On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 18:03:12 -0500, Roger Long wrote:

I'm not going to step into the fight Karin and Charlie are having down in
her thread but, along with the recent Barnes rescue, it does raise some
interesting questions. It isn't just idle philosophical musing either.
Someday, these dynamics could effect our ability to cruise freely.

The first thought I had was that, 50 years ago, Ken Barnes probably would
have figured out some sort of jury rig and limped into Chile, somewhere. Or,
he would have just died. In the absence of radios, people have done just
that (both options). I'm not implying for a minute that he's a wimp or did
anything inappropriate by calling for rescue and getting off. It's simply
that technology provided him with an option between great hazard and
suffering and rapid return to safe ground.

The by-product of the technology is that it now costs governments and
individuals breathtaking sums and effort to conduct the kind of search and
rescue that is possible and now considered the norm. These rescues are made
possible by other technologies like $1000 an hour choppers and $10,000 an
hour P3 Orion aircraft.

If there are a lot of these events, governments are going to balk at some
point at the cost.

Keep in mind that these are mostly sunk costs. We're going to have top
notch search and rescue crews available no matter what. Whether they work
every day or not, the cost is not much different.

It's already happened in some wilderness recreation areas
where you have to post a bond or insurance to pay the cost of your rescue.

The French have one good solution with very affordable insurance for
mountaineers.

Forgetting arguments about the ethics of putting others in danger, or
restriction of personal freedom -- it may actually cost more to try
to regulate these situations out of existence than to simply continue to
do rescues when needed. What's the cost of collecting bonds, checking
that everyone's insured, policing insurance and bond companies, etc?
(Insurance companies are probably already licking their chops.) Same with
licensing requirements -- where you wouldn't be allowed out of the harbor
until you've gotten some kind of a license.

I hope it never comes to that.

Matt O.