Quote:
Originally Posted by sabray
Humphrey Barton sailed a small Vertue class wrong way across the Atlantic.
Robert Manry sailed the tiny Tinkerbelle across the Atlantic. Two Golden globe contenders rowed across the Atlantic. Roz savage rowed across three oceans. Some guy tried to paddle board across the Atlantic. 3 women also set out to paddle board across the Atlantic. Slocum sailed around in a worn out old fishing boat. Could be a long list.
Today a paramedic died responding to a car fire. They all become there own stories. Some of these thought about adding a twist of some benefit. Not sure about that but if it works for them Im good with it.
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The difference with the Vertue and the Tinkerbelle, or in fact most ocean-crossing attempts until the invention of the
EPIRB, satphones and other beacons/means of communication, was that the sailors in question knew that
they would not, in all likelihood, be rescued.
Unless they exploded right in the path of a freighter, it is rather doubtful they would even leave recoverable debris.
I am persuaded that the skill level or "game" brought to such attempts was therefore, by necessity, higher in the past than now, where the big red button/GPS/satphones may persuade people they needn't bother
quite as much with the seamanship because...well, there's a big red "save my backside!" button.
If you went cruising until, say, 1990, especially off the beaten track and without
SSB, you were essentially out-of-touch from the point of disapppearing over the horizon to showing up at the other side.
Hence, we may have a situation where less-qualified sailors are attempting more dangerous "stunt" voyages, but the
danger level to SAR personnel is hardly lessened, as they are now able to go near the limit of their
rescue range by homing in on a beacon instead of laying out a visual search grid.
There's still the hazard of hauling out someone from the
water and then trying to get back in one piece to land.