BFS Proponent Rescued at Sea - Page 11

Shack · #**101** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

This guy was no more heroic at this stunt than was George Armstong Custer. He also expected others to pay with their lives in return for his reckless, self driven choices. Sure! a little e'lan goes a long way, but only so much as its accompanied by proper planning, training, and equipment.

This guy set sail with little more than a great attitude, and expected that it was all he needed to accomplish any task! No one can say he did not have energetic initiative, but his misplaced judegement almost got himself killed and risked the lives of those reserved for "unintentional" emergencies. A Marine should know exacty what the proper mix of planning and execution is, but he screwed that one up. People like him tend to take uneccesary risks in combat, too, and it makes me wonder.

I can applaud his combat service and tenacity. But he may be failing to attribute the deliberate factors that attributed to his previous successes. His fellow Marines carefully trained, prepared and planned so that he and his buddies would not be a target, and let's not forget the Corpsman and Docs who trained and prepared to treat wounds like his. I doubt he would've wanted the guy who "slept at a Holiday Inn last night" to heal his wounds no matter how much of a positive attitude the guy had.

tdw · #**102** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

Crescent Head is only 15 nms nth of Port Macquarie so they only managed to cover 27 nms in 18 days before they fetched up on the rocks at Crsecnt Head which does not have a port. 12nms Sth of PM is open roadstead. Urrkk. It's a wonder they got as far as they did.

BluewaterBruce · #**103** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

C'est la vie

ckgreenman · #**104** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by runner

Like I said before, let the one that never did anything stupid please throw the first stone.

Doing something stupid is one thing. Doing something stupid while knowingly putting your own life at risk because you aren't prepared (and possibly risking others who have to rescure you) is something totally different. And by the way, nobody here is questioning the people who went to the rescue. They DID do the right thing. The person whose actions are in question is getting ready to do it again assuming we buy him a new boat.

runner · #**105** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

Still trying to buy my own boat. Can't afford one for him!

tdw · #**106** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

Bit of hypocrisy on my part as I have no qualifications whatsoever but I tend to agree with Alex re people going offshore unprepared personally. If we were not allowed to clear out without an offshore skipper certificate a lot of these types of incidents could be avoided. If not a certificate as such then at least we should be required to show that we have done the required number of coastal passages.

I don't think the boat problems were necessarily avoidable, shite happens, but the fact that he didn't know what to do after his rudder broke was totally avoidable with the correct training.

Quite frankly all this waffle about the guy being a marine is just that except that maybe just maybe this supposedly highly trained professional should have thought that he also needed some level of training in this new pursuit.

sailaway21 · #**107** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by runner

I never said I admired anyone's spunk in the first place.
In that situation I would discipline the person that was supposed to keep him and everyone else uninvited out of the area, but yes, I would jump to go pull his bacon out of the fire. The area commander would not like me much afterward tho! Rescues are almost always people that made some seemingly stupid mistake for whatever reason. Would I go risk my life to rescue people from their attics because they were too stupid to obey a manditory evacuation during a hurricane? Yep!
The sea has very little to do with this story except that it is what put the whuppin on the boy!

Actually, it has everything to do with the sea and very little else. My patience with those who've seen little of the sea is running a bit thin here, especially when they choose to challenge the reasonable advise of those who've pissed more salt water than they've sailed. Try to remember that this is supposed to be primarily an educational forum.

ckgreenman · #**108** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailaway21

Actually, it has everything to do with the sea and very little else. My patience with those who've seen little of the sea is running a bit thin here, especially when they choose to challenge the reasonable advise of those who've pissed more salt water than they've sailed. Try to remember that this is supposed to be primarily an educational forum.

Hell I have very little sea time and none under sail but I know damn good and well that I have no business trying to cross an ocean. I WILL NOT try it until I know I'm ready and even then only if I have a good reason and have made plenty of precautions.

In a nutshell, I have common sense.

Stillraining · #**109** (**permalink**) 10-13-2008

I know this fellow will evoke a lot of emotion also...but one has to wonder if he would have even pressed the mommy button as some have apply called it even if he had one at the time.

I get the gut feeling of no...

WebbChiles

After reading a lot of his web site and watching a number of his videos
I hope our friend Ronnie takes just a few minutes to read how much worse things could still get before his next decision plays out whatever he decides to do.
If not... most of his circumnavigation may be aboard freighters I'm afraid.. and that would be sad indeed.

Valiente · #**110** (**permalink**) 10-14-2008

It's been some time now.