Very Sad, but Around the World, Really!

[Emmalina]

Company director died when he fell off boat he had bought just hours earlier to sail around the world with his wife | Mail Online

[Coops]

Why would a "wealthy company director" buy a $900 yacht? Still very sad though.

Coops.

[David_Old_Jersey]

It's the Daily Mail - accuracy not a big seller!

A nice looking 21 footer, my bet is that he intended to sail RTW - but likely not on this boat (The article only implies that he going RTW on the 21 footer - I guess makes a better story than "planned to sail RTW on a larger boat once he had got a few years of experience on the 21 footer locally").

[boatman61]

I agree... sweet little boat..

[MarkJ]

The stupidity of idiots make me cringe too often. Do they think these boats go around the world? Then there would be some in this anchorage or others I go to.

There are NONE.

People cruising have propper size boats on propper budgets.

Mark

[Cjwelch]

Dave I agree that he was not going to attempt to sail this particular boat rtw. It looks like a beautiful boat to me.

[Sea Frog]

Well, as they say, "Darwin approves"... It would be a surprise to see any different outcome.

Originally Posted by MarkJ

The stupidity of idiots make me cringe too often. Do they think these boats go around the world? Then there would be some in this anchorage or others I go to. There are NONE.

Well... This guy (he built his boat on a balcony of an appartment block!) would certainly disagree, completing 2 circimnavigations in his tiny toy. That's rather way too extreme for me though... I am for a proper size boat

[fryewe]

Tragic.

The article said he stayed in a Holiday Inn Express the night before picking up the boat. Does the author think he believed the commercials? How is that relevant? Perhaps they wanted the detail because the article is about an event that happened nine months ago.

[AnchorageGuy]

Originally Posted by Coops

Why would a "wealthy company director" buy a $900 yacht? Still very sad though.

Coops.

Not quite a $900.00 boat but still not expensive. 900 pound sterling equals just under 1400 dollars. Chuck

[zeehag]

precious lil boat.. good lines ... too bad he went ob. rip

[Crimea Cruiser]

Sad he let his emotions override common sense.

Seems the writer could have done better job with story. Putting a line in about intelligence really overshadows the poor decision making. Pushing papers is much different than rigging sails in weather. Seems he got a bit of Branson-itis without the wealth or common sense to back it up with proper skills or equipment.

Still tragic.

Kudos for the boat though in surviving unscathed in event.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

Not quite a $900.00 boat but still not expensive. 900 pound sterling equals just under 1400 dollars. Chuck

Nice looking boat, and if sound then at a good price (for the UK).

Why would a "wealthy company director" buy a small and cheap boat?......maybe because he wanted to! Made a lot of sense, including financially - whether a bigger boat would have prevented this incident is a moot point. IMO likely would have (boom higher? or Less sharp movement?) - but was inexperience which killed him, and that can happen on any sized boat.

[sailorboy1]

you guys are being all mean

doesn't matter why he got he boat he did etc, it is just a sad story

PS - maybe he learned it was the right boat by reading stuff here

[Gavala]

This boat came ashore 6 miles from me. I often drive this coast road at night and look out hoping everyone is ok.

With over 4000 shipwrecks on a 60 mile piece of coastline I doubt he was completely stupid, as the other 4000.

It also saddens me that the more experienced sailor can find comfort in ribbing a newcomer to sailings untimely death. Lets not forget we all started somewhere and truth be known have some f-ups of our own that we'd never like to mention through fear of being ribbed. He made a serious mistake as we all have in the past and no doubt will in the future.

[S/V_Surya]

Some times when you are on the steep part of the learning curve your luck does not hold out. I have been there and made it. And so have (most) of you. There are times I shake my head at the close calls especially falling overboard.