[jephotog]

The problem I could see with an attempted rescue is approaching a boat with 20, 30 or 100 panic stricken people and asking the men to respect your wishes and let the women and children to calmly step onboard first. My concern would be a chance your boat would be overwhelmed by a panicked group. Short of that i would not turn by back on a drowning crowd for fear of being hijacked.

 

[MikeOReilly]

I just want to say, thank you AxelK. I hope I can follow your lead if ever faced with the same situation; provide what assistance I can without overtly endangering my crew or my vessel.

 

[PhilCarlson]

so if you can't get anyone on the radio and/or people are drowning what are you going to do?

Good question.

1. Not become part of the emergency, or create a new emergency.

2. Everything possible considering number 1.

 

[Rmaddy]

I don't think there are many opportunities to save the lives of 100's of people without taking on a least some risk. This is why such rescues are lauded as heroic, selfless, etc.

 

[Don L]

Time to upgrade your electronics, my 21 ft boat has two means of satellite communication, together they cost me less than a $1k.

do you somehow believe that answered the question in any way?

There's lots of posts here from people who wanted to go rescue the crazy guy who had the crew all scared and was choking the captain right before he jumped overboard. So far near as I can tell none of you are recusing a boatload of drowning women and children.

 

[Arcb]

do you somehow believe that answered the question in any way?

There's lots of posts here from people who wanted to go rescue the crazy guy who had the crew all scared and was choking the captain right before he jumped overboard. So far near as I can tell none of you are recusing a boatload of drowning women and children.

My point was with regards to your comunication comment. If you think you might be too far out of VHF range to make a distress call there is equipment you can buy such as; EPIIRBs, PLBs, Delormes, SPOTXs that can get a distress call out. Especially handy if you want to avoid notifying the every vessel in the area of your where abouts. So yes, I thought it did answer your question about not being able to radio any one.

 

[Minnewaska]

do you somehow believe that answered the question in any way?

There's lots of posts here from people who wanted to go rescue the crazy guy who had the crew all scared and was choking the captain right before he jumped overboard. So far near as I can tell none of you are recusing a boatload of drowning women and children.

First, I didn't read anyone say they wouldn't help. Many said they wouldn't go over to a raft with 100 people aboard and start offloading them. That sounds smart.

Talk about hypocrisy. You thought it was too dangerous for three adults to attempt to rescue one crazed MOB, but tacitly criticize those that don't want to take on 100, with the odds reversed.

As you couldn't get through your head during that discussion, you don't have to take the victim back aboard. You provide flotation and call for help, but you advocated to just sail away. If you find 100 folks on a raft, you call for help.

 

[Don L]

And when you can’t get anyone or it’s going to be so long that they are going to drown

What you going to do?

Come on tell us if you are letting them on your boat.

 

[RegisteredUser]

Why use this thread when decent porn is easily available?

 

[Don L]

Why use this thread when decent porn is easily available?

It’s kind of messy and I get hurt if I try the moves

 

[chuck5499]

Poops, I didn't mean the thread to be proactive re the Cuba situation.

So I changed to title to say 'the Med'. There the situation is quite abnormal and a humanitarian disaster from the Syrian war and militancy in North Africa.

On a trip across the Atlantic in 2010 from the Caranry Islands to the Caribbean I snuck into the skippers briefing of a large rally heading west. There was a stark warning to watch for boats between Africa and the Cape Verde Islands.

In the Med itself the distance between the north African coast and Italy is quite short and an attractive option for some.
Also there's been stories of traffickers taking peoples money and then when offshore jumping into another boat leaving the unfortunates in non seaworthy boats without food, water of means of navigation.

Standing off and contacting the 'authorities' sounds like the method that I would have to do.

Its sad this is what we have come to.

Mark

We sailed these waters a few times. Never saw any migrants. However when we left Lambedusa for Tunisia - one of the main routes the Italian told us if we saw anything call them. It is a 100nm sail or we leave in the afternoon for a morning arrival (we do not go into ports in the dark) - Because of the distance I said that works for 20nm and they laughed and gave me the HF radio frequency to use - they also said be very careful and do not pick them up.

The problem is you do not know who is on the boat. ISIS members are trying to get into the EU and these are not nice people that you want on your boat. The problem is also the NGOs were picking up anyone and dropping them off in the EU and the Libyan coast guard was ineffective. That has all changed with the Libyan coast guard now operating and Italy refusing and even confiscating NGO ship. Other countries also are refusing to allow NGO ships to dock. The only one that seems to be completely open now is France.

As the NOGs become less frequent and the bad guys - ISIS - are becoming more desperate the situation will become more dangerous if you pick someone up. THESE ARE NOT CUBAN REFUGEES. We have dealt with Cubans in small boats that had issues off Fla and threw water to them as we waited off while the CG arrived. We would do that here. We would lay off and call who ever answered on the HF or a relay from a big ship who would take our vhf call.

 

[Rmaddy]

This thread should have started with a reminder of the ethical duty to render assistance to those in distress through the means one has at ones' disposal. We could have positively listed the things one could do to render aid and nurtured the moral impulses of our community. Instead, the OP led off with an outlier story about pirates and a legally/factually incorrect designation of refugees as "illegal migrants". Context and framing matter, so we got what we got.

 

[john61ct]

And that was their motivation for posting to start with.

Glad to see most here don't buy into the artificially-created hate

 

[AxelK]

This thread should have started with a reminder of the ethical duty to render assistance to those in distress through the means one has at ones' disposal. We could have positively listed the things one could do to render aid and nurtured the moral impulses of our community. Instead, the OP led off with an outlier story about pirates and a legally/factually incorrect designation of refugees as "illegal migrants". Context and framing matter, so we got what we got.

Very good point, couldn't agree more.