CF Member Rescued After Being Lost at Sea For 66 Days-Merged

[johnmcntsh]

I saw part of the interview. Didn't he say he ran out of food early on and had to catch fish with his hands for most of his ordeal?
How the hell do you do that with a broken shoulder?
This story does not pass the sniff test.

I take the above back. He caught with his hands after the shoulder healed and used his clothes as a trap.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

They asked the fish demonstrating outside the White House.

Very happy story. Can't wait to get the details (book deal)

I think you got that one correct, Mark. They were catfish . . . right? Wanted the government to supply more bait fish in the water so they wouldn't have to swim so fast to eat. They've been demonstrating a long time . . . it's starting to smell.

[hellosailor]

"Not allowed to leave or come in. "
That might work under Spanish tradition (Mexico) and Greek, but here in the Colonies, we are guaranteed the right to leave when and as we please, more or less. You'd have to declare martial law to shut down a port that way, and then you'd have to figure out how to enforce it.


Gotta say that fellow's sailing choices might not agree with all of us, but staying alive in the winter, in the Atlantic, for that long and being healthy enough to WALK when he got found...that's impressive. Or maybe, that's why the Arabs and many others say that the gods protect madmen and fools....either way, still impressive.

[Tayana42]

On the west coast it is not uncommon for the CG to declare an entrance closed due to waves breaking across a bar.


S/V B'Shert

[jjernigan1972]

Is this the same boat?
1963 Pearson Alberg 35 sailboat for sale in South Carolina

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Tayana42

On the west coast it is not uncommon for the CG to declare an entrance closed due to waves breaking across a bar.


S/V B'Shert

I was in a bar like that the other night. The bar maid kept getting swept into my arms.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by jjernigan1972

Is this the same boat?
1963 Pearson Alberg 35 sailboat for sale in South Carolina

Indeed. Described as "ready to sail away." Nothing in the ad about being unseaworthy.

[Spleen]

His hair is curly/wavy. If he had a buzz cut when he left, that may very well be 66 days of growth.

His collarbone is likely nearly healed and the back pack looks to have clothes in it. It doesn't look heavy,

[hellosailor]

" Described as "ready to sail away.""
Yeah, it did that successfully, didn't it?


" Nothing in the ad about being unseaworthy. "
Nothing about the Titanic being unseaworthy either, but it still sank.


So?

[roverhi]

Originally Posted by johnmcntsh

I saw part of the interview. Didn't he say he ran out of food early on and had to catch fish with his hands for most of his ordeal?
How the hell do you do that with a broken shoulder?
This story does not pass the sniff test.

I take the above back. He caught with his hands after the shoulder healed and used his clothes as a trap.

Injuries heal, 2 months is more than enough time for the collar bone to knit back together. Must have been awfully painful before it had healed enough to allow decent movement.

[jackdale]

Sailor who survived 66 days at sea: How ordeal could have been prevented - CSMonitor.com

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by jackdale

Sailor who survived 66 days at sea: How ordeal could have been prevented - CSMonitor.com

This article lost me at its description of an Alberg 35 as a wooden boat.

Are there no reporters or CG spokespersons who are sailors... or at least willing to check their facts?

[Cormorant]

The story seems odd but true to me. If a guy just wanted to disappear for two months, there are a lot of much easier ways to do that. He was found on a dismasted boat floating 200 miles offshore. That's an awful lot to set up as a fake.

I'll look forward to hearing more details. So much gets misreported early on. I suspect the "catching fish by hand" was not actually pulling live wriggling fish from the sea in his hand, but probably fishing with a handline, or even just plain old rod and reel fishing.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Whenever I see an account of someone "lost at sea" and then rescued after many days or weeks, I have to wonder "WHY" sailors or boat owners let this unnecessary vanishing happen, when today a sailor can get a PLB for about $250 or an EPIRB for $450.

While some may criticize the EPIRB use by sailors who "hit the Help Me button" for what some may think the wrong reasons, EPIRBs (and PLBs) do work and they do save lives and they do locate vessels in distress very quickly (and that frees up the SAR assets from wasted time searching).

I think stories like this one (and a very similar story some months ago about a man "lost at sea" for 12 days while fishing on a sailboat near Oahu, Hawaii) are good as reminders that some very simple decisions and simple to operate things (EPIRB) can make a big difference in rescue or survival stories.

As one Coast Guard officer said:

"An EPIRB takes the 'search' out of 'Search and Rescue.'"

In this case, having a $260 item (PLB) on board the boat would have meant locating him in minutes or rescuing him in hours, rather than "missing for 66 days" and adrift "surviving" for 64 days.

I think the lesson for ANY boat (power or sail) is: "Don't go offshore without an EPIRB or PLB."

While a boat may sink, as long as the crew has a working EPIRB (or PLB), there is a very good chance they will be located.

[jeepbluetj]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Whenever I see an account of someone "lost at sea" and then rescued after many days or weeks, I have to wonder "WHY" sailors or boat owners let this unnecessary vanishing happen, when today a sailor can get a PLB for about $250 or an EPIRB for $450. ....

From reading his posts, I definitely got the impression that $250 would be a very large sum for liveaboardl.

That close to shore a working VHF would have been a good thing to have too.