A very quick and odd disaster

[Tim Diebert]

Got this link from another group....very interesting.

http://www.hyc.ie/news/newsview.asp?newsid=285

[Greg Luckett]

That was interesting and scary reading.

Thanks for the link.

[brian watkins]

When I lived in Britain in the '90's, there were a lot of articles in the yachting press about what a rip-off some of the liferaft services were. Owners are caught in a no-win situation: the manufacturers won't let them service the rafts themselves, the businesses often take your money and do a rotten job, and you're stuck with a VERY expensive piece of gear that does absolutely nothing until that terrible day comes. Of course, the bureaucrats love the things! One of the reasons that the very expensive Tinker inflatables have done so well in Europe is that you have a liferaft that (a) you know will work because you use it a your dinghy and ( you can sail to shore and rescue yourself.

[Tim Diebert]

kind of reminds me of a book I read a coupla months ago. Family out cruising on a big beautiful 45 foot wood ketch. Attacked by killer whales two days west of the Galapigos...nowhersville9I would not have believed it, but they actually watched it happen). The boat sunk in less than ten minutes. They grabbed one 'disaster' bag, an inflatable and a 8 foot hard dingy. They were in those two 'boats' for a while, the inflatable died after about 14 days and ended the adventure with all these folks in the glass dink.....28 days I think. Husband, wife, and 3 kids...one kid was a guest. An amazing story. Not the best writing in the world (the author was the skipper), but very informative and inspiring.

[tomstock]

what book was this? I'd like to read it too...

[Tim Diebert]

I borrowed it from a sailing buddy here in town, I will ask him the particulars Mr. Tom.

[Tom Lathrop]

The book is "Survive the Savage Sea" by Dougal Roberson(sp?) I have (or had) it around here somewhere but this is from memory. This happened over 30 years ago and I met the guy soon thereafter when he gave a talk to our local sailing club in Greensboro, NC.

Interesting story of survival. Lots of instances where people died from exposure in much less difficult circumstances.

The best such survival story for me is by Steve Callahan. My all time favorite for survival and is really worth reading as literature as well. Don't remember the title right now.

Oh yeah, the title is "Adrift". Remember the guy who cut his arm off recently in order to get himself from under a boulder. "Adrift" is like that in that he just would not give up.

[Brad Lustig]

I've read Adrift probably 3-4 times. What an excellent book! I still don't know how he did what he did!

I'm from the area that the two kids got lost at sea (Sullivan's Island, SC) and ended up in NC. What they went through was nothing compared to Steve Callahan. I still can't wait to hear the rest of their story, though.

[Tim Diebert]

Thanks Tom, now I don't have to call the guy I borrowed the book from.

The thing that got me was not the survival process...which was amazing enough....it was the fact that the boat was stove in by Orcas. I have sailed and fished with those things close enough to smell thier breath. They have always scared the hell out of me (whilst always in a wee boat) and yet, somehow after reading that book my fear of these critters has not diminished. :shock:

I am going to look for a copy of Adrift. Other folks misadventures make for excellent reading.

[kydocfrog]

I drive about 50 miles each way to and from work every day, and have become addicted to audio books. Just finished listening to a book called Proving Ground, the story of the disastrous 1999 Sydney to Hobart race. Absolutely riveting, if a bit our of my league.

DocA

[Tim Diebert]

Doc, I just read a book about that race...about four books ago. Awesome stuff. Oh, actually, it was the 98 race...where all those folks died and boats sunk?

I got into audio books a few years back, played them in the shop while working.....got bugger all done....didn't want to make any noise. Ah, I hate those dang machines anyway.