With all the armchair sailors here criticizing people who are actually out
sailing around in their boats, I think I'll take time for an account of a
sailor who is, or was, a real hazard to himself. I'm also doing some soul
searching about it.

I sailed my son around the Cape on Wednesday to drop him off for a hike back
through the towns' greenbelt trails. As we were leaving, we passed a fairly
competent looking double ender that was remarkable for jogging along under
only a half luffing staysail. I figured he was just getting started and
organized. The boat appeared well equipped and there was just one person on
deck.

On my return, I saw the boat again, still jogging along at about 1 knot
under just the staysail which appeared to be sheeted way too far aft so that
the foot was tight and the top half flogging. The boat had just crossed a
long dangerous ledge without running aground. It's a short cut I often take
but I know the waters and I don't do it when there is a sea running like
there was on Wednesday.

I thought briefly of going over to take a look but he was past the danger
and the occasional large seas breaking nearby certainly would have clued him
into not returning that way. It was one of those days that looks nasty but
generally doesn't have much wind. I decided he was just taking it easy and
enjoying the view. You could spend all afternoon sitting on a porch watching
the ocean so why not just jog along the coast at 1 knot if you felt lazy? I
also wanted to be home when my son returned and had another home alone.

This morning, I read in the paper that a disoriented sailor was brought in
by the Coast Guard about 25 miles south the next day. I did some checking
and it was the same boat with the sole POB suffering the effects of
diabetes. He's home now and the boat is safe. He had been out in the heavy
rain and weather that brought a rare tornado watch to Maine.

I'm kicking myself now because, thinking back on how the boat was being
sailed, I'm sure he was impaired at the time I saw him and I probably could
have detected it if I'd gone over to check him out or tried to raise him on
the radio. It never occurred to me though that he might actually be trying
to go somewhere instead of just being out for a slow daysail. If he had come
to grief, I would be pretty torn up about it today.

OTOH how often is there any upside to hailing someone by voice or radio and
pointing out that they are sailing like a bozo and are they all right? I
learned later that he was swearing on the radio at some charter fishing
boats that inquired about him and that this behavior played a part in
instigating the SAR which involved both boats and aircraft.

Next time I see something like this, I'm sure I'll take a closer look but I'm
still not sure of the best way to handle it. It's a miracle that he made it
past the ledges off the cape and as far as he did.

--
Roger Long