Quote:
Originally Posted by avb3
I know many are skeptical of his traumatic time at sea.
I have just one word you should consider.
Shackleton.
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While I also believe that Alvarenga is a survivor and not an impostor, and while I greatly admire Shackleton, I think there are probably not all that many parallels. The Shackleton expedition was extremely well equipped (given the state of
equipment at the time) and set out to achieve the first crossing of the Antarctic continent, so they knew that they were going to be in extreme conditions. When things didn't go as planned, Shackleton proved to be an extremely gifted, resourceful and determined leader who inspired similar qualities in the
men under his command (although they were by no means a homogeneous bunch). Shackleton by himself could never have achieved what he did, were it not for
men like Wild, Worseley, Crean, even McNish, and of course Frank Hurley without whom, as Shackleton himself was aware, the expedition would not have lived on in common memory as it did.
In the
current case, I think it is more a matter of circumstances placing an ordinary man completely unexpectedly into an extraordinary situation which then brought out qualities such as a survival state of mind, combined with physical hardiness and crucial skills that enabled him to utilize the scarce resources within his reach. A good deal of luck was probably involved as well (such as presumably no further major storms after the initial one).
And let us not forget that one other person died. The parents of the youth will probably be much less happy than Alvarenga's parents when hearing the news.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rgscpat
We don't know much about the boat. It's possible that the boat had inherent buoyancy (wood under glass fibre, air tanks, or foam), that the blue box was bolted or secured to the hull, and that any remaining gear on the boat has now become part of the working capital of the residents of Ebon. And, there could be confusion between swelling/edema versus the appearance of normal weight. |
Exactly the points I wanted to make in reply to the same message, but stated much more eloquently. Thanks.
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