Sunken Dream

[JD-MDR]

I guess I'm being mean spirited.I'm just jealous

[tjr818]

I guess I'm being mean spirited.I'm just jealous

We could set up a Go Fund Me to get you that Dog.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Foolish and lucky are probably the best descriptions for them, and this includes the morons sending them money.

I am sure all will learn from their mistakes, and be better people as a result.

Hello Matthew:

I am not sure it advances the discussion of the need for boat safety, preparation, education, training, etc. to call people "morons" who, for their own personal reasons, want to send this couple some money. You have a right not to do so; others have a right to do so. I don't think of you or anyone else as a "moron" because you choose not to donate some money. I would hope you would not think of me as a "moron" simply because I have sympathy for this couple and their dog. I probably won't be sending them any money but this is because I do not know how to operate the "go fund" website and do not trust giving financial information to the internet.

[mashenden]

You may remember the post from 3 or so years ago where I shared that my Son in Law (Beau) proposed to my Daughter (Mariah) on my CD-36 as they brought it up to Urbanna, VA from Oriental, NC for me. Since then, they got married on the SV American Rover in Norfolk, spent some time living on Willoughby Spit, and then decided that they wanted to live on a boat in the Keys. Mariah got a job at the Dolphin Research Center in Marathon, and they went looking for a boat to buy using money that they had saved. They found a beautiful Island Trader 41 that fit the dream. Their trip getting to Marathon was not without its challenges because they needed to be in Marathon and did not have time to properly test the boat, but long story short after a tow or 2, they made it. A great learning experience about the importance of proper planning, no doubt.

They went about living in the Keys, with Beau working on a tug in Ft Lauderdale (2 weeks on, 2 weeks off), and Mariah working with dolphins and on her art business.

Then a year or so later... Hurricane Irma. They started preparing their boat a good week ahead of most people. Once Irma's track became more defined, they finished up what needed to be done, secured the boat on a mooring buoy (marina requirement), and left town. Beau was due to be on his tug boat, so Mariah dropped him off at Ft Lauderdale and headed North to Atlanta to weather out the storm with their dog and cat. Unfortunately, Marathon being just North of where Irma made landfall, the winds first came out of the East. Their boat was at the West end of the mooring field in Boot Key Harbor, which meant other boats that broke loose hit their boat, more than likely causing it to then break free, at which point it ended up against the Bridge to Nowhere for a couple of weeks. While it did not sink, the damage far exceeded its value, and the gash down one side let plenty of rain water in. She was a complete loss. Insurance covered the loan, but that was it. They are now staying with us in Virginia while working diligently to save enough money to buy another boat.

Anyhow, the main point of this story... NO GO FUND ME ACCOUNT INVOLVED! Very proud of them!!

Oh, and sorry if I offended anyone with the term "moron" in an earlier post. I have no intention of becoming as politically correct as many seem to like. I am still entitled to have an opinion

[mashenden]

Hello Matthew:

I am not sure it advances the discussion of the need for boat safety, preparation, education, training, etc. to call people "morons" who, for their own personal reasons, want to send this couple some money. You have a right not to do so; others have a right to do so. I don't think of you or anyone else as a "moron" because you choose not to donate some money. I would hope you would not think of me as a "moron" simply because I have sympathy for this couple and their dog. I probably won't be sending them any money but this is because I do not know how to operate the "go fund" website and do not trust giving financial information to the internet.

Nope, your sympathy is fine. I would draw the line at enabling them by giving them money. That is likely to create a bigger problem.

Regarding the discussion, it did not start as a discussion about safety, preparation, etc. While these are always good topics to discuss, I would like to point out that I was not off topic. Just sayin'

[Sea Hunt Video]

Matthew:

Apology accepted. No worries.

Bob O.'s initial post started with the statement "Folks, I am sorry. This couple was not ready to sail."

I guess I took that as a comment on "safety, preparation, etc." and the obvious lack of either by this couple, sadly resulting in the loss of their sailboat/home. Perhaps I was wrong.

Anyways, I am going to ask a friend of mine to try to get a contact phone number, etc., for this couple so that I can try to make a small monetary contribution to their efforts to buy clothes, food, shelter and restart their "sail around the world" efforts. I will ask that a portion is spent on quality dog food (I love dogs ) and a portion is devoted to sailing classes, etc.

Matthew, as you know, you are located in a beautiful part of the US for sailing, especially this time of year. Enjoy

Sadly, the quack docs examining me have little positive news. I am able to do some limited work on S/V Bali Ha'i but not what I want (or need) to do.

[House]

Bob, I agree; they were definitely not ready. What did this couple think sailing (to the Caribbean) would be like, anyway? Did they believe they could just pick up the skills along the way? I'm all for living an adventurous life, but to strike out on a major voyage with no experience, training, or money seems incredibly naive or foolhardy. Maybe a little of both!

Richard

[kerrydeare]

Bob, I agree; they were definitely not ready ...

The fact is that many today believe that a "smart phone" eliminates responsibility for developing skills or studying a subject in detail, thus leading to this foolishness. When these same individuals later rely on their "smart phone" to beg for cash to dig themselves out and continue their foolishness, should anyone be surprised?

What is worse: those originally at fault, or the hordes who rise in their defense?

[Carl Thunberg]

Not to prolong this, but this is really bothering me as a father of kids this age. I have always taught my kids to think beyond the immediate. Let's presume for the moment they successfully make it to the Caribbean. With no money and a 45-year old boat, what would happen when they arrived, and needed to buy food, fuel, or needed repairs? The whole idea of buying a boat to avoid working for a living is flawed at the concept level.

[JD-MDR]

My first boat 1980 Kodiak AK

[John Stone]

Where to begin. Like Roberto said, I am alive by stupid luck or the grace of God. Don't know which, but probably the former. Done some dumb stuff. My personal tolerance for risk is high. Though I like to think that as I have gotten older I work diligently to be as prepared as I think I need to be. Notice I said "as prepared as I think I need to be" and not as prepared as others think I need to be.

I have two 18 year olds. They are not kids that get or expect handouts. Nor do I think they are snowflakes. They've been homeschooled since 4 grade and are expected to perform...everyday. Many of you know that I just shun technology on my boat. Having said that they see technology a litte different than I do. I say this in light of the fact they do not have a cell phone or a Facebook account. 'Course I seem unable to get them to "want" a driver's license. I don't understand that. It does not seem to evoke the same sense of freedom as it did/does for my generation. My point is that while they are largely under my influence they have a different vibe than I do. They are developing their own take on the world and it is not exactly the same as mine.

My generation expected to be able to find a reasonable job upon graduation from highschool and/or college. It was generally understood that if we found a reasonable job would could make a living wage and stay with that company and have health care and probably retire and have a reasonable pension. That's not so true anymore. This generation is facing a different situation. So they are developing different paths. Neither better nor worse. Just different.

Taking foolish risks by embarking on an expedition while being unprepared is not unique to this generation. How far do we need to go back in history to illustrate this point? I suggest we can find examples as far back as we wish to go. But let's just go to the founding of our own country and skip going back to the dawn of man in the Great Rift Valley. How many emigrants were prepared or understood the hazards of starting a new life with nothing but the clothes on their back? What terrors lay in wait in the New World? Or beyond the Blue Rige Mts? Or the dangers that lay down the Ohio River Valley? Or along the Oregon Trail, etc. they didn't go to school or get certified before they headed out into the unknown. They just made up their mind and went. The less foolish trembled at the door and waved goodbye.

I agree with the view that you can't fix stupid but we have being doing stupid since the beginning of man...and surprisingly we get away with it more often than not.

While down in St Maarten two years ago I met a London taxi driver completing a single handed circumnavigation. We had dinner together. He was hilarious. I could barely understand him! I asked him what caused him to embark on his adventure. He said it just appealed to him. He had almost no experience when he started. He said when he left England and headed across the Atlantic he realized about a week into his voyage he was way in over his head. He wanted to turn back. But, he said it was too hard so he kept going all the way around the world.

I remember Davis Marine used to advertise a cheep plastic sextant (not the one that looks like a real sextant) but more like an astrolobe. It was for practice. A guy used it to sail around the world.

I could write a tome about all the crazy things people do. Some crash and burn. "You pays your money and takes your chances." But some or even many make it and are richer for it.

This couple we are reading about--they dared to dream. They crashed and burned. Good on 'Em for trying. Reckless? Sure. Foolish? Yes. I'll advised? That too. Give me a dreamer any day over someone with a death-grip on security and whispering to themselves "someday" while they make their way to their grave.

[Sea Hunt Video]

John:

For what little it may be worth, I agree with your post 100%. As I was reading it I was reminded of a portion of a speech President Theodore Roosevelt delivered circa 1910 at the Sorbonne, Paris.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

As a 70+ "kid" I no longer have the urge to climb into the arena, although I do dream of it. As a youth, both intentionally and accidentally, I did so many times. As John stated, many times foolishly. I somehow survived. Unlike John I prefer to think I survived by the Grace of God.

How many of us can actually say we not only dreamed of crossing oceans and sailing around the world but actually left the dock and sailed into the unknown These two kids did just that. They may not have gotten far but they tried.

After considering all of the comments posted on this thread I remain steadfast in my belief that these two "tadpole sailors" deserve the opportunity to try again. You may count me among those who rise to their defense and would encourage them to try again - after getting some training in boat handling, navigation, etc.

[kerrydeare]

... I remember Davis Marine used to advertise a cheep plastic sextant (not the one that looks like a real sextant) but more like an astrolobe. It was for practice. A guy used it to sail around the world ...

John, unless that sextant had a digital lat/lon readout, this "guy" still had to work out the sight. IOW, he "studied up" a bit prior to the event, and that appears to be a missing ingredient in this tale.

[John Stone]

KerryDeare,
You can look at it that way. But Consider this...Tania Anbi is heralded in the sailing world for her singled handed circumnavigation. As I recall, in her book she wrote she set sail unable to navigate with celestial sights and calculations. She contacted freighters she saw at sea and asked for her lat/long. She learned celestial navigation along the way.

I am not defending going out unprepared. I think I have made that clear. I am however saying it's neither unusual nor does it often lead to disaster. I don't know why they went the way they did. I don't know their circumstances. I don't think being naive and foolish is necessarily a crime or worthy of outright condemnation.

I am also not going to send them money. There are more important causes for me to contribute too--like Wounded Warriors, American Cancer Society, the ALS Foundation, my kids college fund, or my own upcoming voyages.

[Steve Laume]

I too have attempted a lot of foolish stuff and usually managed to pull it off.

To think that you could sail and manage a cruising boat by just figuring it out as you go is a bit beyond that. At least the girl watched some You Tube videos but probably not the right ones.

I have crashed and burned a few times. The point is that I did it on my own. I didn't expect anyone else to come running to my aid because I was an idiot. The guy claims it was bad luck but that was not the case. Bad luck is when you do everything right and something bad still happens. Like driving down the road and having a tree fall on your car on a perfectly clear and windless day. That would be bad luck. Driving around a wooded area in a hurricane and having it happen is being foolish.

People like this give everyone a bad name. Having no money, no insurance and an un-seaworthy boat (keels don't just fall off) is irresponsible. If I had only known I could have bought a junk boat, sunk the thing and then have people fund my dreams in a better fashion, I might have had a nice boat a whole lot sooner, Steve.