Boat on the Beach Destin Florida Oct 21 2017

[geoleo]

....so where was he going? where did he depart from --- dates? Reasons?? Why no crew?

[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by Gafferfan

Wow, just watched this guys video... what a complete ding bat! We are all safer afloat with him off the sea. I can't fathom the thought of paying to be onboard with him for anything over three seconds.

I feel bad for the loss of his vessel as the boat deserved better. This is going to be a great thing for the lawyers I am afraid.

A word of advice, if you are thinking of watching his videos.... be very afraid.

I watched this one for a minute or two:
https://youtu.be/yfAEC1s536k

Looks like he is drunk..

[Gafferfan]

Drunk is an insult to any drunk I have ever known... I used to own a Pub!
This guy is something else!

I am afraid he is going to make out well in the end. Isn't that the way these seemingly incredibly off things seem to end?

I am still at a loss trying to find the reason anyone in his situation aboard that boat would be taking the time to film and run his crazy mouth instead of trying to make the situation better.

I tend to lurk here but this guy has really rubbed me the wrong way...it has driven me to make a comment!

The last crazyish guy that drove me to comment was Kenomac and that ended with us planning to sit and chat over a beer one day!

Sorry Ken this guy has got you beat! I am wondering if he escaped from your day job

[geoleo]

......seems the parasailer boat has right to claim salvage!

[sandy stone]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

I watched this one for a minute or two:
https://youtu.be/yfAEC1s536k

Yeah, I guess one of the reasons I was confused is that I couldn't watch the video for as long as a minute. Wow, a week on a boat with him?

[Scout 30]

When everything is "Gods Plan" you don't have to be responsible for anything. Unless you're sinking abandoning a boat like this when you're just off Sarasota is foolish at best. All he had to do was ride it out & then sail her back in. Might have been uncomfortable but not life threatening. Regarding his interaction with TowBoat US, all we have is his version of events.

The good news is that this is a perfect opportunity to use the old saying, "the sea does not suffer fools gladly".

[Suijin]

All of his videos on YT are filed under the category "Comedy". They should be filed under "Incoherent" as well. Listening to him for more than 30 seconds gives me a headache. Talk about someone who is poor at organizing their thoughts, sheesh.

As to his abandonment of his boat, who knows, not enough information to evaluate it or learn from it.

As for TowBoat US telling him that they would fetch the boat, without the owner on board, take it around and anchor it, that strikes me as somewhat implausible. Doesn't that enter into salvage territory? And I don't recall TowBoat ever taking someone to a anchorage and setting their anchor; they usually insist on taking you to dock. Anyone know of their policy on this?

As for liability, I think that's a stretch. No half-way intelligent TowBoat US operator is going to promise to get the job done. They have not seen the boat, they don't know the anchor situation, how close to the beach he was and the sea state, etc. In other words all of the particulars. Perhaps a determination was made that they could not reach the boat during daylight and needed to wait for the following morning, who knows. I think pinning liability on the tow operator in this situation is a serious stretch. I mean, it was hearsay that the boat was securely anchored to begin with.

[dwedeking2]

Towboat US required that I (or someone) be on board to tow a 41' Morgan 10 minutes across a calm bay from a dock to the shipyards for repair. That was my experience.

[zeehag]

what a waste of good boat and equipment.

[Suijin]

OK out of morbid curiosity I watched some more videos of this guy and I'm calling bullsh!t on his claim of experience. Just some really boneheaded things in the videos leading up to his rescue. Like being 20 miles offshore, solo, with the lifeline gate open right behind his back as he sits on the coaming. Really? When reefing his mainsail he says he nearly fell off the boat twice (and again he's not wearing a PDF or harness). And then finally he goes to start his engine and his batteries are dead. He deduces his alternator is not charging. How he could let his SOC get down to a point where he could not start his engines and not even notice is inconceivable to me.

His videos are like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Excruciating but riveting, unfortunately.

[Scout 30]

Just looking at this logically, towing an abandoned boat is a salvage. Anyone who's ever been towed knows you have to sign the towing contract so the towing captain can get paid by BoatUS. There is no way any towboat captain would "anchor" your boat for you & just drive away with nobody on the boat and no paperwork. It's a ridiculous story that would be laughable if he wasn't slandering a captain & a corporation on the internet.

What is believable is that the TowBoat Us Captain quoted him $11,000 to pull his boat off the beach & take it to a dock. That would be money well spent in my book. It's interesting is that there is no mention of insurance.

[Pete7]

Certainly unusual, it would appear that one side is black and the other white.

Wonder if it's ferro?

Does the US have a 50T Captain's Licence and is it valid outside the US?

Pete

[zeehag]

is this one of the geniuses that decided to outrun irma???

[tinkrman69]

I watched this guy drag around on light thunderstorms....from 20 to 30 knots in the different storms.....for a few months in Gulfport fl. In one case he had some cheap line with polypropylene in it. it floated and wraped around his keel and he drug sideways betwixt another boat and myself. was close enough to me that when I called out to inform him of his dragging anchor, he said "I KNOW" as he watched his course head to another anchored boat. Just watched. his anchor caught just before he hit the other boat and he did nothing till morning....sitting beam to the wind. the next day when I went to offer some help...I even brought over 150 ft of 5/8" line he sent me away with an angry I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING.

I hope he can learn a little humility and with that he might learn how to be a captain. hopefully he learns that before putting innocent lives in his hands on a charter.

Lets see money + GPS = captain? that seems to be the formula today. And a captains license, what a joke, anyone can pass it. I know many people with that piece of paper, but only a few that I would trust to sit at the helm whilst I slept. It's also why there are so many maritime problems. in my past I never remember hearing about so many "sea worthy" boats being abandoned at sea, some just a few miles off shore.

I hope your reading this John. EGO thats where the problem starts. It's used as an acronym, in a fellowship I know of, for Easing God Out. Think about it. if your honest with your self you'll see the parts that need changing and at that point you'll stand a chance of becoming a mariner, instead of a boater. You seem...in your youtube blog....to be a religious man. Maybe an other look at the book of James and Mathew. the first book is really a guide to self examination and the process to right the wrongs found.

I've found that "I" have been a part of every problem that has crossed my path. With the help of a higher power I've been able to correct parts of my character and smooth some of my path and in other areas? I still f@#$up and have to go back and make amends.

I left Key West 5 days before Irma and went to Ft Myers beach....I got lucky....some suggested to go SW. to Guatemala. single handing I figured it would be more dangerous due to sleep deprivation and the storm could still go west and catch me.

I hope you learn from this experience. the storm didn't take Lilly you did. Sarasota would have been a good port. I think thats where you were close to. even Gulfport would have worked. And as far as Boat US? you gave the boat up, why should they pay for your negligence? John Lennon wrote a song that applies to that sue you sue me i think was the name of it. I pay for my mistakes and will continue to and hopefully no one else will have to pay for my mistakes too.

EGO is cunning. watch for it and don't get infected by it. It's a deadly disease and affects all those around the infected party.

PEACE LUV & HAPPINESS
Lance

[hellosailor]

FYI:
"a tow company like that (Tow Boat US)!" The operators are individual franchises, I believe, so you never deal with a mythical "Tow Boat US" no matter what the franchisee's boat says on it. Like every franchise, the quality of each may vary.
It sounds as if all the contact was verbal, over the phone. Which will make it impossible to prove anything in a court beyond "Here are the terms of our service contract" and if that says no unattended tow...he could be SOL on this one.
Keeping an open mind, yeah sure, he should have hauled ass to the boat. But if he was back home in the USVI? Booking a flight, with all the crippled air operations after the hurricanes? Not so easy, not so cheap. If he made the naive mistake of thinking a businessman was on the phone with him, and a reliable one at that...yeah, that's the school of hard knocks.
Someone says "No problem" you have to follow the words of Chairman Mao, Geo. Bush, and a couple of dozen other folks who said "Trust but verify". There are some widely reported rumours that in Florida, even that's an optimistic approach.