Idiot or Hero?

[Steve Pope]

The NZ cat 1 regulations only relate to NZ registered yachts that want to leave NZ. A yacht can cruise out to the 200 mile limit without cat 1. This can cover from 200 miles south of the Auckland islands to 200 miles north of Raoul Island and 200 miles east of the Chatham islands. More than 1/2 way to Fiji or New Caledonia if you are heading North. Cat 1 status is only valid until your arrival at your first point of entry in another country, Usually Fiji / Tonga 9 to 14 days after leaving the NZ mainland. As far as NZ authorities are concerned it then downgrades to cat 2. In reality it downgrades to nothing as there is no one to check its status until the yacht returns to NZ and wants to leave again, starting the whole proceedure all over again. So if it is more than a year after the issue of the original cat 1 you start by forking out $700.00 to a $1,000,00+ to have your life raft dismantled / repacked etc. and so on it goes.
It is my opinion that the NZ bureaucrats thought that other countries would embrace the cat 1 principle, didn't happen, good thing for most competent cruising sailors. The incompetents will always be there cat 1 or not, it is part of the price you pay for Freedom,look after it, weve already had ours restricted.

[Amgine]

I remember reading a story someplace, and have not the faintest clue as to its veracity but it doesn't really matter as I find the ideas inspiring.

A sailor came upon a gentleman swimming away from his sailboat as it was going under. He'd heard no mayday, and it was pure coincidence that he discovered and rescued the swimmer. When asked, the rescued man said he did, in fact, have a radio, but since he'd taken the risks he didn't feel it would have been proper to ask others to risk their lives for his. So, as his boat had gradually took on water over the course of a week, outstripping his ability to pump it out by hand, he came face to face with dying and, with the deck awash, stepped into the water.

Taking a risk is something I do as a leisure activity. I don't think it'd be fair for me to ask others to take those risks, especially to save my sorry bacon. So I take extra precautions, rather than an epirb.