I disagree.

If you think carrying all that stuff is going to help you, remember the
Canadian Gerry Roufs. He had a purpose designed 60' boat with that much
stuff and more on board (read the required equipment list for Vendee
Globe). He even had a full time satellite data link, and all anyone can
tell you is the Lat/Long when it stopped reporting.

Frank Gursey was obviously a seriously capable sailor (given just the
resume in the Soundings article), and he was living his dream.

I happen to have quite a few friends and acquaintances that have gone
missing on the water, some one or two at a time and then 29 at once with
a 729 steel hull for a coffin. They didn’t get a call out either. I
never heard anyone call Ernie McSorley stupid.

Do I feel sorry for Mary Gursey? Yes, I do. Mostly because it takes up
so much of your life energy to give up the hope that he will make port.
As for Frank, I envy him.

Matt Colie
Lifelong Waterman, Licensed Marine and
Perpetual (I can only hope) Sailor


N1EE wrote:
I hope he didn't pass on his genes.

This is not your typical California sailor.

http://www.soundingsonline.com/stories.html?story=2

Guernsey was STUPID and INEPT when he Redondo
Beach, Calif., last Oct. 8 without a life raft,
without a survival suit, without an EPIRB,
without a single sideband radio, without a
satellite phone. His only communications gear
was a VHF radio.

I suspect he had too mucy fun in the 1970's.
I'm sure he was well supplied with drugs since
he left his brain in California.

I'd like to think he was not this stupid, and
that he just lied to his wife and is living
in the South Pacific with a new wife.

Bart