Single Handed 84 Year Old Rescued off Easter Island

[rubyjean]

Originally Posted by boatman61

LOL.... nowt infallible about me Hummingway... else I'd have a boat like yours...
I just defend my corner..

..Michael..

[boatman61]

In case its lost in translation... that was a compliment Hummer's...
Not a personal attack...

[avb3]

More details of the problem, a split mast, and pics of the rescue:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...scP_story.html

[hummingway]

Originally Posted by boatman61

In case its lost in translation... that was a compliment Hummer's...
Not a personal attack...

Thanks Phil.

Originally Posted by avb3

More details of the problem, a split mast, and pics of the rescue:

US sailor, 84, blames broken mast for giving up on his 7th try to round Cape Horn alone - The Washington Post

It looks like an aluminum mast. Does split mean a seam gave out?

[red_sky]

By all accounts methinks that poor fella just has a nasty case of bad luck

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

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.

I used the magic of Google to piece together a broader story from several articles. The gentleman in question is obviously a decent sailor, but perhaps his goals have outstripped his capacities.

All I am advocating here is seamanlike prudence and respect for the lives of those you involve in your rescue. Some elements of this story smack of the "stunt voyaging" we've seen in recent years in the increasingly juvenile "youngest solo circumnavigator" attempts. What remains unclear is why he still wants to do this.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by avb3

More details of the problem, a split mast, and pics of the rescue:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...scP_story.html

"He wants to be the oldest guy around Cape Horn".

Well, then.

I wonder if he cut the hoses on the Westsail 32, a boat that, whatever its other qualities, makes a really solid navigational hazard.

If he didn't Do the Right Thing, some 90 year old from this forum should unclip from their rocking chair (gimballed, naturally), swim out there, clamp their dentures on a painter and salvage the damn thing.

Barring that, a small "thank you" cheque to the Chilean Navy might be in order. This was an expensive trip for those guys far beyond their territorial waters, it seems.

Pardon me if I don't see this sailor's particular tenacity/obsession as being the Shackleton mould of heroic endeavor. Not yet. There's too much detail missing, like the age of his rig and why he was so far offshore.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Some elements of this story smack of the "stunt voyaging" we've seen in recent years in the increasingly juvenile "youngest solo circumnavigator" attempts. What remains unclear is why he still wants to do this.

I'm sure you are excluding both Laura Dekker and Jessica Watson in your reference? Laura is a natural, and can totally "dial-in" to any vessel she is sailing. I my have earned my living at sea, but I in no way possess Laura's talents.

[Canibul]

i don'[t think the age of his rig, or his own age, or his motives matter a bit. What matters is that it is his right to try to sail wherever he pleases.

the alternative is to just keep cranking the standards up until everyone but government boats is required to stay within sight of their slip, so that we don't have to keep paying the cost of rescuing them.

If the Chilean people do not want to rescue boats at sea, then they should stop funding a government trained and equipped military force for just that purpose.

But to tell a sailor he can't try to sail somewhere because YOU think he is too old.....

tsk tsk.

How bout I say don't bring your boat south of the Bahamas because I don't approve of something about it? Maybe you're too ugly.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by Canibul

How bout I say don't bring your boat south of the Bahamas because I don't approve of something about it? Maybe you're too ugly.

If they're too ugly, they need to stay north of the Chesapeake

[s/vfootloose]

Freedom of choice is what made the US great. Lately it seems that some believe that we need the govt to make laws to protect us from ourselves. Imagine if they thought this way 200 + years ago. You plan to go WHERE in that wagon!!!! At your AGE,bringing children with you. You know that there are bears, snakes and indians out there. Sorry we can't let you go, it's irresponsible!!! Besides we might have to send the calvery out to save you and you KNOW how much that costs. We were/are a country of individuals who take risks to make our dreams a reality. To put safety over all makes us less than we can be.

[rubyjean]

Originally Posted by s/vfootloose

Freedom of choice is what made the US great. Lately it seems that some believe that we need the govt to make laws to protect us from ourselves. Imagine if they thought this way 200 + years ago. You plan to go WHERE in that wagon!!!! At your AGE,bringing children with you. You know that there are bears, snakes and indians out there. Sorry we can't let you go, it's irresponsible!!! Besides we might have to send the calvery out to save you and you KNOW how much that costs. We were/are a country of individuals who take risks to make our dreams a reality. To put safety over all makes us less than we can be.

Thank You, Well put...Michael..

[red_sky]

Originally Posted by s/vfootloose

... To put safety over all makes us less than we can be.

Life is 100% fatal, no matter how you live it!

[Jim Cate]

Is there really any info that indicates that there was any relationship between this chap's age and his need for rescue? Seems to me that he had a rig failure, the possibilities of a jury rig getting him to safety were slim, and he bailed. Nothing about that scenario that is age related.

I have been surprised a few times here on CF by the "ageist" prejudices that have been vehemently voiced. As a fairly active sailing old fart my reaction ranges from quiet amusement to being POed when these sentiments are bandied about.

I hope that these folks who denigrate older sailors realize that if they are lucky, one day they too will be aged and decrepit... and still sailing!

Cheers,

Jim

[Canibul]

I'm rethinking this whole Canadian thing, now, in this new light. You see, these people spend their entire lives up north at high latitudes, where their skin is protected from the environment to the point it stops producing melanin. Then at some point in their lives they decide to buy a boat and cruise the Caribbean. The sun down here is nothing like the sun in Montreal or Coos Bay. Oh no sir. And those Canadians come down here with white skin and risk severe sun burn, and melanoma! And I am starting to wonder why we should have to maintain clinics and hospitals with the capability of treating people too ignorant of UV to avoid burning themselves. Maybe we need to restrict sailors to stay within one or two degrees of their home latitude. For their own safety.

Don't you love that term, 'it's for your own safety'? You know, the same rationale used when government employees were groping us at airports. For MY own safety they need to feel my crotch? My crotch hasn't threatened my safety since we were both about 17.

Maybe we need to start testing the eyesight of all sailors, and their reaction times. How about how they react to stress and sleep deprivation? Shouldn't we wonder about the collective wisdom of allowing sailors to take their families out if they haven't passed a stress test in the past year? Hey, how about a brand new US government department of sailor evaluation? We can hire thousands of bureaucrats to administer it, and field agents to enforce it! "Pull that boat over buddy, you're about to get a color blind test!"

And DNA. Any thoughts on requiring all sailors visiting a country to submit DNA samples as part of the check in procedure? then Uncle Sam's minions can keep track of all of us as we move around the world. Send us birthday cards and tell us our license is expired, our medical is up for renewal, and by the way, the White House has been thinking about our recent online posts and wants to restrict us to a 16 ft. inflatable beach cat. During daylight hours. With no passengers. For our own safety.