Broken Boom

[Manie B]

Guys i came across this and simply couldn't believe what i was reading

http://www.sail-world.com/Cruising/Rescued-French-yachtsman-feared-for-his-life/62289

this guy is a danger to himself and anybody out there

surely this is not possible

i would love to hear what our "old salts" would do in such a situation

[gonzo]

I get tired of these horror stories. A broken boom is not a major problem. He is just one more unprepared idiot.

[marshmat]

Most yachts I've seen can sail under jib alone if necessary.... or can fire up the motor.

And can someone explain to me what a yacht is doing off the north coast of Australia with only a two-day reserve of fresh water? Or why its captain would take off single-handed with only a single electric autopilot and no backup system?

[apex1]

Bad luck he made it this time! So we have a chance to meet him in the future. Watch out north of OZ!

[hoytedow]

Darwin. This guy is the exception who proves the rule of Survival of the fittest...

[BHOFM]

I think you could get a lot out of the main without the
boom.

Wonder if he knows which end is the front?

[PAR]

I think a lot is made of the boom, which doesn't seem to be his big problem. His major difficulties were that he didn't have a clue and relied on his self steering gear. When it went down, he felt he must remain at the helm, which just isn't the case. He could have easily hove off, run before a warp, etc. and gone below and had a meal, which would have returned his energy and more importantly his wits. His panic, caused a downward spiral that he was unable to recover from. In a few more days, the gulls would have had a good look at his eye balls. Without the technology, he was helpless. In other words, he wasn't a sailor and in a position where only a sailor should dare venture.

[RHP]

God bless the French.

[gonzo]

I recently made an eight day passage without an autopilot. It slowed me down having to lash the tiller and find a sail combination that kept the course. However, it is not that hard.

[kach22i]

Stupid question; There are classes, books and other sources of training/ knowledge which would prepare someone like the above non-sailor, right?

People just buy boats and take off in them all the time?

[gonzo]

Not really. You can read for years, but it doesn't prepare you for the shock of physical danger. Some people can never deal with it and just panic. I suppose the only way is to start small and see if you can take it. It is full of people that think they handle situations like those because they read a lot of magazines and took a boating safety class.

[marshmat]

Not really. You can read for years, but it doesn't prepare you for the shock of physical danger. Some people can never deal with it and just panic. I suppose the only way is to start small and see if you can take it. It is full of people that think they handle situations like those because they read a lot of magazines and took a boating safety class.
Hard to argue with that.

Still, it's often said that of the approx. 90% of the population who will instinctively react the wrong way when put in a crisis situation, only the bottom 10% are truly screwed- the rest can learn to handle it and solve the problem, if given appropriate training and practice before heading out.

[gonzo]

I think that the mental and emotional training is the most important. A person that can stay cool in a dangerous situation will make better decision even without experience in that particular emergency. The survival and cruising training, in my opinion, lack enough emphasis in that point. Panic may be an instinctive reaction to a "no way out" problem, but a logical approach and preplanning are better.

[RHP]

With your luck Gonzo, I'm surprised this has never happened to you! :eek:

[gonzo]

Breaking a boom? I've done that.

[bntii]

Sounds like he understands well enough the source of his difficulties.
Himself:

"She is a sailor too - but I think a better one than me,' he said. "

[gonzo]

I think the famous Fastnet race about 30 years ago was one of the best examples of this kind of behaviour. Boats were abandoned because they broke the rudder. The crew drowned in a liferaft and the boat was found floating alone.

[PAR]

Gonzo has it. People have to be honest with themselves, which very rarely they are. Most don't react with calm determination, which is precisely what you need in these situations. If you can't focus on the issues that face you for emotional or other reasons, you're screwed.

Training can help, but reality is a much better teacher. Some folks just suckled too long or something and can't cope. These are the ones that stand up and run madly into withering gun fire at the first signs of battle. Boot camp tries to weed these out, but inexorability some manage to fool their way past the DI's and get blown up, in spite of their training. Think of it as nature's way of weeding out the gene pool . . .