New candidates for the marine Darwin award

[Jim Cate]

Hard to believe, but all too possible...

https://us.yahoo.com/news/two-girls-...112755341.html

Jim

[kayakerChuck]

That's a shame.

[skipperpete]

Was there ever a plausible explanation for the drifting catamaran with sails up and engines running but with the 2 elderly crew missing. This happened in Australian east coast waters.

[RaymondR]

That title's a bit insensitive Jim.

Sounds like she may have been dragged into the water by the anchor whilst whilst anchoring and they jumped into the water to save her.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

Was there ever a plausible explanation for the drifting catamaran with sails up and engines running but with the 2 elderly crew missing. This happened in Australian east coast waters.

You are thinking of the Kaz II with a crew of 3.
Most of the story is here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaz_II and here https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...lead-8049.html

[Chotu]

there have been a couple of these. I anchored in downtown Fort Myers during this little trip. Somebody just died in the Anchorage there. In a 19 foot Jon boat.

apparently these guys capsized in the Anchorage somehow. One of them was recovered and the other one is still missing and presumed dead.

[hpeer]

Delaware River, mid summer, we see a big thunder storm coming so hustle in to dock. Across from our dock is a public launch ramp. Some guy is launching a 16 to 18 foot Jon boat. His equipment, in total consists of and outboard, fuel tank, and 2 young ladies wearing tiny bikinis. ThT is IT! They take off just as we finish tying up, 2 minutes later ther storm hit. I heard no news so I suppose they survived.

Unfortunatly that is not the worst, or least thought out we have witnessed. Yet we know of no one dead, miraculously. I suppose others could tell better stories.

The thing is, there are then we'll prepared sailors who come to grief, despite their best efforts. Fate can be cruel, and fickle.

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

That title's a bit insensitive Jim.

Sounds like she may have been dragged into the water by the anchor whilst whilst anchoring and they jumped into the water to save her.

The article says she jumped in. Maybe couldn’t reach the eye halfway down the bow from inside the boat by leaning over the bow but thought she could more easily reach it from the water. But once in the water and with the bow bouncing up and down in the waves, she couldn’t get the anchor line through the eye and tied off from there either. I can sort of understand doing that if she was a reasonably strong swimmer, but the part I can’t wrap my head around is why the two men would both jump in to help her, leaving the 2 young children all alone in the boat, rather than just starting the outboard and motoring back up to where she was.

[CaptTom]

I see it as a tragedy. We've all done dumb things that, on reflection, were just as bad as what these two guys did. We got lucky. They (and their families) didn't.

The one thing I'm sure of is that reporters get things wrong. I don't know why, or even if, she "jumped" in. I don't know why, or even if, the two guys decided she needed rescuing. I have lots of questions. You'd think a good reporter would have answered them.

[Knotical]

Sad story which leaves several questions unanswered-

-why did she jump in to “tie” the anchor? Could have tied it onboard and thrown the anchor
-why did both men jump after her? Would have been better if 1 jumped and 1 stayed aboard, especially with kids on the boat
-why weren’t they wearing PFDs? This is the most aggravating part

Security briefing by rental companies should include a very basic instruction on how to anchor, often times they just show you a small Danforth lying in a locker without the rode attached to the boat.

I know it is a matter of personal responsibility but every boater should wear a PFD when in the open, could be the cockpit/deck of a sailboat or a Jon boat.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

That title's a bit insensitive Jim.

Sounds like she may have been dragged into the water by the anchor whilst whilst anchoring and they jumped into the water to save her.

Insensitive? Perhaps, but as written, the story describes several people making rather thoughtless decisions which cost them their lives.

And such actions are what the Darwin awards are all about: poor choices that remove folks from the gene pool.

And FWIW, I doubt if the anchor supplied for a small rental Jon boat is heavy enough to drag an adult person from inside the boat.

If my title has offended anyone, I apologize but do not retract it.

Jim

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Wotname

You are thinking of the Kaz II with a crew of 3.

Most of the story is here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaz_II and here https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...lead-8049.html

Thanks Wottie, indeed it was Kaz2, I was overseas when this happened and never got the full story but it seems a likely candidate for the Darwin awards given that they had a trailing line as a possible swim rope. Up till now I didn’t know there was a video taken by the helmsman just before the disappearance of the entire complement. To this day there’s been no plausible explanation.
Patanella remains as a very mysterious disappearance but not in the category of Darwin awards.

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Insensitive? Perhaps, but as written, the story describes several people making rather thoughtless decisions which cost them their lives.

And such actions are what the Darwin awards are all about: poor choices that remove folks from the gene pool.

And FWIW, I doubt if the anchor supplied for a small rental Jon boat is heavy enough to drag an adult person from inside the boat.

If my title has offended anyone, I apologize but do not retract it.

Jim

Maybe, but I'd like to see a more comprehensive and authoritative report than a short media scrip. People who can't swim are generally reluctant to leap into deep water.

[Mickeyrouse]

A long time ago, I heard this:

“It’s always amazing what goes to sea- and returns.”

[lestersails]

Hafta be a little careful with these. It is like a kid refusing candy to pass up a chance to ridicule folks. While I am certain there are a lot of dim bulbs out there* the media often doesn't report the whole story and a missing fact or two could often lead to an ill-considered leap to a wrong conclusion. Like all awards, this one should only be bestowed following thorough research. Not saying that this one is undeserved, but I am not sure and the story reads to me like something is missing...

*Remember - half the population has a two digit IQ.