Single Handed 84 Year Old Rescued off Easter Island

[barnakiel]

Too bad he could not jury rig and get somewhere safe. But I bet he will go for it again.

b.

[kaimusailing]

The precis from "Once is Enough" by the Smeetons:
"Tzu Hang was caught from astern by a huge wave that somersaulted her. Beryl Smeeton, who had been alone at the tiller, was thrown 30 yards into the sea. Despite a broken collar bone, she managed to swim to the wreckage of masts and rigging in the water where Miles and John (Guzwell) could heave her on board. Tzu Hang was a shambles: the tiller, rudder, doghouse, anchor, compass, and dinghies had all been ripped away; the masts had broken off level with the deck; and the boat was close to sinking. Working beyond exhaustion, the crew emptied the water bucket by bucket, salvaged what they could, built a new doghouse, fashioned a jury rig, and five weeks later sailed into Arauco Bay on the Chilean Coast.
After 10 months of repair work in a Chilean Navy Yard, Miles and Beryl Smeeton sailed again toward Cape Horn and again were capsized, dismasted, and nearly sunk by a rogue wave. Once more, they survived the disaster and sailed 2000 miles to Valparaiso, Chile."
Their insurance company intervened and would not allow them to try again.

[roverhi]

Unless he had a shroud or stay part from poor swaging, deterioration or corrosion, it would take one hell of a sea to do in the mast on a W32. The alumnum mast section is oversized as is the wire. The shroud angles are way beyond 12 degrees so the stick is very lightly loaded in compression. I'd assume he had running backstays so the stick is extremely well triangulated. Must have been a rollover either by a huge breaking wave or pitchpoling. Bet the guy has a story to tell.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by ogalili

Oh please give me a break!

Keep on trying and never, never give up!

What if the poor Chilean rescue helicopter ditched on route? Would Mr. Eighth-is-the-charm sell his boat to send his orphaned kids to college?

There's more to life than solo endeavour, and there's more lives involved than just your own when you hit the EPIRB button.

Back in the day, he would have cut away the mast, jury rigged something from a spare pole and plodded landward at two knots until landfall.

When he hit that "save my ass" button, he "gave up" on doing it himself, by himself, which was likely his point in going. I don't blame the guy for trying, and if you snuff it at sea at 84 doing something you love, I don't even find it tragic.

But seven times? Like the person who has been divorced three times, at some point, it's not about the wicked ex-spouses. It's about you.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by kaimusailing

The precis from "Once is Enough" by the Smeetons:
"Tzu Hang was caught from astern by a huge wave that somersaulted her. Beryl Smeeton, who had been alone at the tiller, was thrown 30 yards into the sea. Despite a broken collar bone, she managed to swim to the wreckage of masts and rigging in the water where Miles and John (Guzwell) could heave her on board. Tzu Hang was a shambles: the tiller, rudder, doghouse, anchor, compass, and dinghies had all been ripped away; the masts had broken off level with the deck; and the boat was close to sinking. Working beyond exhaustion, the crew emptied the water bucket by bucket, salvaged what they could, built a new doghouse, fashioned a jury rig, and five weeks later sailed into Arauco Bay on the Chilean Coast.
After 10 months of repair work in a Chilean Navy Yard, Miles and Beryl Smeeton sailed again toward Cape Horn and again were capsized, dismasted, and nearly sunk by a rogue wave. Once more, they survived the disaster and sailed 2000 miles to Valparaiso, Chile."
Their insurance company intervened and would not allow them to try again.

If only they had Sea Tow, a decent EPIRB and a few drums of West System!

The Smeatons were very tough and experienced customers in middle age. The husband was in the Indian Army and Beryl was a mountaineer when "specialized equipment" was three pairs of wool socks. Comparing their experience to an old man with an EPIRB is specious. They survived because there was NOTHING ELSE to keep them alive...and no way their loved ones would have known what happened to them off Chile in a storm in the '50s.

The situations are as comparable as chalk and cheese.

Look, I don't want to pee on a fellow sailor's ambitions, but I think that people either too old, too eager to make that notch or simply too unlucky to complete the task make it slightly worse for all of us who attempt to exercise a slightly more prudent task than trying to take a body born in the 1920s around the Horn in a little boat in the 2010s. Anyone with an EPIRB and inshore enough for SAR to reach them is only "solo" in a restrictive sense. Of course he should have had the EPIRB, just as cars have airbags and seatbelts. But the very nature of "solo sailing" is not the same without them, and without strangers willing to risk their own lives to haul your sorry butt out of potential harm.

Please tell me some of you grasp this.

[callmecrazy]

His previous attempts did not end in rescue. They were 'mechanical or technical' failures, that caused him to abort his mission on each occasion (according to these articles).

He had a sound boat, and no reason to believe he would find himself needing a rescue.

It could happen to you, or me, or anyone else sailing on any ocean at any time. Just because someone actually uses their epirb in a serious situation, doesn't mean they 'gave up', and it doesn't mean he should have never tried in the first place.

And even if he did give up, he's freaken 84!. I'd wager 99.9% of the people on this planet have never tried so hard at anything in their lives as he did before 'giving up'.

I could be wrong, but it doesn't really matter...I hope it tries it again, at 94.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

If only they had Sea Tow, a decent EPIRB and a few drums of West System!

The Smeatons were very tough and experienced customers in middle age. The husband was in the Indian Army and Beryl was a mountaineer when "specialized equipment" was three pairs of wool socks. Comparing their experience to an old man with an EPIRB is specious. They survived because there was NOTHING ELSE to keep them alive...and no way their loved ones would have known what happened to them off Chile in a storm in the '50s.

The situations are as comparable as chalk and cheese.

Look, I don't want to pee on a fellow sailor's ambitions, but I think that people either too old, too eager to make that notch or simply too unlucky to complete the task make it slightly worse for all of us who attempt to exercise a slightly more prudent task than trying to take a body born in the 1920s around the Horn in a little boat in the 2010s. Anyone with an EPIRB and inshore enough for SAR to reach them is only "solo" in a restrictive sense. Of course he should have had the EPIRB, just as cars have airbags and seatbelts. But the very nature of "solo sailing" is not the same without them, and without strangers willing to risk their own lives to haul your sorry butt out of potential harm.

Please tell me some of you grasp this.

I really don't know how you can assume so much about what this man went through based on those articles. They give no details except that he was previously injured, dismasted, and used his epirb.

[bobconnie]

All I can say is I 6 handed around on a 60 ft Swan, 14 yrs ago, and Im only 73 now !! and that trip BEAT US UP !! 14 days let me say I sure would not like to single it!! I would have turned around on the first day LOL sound to me that he did pretty good to have survied a dismasting and still be with us !! Just my 2 cents Bob and Connie

[Canibul]

If you don't want people to be able to use an EPIRB to effect rescue when they need it, then just simply refuse to sell them an EPIRB.

And all you whiners, I hope you're sitting in a nice safe wheelchair in a nanny government run nursing home when you turn 84, whining about something else.

I hope I'm still out there living my life as well as this guy is, and and that we're BOTH pissing the whiners off about it.

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by Canibul

If you don't want people to be able to use an EPIRB to effect rescue when they need it, then just simply refuse to sell them an EPIRB.

And all you whiners, I hope you're sitting in a nice safe wheelchair in a nanny government run nursing home when you turn 84, whining about something else.

I hope I'm still out there living my life as well as this guy is, and and that we're BOTH pissing the whiners off about it.

[Seahunter]

These stories seem to be on the increase. Perhaps it's a clash of judgment and experience. Either way age cannot always be assiciated with wisdom, the culmination of experience and knowledge especially when nature and mechanical failure are inevitable.
Seven Rescued in Force 11 | Yacht News | Yachting World

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Seahunter

These stories seem to be on the increase. Perhaps it's a clash of judgment and experience. Either way age cannot always be assiciated with wisdom, the culmination of experience and knowledge especially when nature and mechanical failure are inevitable.
Seven Rescued in Force 11 | Yacht News | Yachting World

No comparison in the two stories... and to infer there is is insulting the 84yr old...
The 7 rescued should not have been out there in the 1st place... the skipper and company should be stripped of their commecial status and prosecuted for reckless endangerment... its one thing to sail thousands of miles when weather can improve/deterioate, few convinient ports to run for... and a hostile coast..
But its a whole different matter sailing down a coast with available shelter in those conditions rather than refund the £'s to the clients...
Another example of 'Money is God'....
You'll note that this company has a dubious track record already

[Seahunter]

Originally Posted by boatman61

No comparison in the two stories... and to infer there is is insulting the 84yr old...
The 7 rescued should not have been out there in the 1st place... the skipper and company should be stripped of their commecial status and prosecuted for reckless endangerment... its one thing to sail thousands of miles when weather can improve/deterioate, few convinient ports to run for... and a hostile coast..
But its a whole different matter sailing down a coast with available shelter in those conditions rather than refund the £'s to the clients...
Another example of 'Money is God'....
You'll note that this company has a dubious track record already

Again, you're entitled to your opinion; however you said it yourself "The 7 rescued should not have been out there in the 1st place" and the 84 year old should have be there? The "rules of the sea" apply to everyone equally. The only difference was that the old guy had a few more spins at the wheel. Your argument implies the "commercial" entity was was more culpable based on their level of stupidity and therefore more liable. "Stupid is, what stupid does".

[Doodles]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

What if the poor Chilean rescue helicopter ditched on route? Would Mr. Eighth-is-the-charm sell his boat to send his orphaned kids to college?

There's more to life than solo endeavour, and there's more lives involved than just your own when you hit the EPIRB button.

Back in the day, he would have cut away the mast, jury rigged something from a spare pole and plodded landward at two knots until landfall.

When he hit that "save my ass" button, he "gave up" on doing it himself, by himself, which was likely his point in going. I don't blame the guy for trying, and if you snuff it at sea at 84 doing something you love, I don't even find it tragic.

But seven times? Like the person who has been divorced three times, at some point, it's not about the wicked ex-spouses. It's about you.

We've heard this argument before, like every time someone is too young, too old, too disabled, too inexperienced, the boats too small or too big, the boat's not a "blue water" boat, they were solo (not enough crew), etc., etc.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Seahunter

Again, you're entitled to your opinion; however you said it yourself "The 7 rescued should not have been out there in the 1st place" and the 84 year old should have be there? The "rules of the sea" apply to everyone equally. The only difference was that the old guy had a few more spins at the wheel. Your argument implies the "commercial" entity was was more culpable based on their level of stupidity and therefore more liable. "Stupid is, what stupid does".

So... what your saying is anyone who goes sailing is stupid...
The difference is the old man stood to gain nothing except personal satisfation for his achivement... that he got hammered was down to length of time at sea and the area he was sailing... slightly different to rounding Rhode Island methinks...
However... a Sailing School/Charter company that sets off along a well known coastline and could have dived into Brighton, Eastbourne or Dover to shelter from the inevitable is another matter... these were not hardened sailors like the old guy that the Charter Skipper had with him....
if you can't see the difference then as you say...
Stupid is... as stupid does..