a bit busy, and unaware of our realities at
the time, so didn't argue the point when the CG asked TowBoatUS if they
should deploy an asset; his immediate and firm response was that they
should. From the sound of things inside, it sounded like the boat was
breaking up (it wasn't, just doing some delamination damage as seen in my
logs and pix of the time, right at 3 years ago, now - but the salvors, to a
man, expected to carry us off in body bags; instead, we floated on our own
bottom, and our bilge pumps kept up with the level of water coming in), and
we didn't know if we were in danger of actual sinking. That the TBUS guy
was immediate and firm in his response, and in a far better position of
knowledge and assessment than we didn't lead us to question the evac :{))
However, to your point, two things: First, during our salvage, there was a
helo doing a training mission over us. As I was below removing electronics
as the salvage crew was doing their prep work, I was unaware of it, but you
can see some of the pix they took in my gallery. They had to come all the
way from MIA, so, presumably, it was a valuable exercise. Second, the
elation and joy on the face of every one of the crew when we landed at KWW,
the request for pix and home movies and the like, suggest that we were a
rarity - a chance to do it for real. It obviously was a great rush for
them.
I'll drown rather than allow this sort of rescue. No EPIRB for this
sailor. There are far worse things than dying at sea. And, besides,
counting on being rescued makes a sailor slovenly and stupid.
Heh. We not only didn't "count on" being rescued, didn't have any thought
of asking for an evac. Like Satori, and other stories we've heard of other
evacs while cruising, even if it's just a crew member with a legitimate
injury or other life-threatening issue, if the CG comes out, it's "everyone
off the boat, if we have to hold guns to your heads to enforce it" - and,
like Satori, most boats, if they're not actually sinking, survive to be
found later. Our story ended well; in fact, in so many ways it's difficult
to count (see logs from the time), it was the best thing that could have
happened to us. We're better sailors, and, ironically, financially
enhanced, after all is said and done.
L8R, y'all...
Skip and crew
--
Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig KI4MPC
See our galleries at
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