Build yourself a boat and do a lap, crazy or not?

Totally agree Kay9 - all these 'clever' buggers leave it to the professionals to pull them out of the 5h1t when it all goes wrong - but never listen to them before it does and get help to prevent it going wrong!!

It's amazing the number of 'professionals' that get killed saving the numpties from themselves, AND THAT SADDENS ME - I know, I once was a professional and have lost some good friends due to the actions of fools (I'm not saying we wouldn't do it again if lives were in peril of course we fcuking would! But we'd rather not if possible - we have wives and loved ones too, don't our children deserve to know their fathers??

 

Many people die daily for much less than the chance of feeling freedom and a sense of purpose... yet no one prevents anyone else from driving in a car just to name one aspect. Seems to me you can save more people's lives by just preventing trafic.

You noticed the cars some people drive in ? When the sh2t hits the fan then someone else also has to help the driver out. Maybe it's acceptable because it happens 20x a day, but no one is going to walk. Rather die than walk.

 

I have never seen the road swell up to a 45' hill and descend on the tow truck driver after a car crash.....have you?

 

No, but I have seen truck and busses descending on cars and even taxi's on motorbikes.

My best friend was killed in a bike accident by another driver. Point is, Kay, I would never have thought of telling him, not to drive home that night thus taking the little freedom of choice we have left. We all have different abilities. One person can do something with aparent ease, for someone else it is impossible, yet we are all judged the same. Sucks eh ! Tell me what you do and I'll tell you what you can't do.

 

Im not intrested in telling you, you cant drive. But I am intrested in telling you that you cant drive a car made out of cardboard fueled by nitro glycern with no windows to look out of and 1 forward gear that propells it at 100mph with no steering wheel.

 

K9 has a fair point, though I disagree that we discourage attempts like this because it's outside the box, etc.

I discourage these things, because of the ramifications it brings others, when ill advised attempts at fame or other adventure, costs all of us additional regulation and big brother scrutiny.

Taking your vessel and crew into harms way in an effort to save a butthead isn't my concern, mostly because the burden is on the rescuer, not the victim. If additional harm comes, as a result of a rescue attempt, the rescuer is usually at fault, not the rescue victim.

We as designers and builders have enough hoops to jump through, for the satisfaction of several governing bodies.

If lots of folks started madly jumping off roof tops in 2008, you can rest assured in 2009 they'd have some new element added to building codes, requiring a fence, of specific minimum dimensions and material types on every new roof built, with a grandfather clause to handle the sale of previously built but not yet upgraded roofs. All to keep future potential buttheads, safe and sound.

In the end, I'm a solid and firm believer in personal freedoms, with the ability to use common sense when necessary, to not endanger myself or others. We as a free people, must assume the same of others, for the moment we stop and require curtailing, even just a small amount of these freedoms, we as a people are considerable diminished, because once the dam is breached, the flow if very difficult to stop and ever so small bits of other freedoms will be garnished, until we are forced to toss off the bonds of yet another unreasonable government.

So in the end, we try our best to dissuade possible future victims, but let them learn in their own fashion. If they survive, they can pass the word of their accomplishments and write about how foolish they were in their autobiography. If they don't, their unique genetic combination has removed from the gene pool.

 

Cars and boats are made, or can be made of the same materials. Not sure how a cardboard made car fits in this rediculous argument with nitro glycern with no windows to look out of and 1 forward gear that propells it at 100mph with no steering wheel.

If lots of folks started madly jumping off roof tops in 2008, you can rest assured in 2009 they'd have some new element added to building codes - which is the typical thinking I'm sure since some sh3thead can make a lot of money off'n it, but wouldn't it be a solution to find the reason why the people are jumping off the roof tops and treat that ?

We as free people ? You can't even put a boat to water without everyone jumping on you with every reason under the sun why you cannot do it. That to me is not freedom !

Instead, why doesn't everyone - with all the expert skills and abilities here, help the guy via e-mail or whatever means and advise him on some points that may be problematic. That way he has a better chance of making it and you have actually attempted to make a positive contribution. Should take about the same amount of effort than critisizing eh !

 

Im sorry you dont get it. Your analogy was about cars.

Not specific to this guy, but in a lot of cases people have tried crossing the oceans in everything from bathtubs, to rowboats, to rubber rafts. Some of the ventures are well funded with a chase boat for rescue, most are not. At present the west coast CG of the US is spending $25,000.00 daily to try to find the latest stunter, from Japan that tried to cross the North Pacific in a hot air ballon in the winter. Now Im paying for this in more then just cash. So Im going to have a say in your stunt via my government. If you want to stunt across the oceans in your homemade al. tube boat, go right ahead. But when or if it falls apart, DO NOT GET ON THE RADIO and beg for me to come get you.

K9

 

You want this to become personal for some reason ?

If it wasn't for 'to try to find the latest stunter' some people would not have a job or the service would not exist.

 

No Im not trying to be personal. It is not meant as an attack only an answer as to why Im useing a cardboard car as an analogy.

And by you, I mean people in general. Do not take my post as a personal attack it certainly was not ment that way.

K9

 

This is a serious subject, and it obviously stirs passions. Nothing said so far was personal, just evidence of strong feelings. That's understandable. I have a nephew who was a resue swimmer. If he died trying to rescue some idiot in a poorly conceived and executed excuse for a boat, I would be proud that he died living up to the highest standards of honor. But I would be deeply angered that the whole thing should never have happened.

I'm not eloquent enough to find the exact words to express it, but there is a profound difference between rescuing someone who took reasonably recognized precautions and gained experience before trying to push the envelope, and rescuing someone who refused to or was too ignorant to recognize the need for reasonable standards of preparation.

Sometime last year there was an attempt at an Atlantic crossing by someone rowing, I think, a very small boat. Less than 10 miles into the journey, he was on the radio screaming for a tow back to shore. He said he had no idea ocean swells were so big. He had never been offshore in his life.

There is a difference. I don't want the government to be the arbiter, though. That would morph into a huge confiscation of freedom. Of the two alternatives, I'll take the one that allows idiots to do stupid things, and pray none of the brave ones who go out are killed trying to help the pathetic ones.

 

Fanie, I'm not sure how it works in your country, but in the US you can drop a boat in the water and go without much effort. Of course you are required to have certain devices, such as PFD's, horns, proper registration, etc. but little else. Where after you can elicit any adventure you dare.

Some people don't want advise or accept expert opinion. Clearly the original NA's bailing out of the project and the difficulties with the next NA are indications of the inabilities of this particular person's willingness to respect experienced reason.

This individual has ignored requests of family, friends, loved ones and experts. He has received lots of email and other correspondence in regard to potential problems, but there's only two conclusions you can draw. He is unable to comply or is unwilling to comply. The boat is complete and his plans are in place so plainly he is able to comply. You can't force anyone to think what they aren't willing to accept. This is the fundamental element of freedom, the right to choose.

I'm more then qualified to criticize his behavior, his project, plans and experience on all levels (over 30 years of experience and many tens of thousands of sea miles). More frankly, I can express whatever I well feel like, usually backing it up with considerably more then emotionally based dribble about how we must save everyone from themselves.

I've been involved in several rescues and would happily do it again. I haven't a choice in this regard. If I'm close enough to assist, I must. This isn't an option at the discretion of the skipper, unless other circumstances dictate different ship's priorities. The first decision I make once on station is to access what, if anything I can do, that will not endanger my vessel or crew. This is the primary duty of the rescue skipper in this type of situation. The ship and crew come first, then any assistance if possible.

Again, we can't jump to conclusions when a may day is hailed. We have no choice but to respond and sort out the details afterwards. If it was the other way around, no one would get rescued. It would be the same thing as being involved in a car accident with injuries and not being taken to the hospital, because you where the driver at fault in the crash.

 

ROWING ! yeah right. Te-he... they should have left him there for a while at least

I've read the article of David Vann's progress. It seems he has been to sea a couple of times and has been involved with some boating stuff, so he seems to have a little experience.

I've read of much larger boats that didn't make it around the second bend, and there was dinghy's that made it. So I guess it could go either way.

Being an optimist, I hope he makes it so Kay9 won't have to fetch him

 

IMHO there are few things in SA that works. WRT boating TBH, I doubt anyone on the moment really knows ! Some new regulations and skipper licence requirements was recently implemented also for inland waters. We were sincerely hoping it was going to be a decent implementation that would benefit the boaters since a lot of accidents happens here and jet-ski's are a huge irritation. I have sent an e-mail to the organization that is supposedly managing the courses etc since there is a problem with the required kill switch operation of power boats, especially at sea. No reply, and a recent phone call confirmed - some suzi m'twe-twe who doesn't speak English, Afrikaans or her own language has inherited the phone rights. So it currently seems this is just another service-less money making scheme yet again.

 

Man will never stop defying the odds, fortunately.
Our dwindling resources will see to that.
As for CG and SAR, nobody's pointing a gun at their head to do that job.
Bet half of them get off on it, truth be known.

I have not read this guys blog.Not sure what he is trying to prove, apart from slating his minimalist voyaging thirst. Junkyard voyaging?
Good luck fella!