Got the wrong end of the stick old chap. I think the Russian you are
talking about was not alone and he did it in a old lifeboat. That he
made it here is amazing 'cos he had no charts -but he was not far from
land until the Tasman. The trouble was that as he had no idea about boat
construction the Al hull had corroded badly due to elctrolysis and
people got tired of his scrounging for repairs. His girlfriend hooked up
pretty quickly with a wealthier man. They were both Bludgers of the
first order -IMO. They were not prevented from leaving but their
liklihood for survival was made clear to them. They were also informed
that if they got into trouble it could be several days before any help
could reach them... If I remember he was deported when his visa ran out
and so got a free ticket back to USSR.

Cheers MC



Peter Wiley wrote:



All we really need to do is restrict EPIRB's to people with insurance
sufficient to cover the cost of SAR and the whole problem would go
away. Boat unseaworthy and/or incompetent crew? So sad, too bad. Learn
to swim or stay home.

There's a Russian in a 12' sailboat, Navvie, who's gone a lot further
in it than you have managed in your boat, and done it single-handed,
which you can't do in yours. Nobody in NZ would be allowed to leave
port in such a cockleshell as that Russian has done. You lot are all
the poorer for it.

Peter Wiley