Two cruising boats missing in the Pacific

[hellosailor]

"does uscg charge now for sar services?"
Indirectly, yes. Of course they do. We simply call it "for the public good" and pull it out of the general tax revenues.
Other agencies have indeed looked at that funding issue and DO charge "victims" for rescue services, depending on the situation. The state of New Hampshire is one of the leaders in taking a balanced approach: They examine the winter rescue situation, and if some fool has ignored storm warnings, ignored posted "Don't go here" signs, and then calls 911 to come get them anyway...they're getting a bill. If the same idiot went for a walk in the same park in July and a blizzard came out of nowhere? There would be no bill for the same rescue. Common sense is applied. It IS possible.

I don't know about the USCG pulling any SAR assets for maintenance, but I do know that is a very real issue. There was a page over on Doug Ritter's excellent web site (equipped.org) about a light aircraft pilot who spent time literally IN the Pacific because the USCG simply had no available assets to come get him after a water landing. If an aircraft is scheduled for maintenance...I'd hate to be the guy who said "Naw, just finish the mission first" and then try to explain why it fell down.

Heck, there are some places in the US where you pay for 911 response, even fire rescue. And pretty much every EMS response gives you a bill--whether you asked for them, or someone else sent them to the incident.

[zeehag]

the latest communication with daughter today...
there will be a memorial for richard and she will keep in touch with me.
the memorial date and time is tbd.

[JPA Cate]

Rest in peace, Richard.

Ann

[hpeer]

My condolences as well.

[weavis]

Woke at 3 am Spanish time to this sad report.

So very sad.

We hope for the best always in the sailing world and deal with the outcome as it happens.

Condolences to the family on behalf of the Moderation team and each one of us individually.

[SailingFan]

Hope that he shows up still. If he shows after the memorial, though, his family will have real reason to celebrate.
Fair winds, following seas, Richard!

[Cherod]

Very sad for all , tragedy for those involved , rip Richard

[steve77]

Originally Posted by zeehag

the latest communication with daughter today...
there will be a memorial for richard and she will keep in touch with me.
the memorial date and time is tbd.

Very sorry to hear this. Prayers for the family.

Thank you so much for keeping all of us up to date.

Steve

[zeehag]

i wanna know what really happened.

[ggy]

For those that were following Richard Carr's saga last year, his daughter published an article yesterday that might be of interest.
http://www.outsideonline.com/2360811...arance-pirates

It seems the gist of the article is that he went a bit mad; personally, I'd guess some other factor like dehydration, CO poisoning, or similar. I'm not sure what other's opinions are, but I've done a solo cross-ocean trip and there doesn't seem to me to be anything that would cause one to go mad, especially in these days of modern electronics where you can at least communicate via text quite easily.
In the end it doesn't really matter I suppose exactly how Richard met his end other than as a lesson for those that choose to go it alone. I've been in what I presume was his headspace of wanting to do something bold and daring for my own personal satisfaction. Paying the ultimate price is extremely unfortunate but it's unlikely he didn't ask himself that question several times before shoving off.
In my opinion there are real risks in single-handing but generally the risks are physical (broken bones, etc.) not mental. Of course, not discounting the fact that when one is extremely sleep deprived, risks may not be evaluated properly.
Anyway, it's a heartwrenching story, especially from the perspective of what his family went through with all the gibberish he texted over a protracted time. It must have been such a helpless feeling and ultimately with no permanent sense of closure. My heart goes out to them.

[zeehag]

the thought is no w low level carbon monoxide poisoning which is probable as his engine was being repaired in questionable locations. mazatlan is not a engine rebuild center, especially with a 90+ percent rate of return work. he left mazatlan after having someone mess with his engine. went to banderas bay then left for marquesas as one of last puddle jumpers to go. his reports showed he was better once out of cabin, and worse when inside. makes sense.
family is still dealing with the loss. takes much time to recover from a sudden loss such as this.

[ggy]

I'm not sure where you heard about the CO poisoning possibility but it seems to be very consistent to me. I thought the poor spelling was a great indicator. When someone does go mad I assume their spelling wouldn't generally be affected.
We can all take a lesson (whether that was actually what happened or not) to be vigilant. Make sure you have a CO detector onboard and that it is functional.
I'm reinforcing this in my brain as I type this.

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by ggy

I'm not sure where you heard about the CO poisoning possibility but it seems to be very consistent to me. I thought the poor spelling was a great indicator. When someone does go mad I assume their spelling wouldn't generally be affected.
We can all take a lesson (whether that was actually what happened or not) to be vigilant. Make sure you have a CO detector onboard and that it is functional.
I'm reinforcing this in my brain as I type this.

i am in communication with daughter. i was next door neighbor in mazatlan before he sailed to banderas bay. i hold in my possession his green shades for dodger. yes i am aware of issues of htis event. i can give you more history if you wish. yes we had a conversation about his messages and his state of mind and conditions. ask if you have any questions i am sure we can satisfy the curiosity except how and why and wherefor the vanishment. that is a mystery. the repairs and such we know about and witnessed. bubba daboatkat placed his stamp paw of approval on his boat pre departure. the only thing he had not addressed was state of mind and mental preparedness.

[Jim Cate]

Was he reporting running the engine a lot? That wasn't addressed in her blog IIRC.

But diesels don't make much CO, at least compared to petrol engines, so I'm at least a bit dubious about the idea of mental breakdown due to chronic CO poisonng: small production plus only occasional use of engine (limited fuel supplies) make that somewhat unlikely, but still possible, I suppose.

Dunno why folks don't think he just had a breakdown from "natural" causes: sleep deprivation, loneliness, stress...these sorts of factors have pushed many folks over the edge.

I've great sympathy for the family, but feel that he went out doing what he wanted to do. There are worse ways to go.

Jim

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Was he reporting running the engine a lot? That wasn't addressed in her blog IIRC.

But diesels don't make much CO, at least compared to petrol engines, so I'm at least a bit dubious about the idea of mental breakdown due to chronic CO poisonng:
Jim

True, diesel produces a fraction of the CO that a gasoline engine does. What most people forget is that CO in the blood is cumulative and can take up to two weeks for the blood to return to normal. Days or weeks of a little bit every day can do significant damage.