This May Seem Like Some Drug-Induced Question . . .

[ude123]

But it really isn't. I'm wondering, if you're in a liferaft(obviously after your boat has deep sixed) and there are sharks in the water could you throw an M-80 or something like that into the water to get the sharks to disperse?

[David M]

Sharks are much less of a problem than Hollywood portrays them to be. I would not worry about it if it ever did happen. The bottom side of a raft does not look like, smell like, move like or sound like food.

[ude123]

I just read that book '66 days adrift' and they seem to have lots of problems with sharks

[David M]

If they survived for 66 days then obviously sharks could not have been that much of a problem.

[Wotname]

First a question: where are the M-80's stored before stepping up into the liferaft - in the packed liferaft or on board?

I can't imagine a real life situation where you are going to be able to store, keep dry and keep SAFE highly dangerous and illegal items on the off-chance JAWS is re-incarnated.
Are you sure it was wasn't a drug induced question .

See also http://www.pyrouniverse.com/m80.htm

[ude123]

ok maybe it was a drug induced question sorry

[Wotname]

And there was no intention to cause offence to you if any was taken -

[ude123]

no offense taken i just thought about it more and it's a pretty stupid question as questions go. you know what i mean?

[David M]

Originally Posted by ude123

no offense taken i just thought about it more and it's a pretty stupid question as questions go. you know what i mean?

Lets try and be a little nicer with each other. There are no "stupid questions" in here. I saw it as a legitimate question. What is not acceptable is being rude to another member.

[Wotname]

Agreed....

[ude123]

You know after thinking about why i would ask such a stupid question i think i subconsciencely wanted to reach out to someone in cyberspace and that's all my conscience could come up with. I didn't want to respond to someone else's thread no i needed to start my own cause that's the kind of guy i am.

[Ex-Calif]

Read the book 66 days adrift if you haven't. I gets a little repetitive IMO - I mean how different can one day be from another for 66 days in a tiny raft but it is interesting to see how they coped and managed.

Sharks were a definite problem but I don't think provoking them further with M-80s would have been the right answer. Also the one overriding issue they had was not damaging their raft for over 2 months. An accidental holing by a nearby m-80 would have been game over.

The one chapter on fixing a leak in the raft was harrowing to read as it was. One screw up and they would have been lost.

[maxingout]

In eleven years of offshore sailing, I think I have seen a shark only one time offshore. I suspect the reason is because we don't do things that attract sharks. If we had been spear fishing, then I'm sure we would have seen sharks when inshore, but offshore, sharks were really rare for us. Whales were much more common.

I don't think that floating in a liferaft is going to attract lots of sharks unless you are doing things that get their attention. Fishing could attract them particularly if you don't land the fish quickly. Keeping the water free from blood and injured fish would be an excellent idea.

Survival stories often recount episodes of sharks bumping into life rafts in a purposeful manner to figure out what it is, and whether it is worth eating. Unless they are in a feeding frenzy that you create with blood or injured fish in the water, it is probably unlikely that they are going to take a bite out of the raft. Of course, since I am not a shark, I could be totally wrong on this.

[ude123]

i just had another incoherent thought and wondered to myself and now to this very fine board, why does the board list GordMay as the top poster when he is a moderator and has an unfair advantage. How can someone like me ever strive to have our name listed prominently there on the home page if GordMay basically has the thing locked up?

[GordMay]

GordMay is listed as the “Top Poster” because, since 2003 (when he joined), he has contributed more posts than anyone else.

This is a result of his being a bigmouthed (big keyboarded?) & opinionated old fart, with too much early morning time on his hands.

Given his lead over you (8,494 - 11), you’ll likely have to share a lot of incoherent thoughts, for a long time, to catch up.

It has nothing to do with being a moderator; and everything to do with his being a busybody.

Thanks for noticing.