Larry wrote:


Nobody died, except one ego, so no harm done. I wonder who pays the bill
for the rescue, which probably cost a hundred grand or so. They'll be in
court for years trying to force the insurance company to pony up for the
boat. I've never seen a policy with a stupidity adventurer clause.

Well... as others have pointed out, he probably
was not insured, so the $200K or so that he spent
on the boat is his "sunk" cost for his sunk dream.
You could tell he was damn happy to get off of
that boat. Plenty of folks leaving their
expensive yacht in Papeete, F.P. after sailing
from California or Baja Mexico feel the same way,
even though they did not try to round the cape on
their first long offshore leg.


Me, I follow a very important rule:

"It is far, far better to be standing on the dock, wishing you were at
sea.....Than to be at sea, pukin' your guts out, wishing you were
standing on the dock."

Amen to that, although its not always possible to
avoid on a long ocean voyage.

I've always been concerned with stupids putting to sea, alone, for these
adventures. You just KNOW they're in DIRECT VIOLATION of internation
laws concerning "keeping a sharp watch" on duty 24/7 while underway.
They are NOT omnipotent while the boat is sailing off on its own while
they're asleep. But, for some stupid reason, the world lets them all get
away with it and even ENCOURAGES it! Remember, Charleston is where lots
of Around Alone races started, with all the promos and spam-coated boats.

I cannot feel sorry for someone who does something THAT stupid....no
matter how much money he has or spends on it....

Well, I do feel sorry for him because he has lost
his dream and his innocence. I agree with you
about the single handers though. Who's gonna take
care of the boat if you hurt yourself, or even
just get sick.

For my taste, even two people on the boat is not
enough for a long voyage, because a few weeks of
3on 3off will still lead to sleep deprivation and
poor decision making--at least it will for me. A
better arrangement is four people which leads to
12 on / 12 off with two people to divide each 12
hour watch. It also lets a couple explore a new
place together while leaving someone on the boat
for anchor watch, etc.

Don W.