:( RANT about ill prepared solo sailor

[Rick D]

Like I Said, Old Salt...

...tke it with a grain of salt (pun intended). The wind speed and seas were not quoted from Ken; they were from a naval official, as were the reports of aborted interceptions and the water in the cabin and breach in the bow. Having been interviewed numerous times by the LAT in another life, I will not attest to their total accuracy nor lack of sensationalism . In this case, I just thought I'd pass along their comments (with disclaimer). They also mentioned the trawler as having lost its catch in the attempt and the cost of the freighter diverting. The official said no compensation would be paid, but something to the effect that it would be their turn someday, so it was (rescue efforts) expected. I'll post the link to the story, altho the LAT makes you jump through hoops to view their stuff. Rick D.

 

[abe]

Selfish and irresponsible...

Selfish because he leaves his family behind to follow HIS dream without regards to wife, family, daughters. We all have dreams....but I vallue my family above all and don't think of them as selfish for not allowing me to "follow my dream". Irresponsible because this guy was inexperienced and ill prepared jeoperdizing the lives of those who saved him. Frankly, he should be forced to pay for everything he costs the government of Chile who can do alot more to help their people with their limited resources than to save some ill prepared sailor whos attitude is if he gets in troubble just press the EPIRB and they will save me. I hope that all of those who want to follow their dreams are better prepared and are more considerate than this guy. Next thing you know he will be asking us to donate money so he can follow his dream.Abe

 

[Franklin]

I appologize

For my previoius comments. It does seem he is lacking some tactical knowledge. He should have been dragging something to prevent a broach or under a sea anchor if conditions were that bad. I'm also a firm believer of having little sail up in storms so when the big gusts come, you can handle them.

 

[Larry Wilson]

And You are????

Name: Larry WilsonYears sailing experience: 2Boat owned and sailed: Columbia 8.7M Experience: Appx. 800 hours Chesapeake Bay and Rappahannock River. Rough weather experience: Almost noneNight Sailing experience: Almost noneI have been casually following the news of Ken's disastrous attempt at circumnavigating. As you can see by my biography, I don't have the experience or knowledge to make any intelligent comments or judgements about Ken's qualifications, or the seaworthiness of his yacht. To the others that are so ready to Monday Morning quarterback, I'd ask a favor. Post YOUR experience along with your comments. I feel it would validate your opinions, if I, and others here, were aware of your level of experience.

 

[Franklin]

re: who are you???

Problem with that Larry is that people lie or exaggerate. Take you for example. If you sailed only during the day for 2 years and got in 800 hours, that would mean you sailed about 50 days each year. If you did that, that would mean you are in the top 1% of day sailors. Most only do 5-10 hours a month during the warm months.

 

[Larry Wilson]

re:re: who are you??

That's about right....I'm retired, and have a part time job. I sail alot more than I work. On average, I sail one day a week on one or the other of my two boats. I've been able to do some 2 to 10 day excursions on the bay, and I have done two spring series Wednesday nite beer can race programs on other folks boats. I've also been able to sail 12 months out of the year. The weather in the middle bay has been pretty mild the last 24 months, Ernesto not withstanding. So.....others?

 

[Dan]

Who are you? Does it matter?

Your assumption, Larry, is that only those who have extensive experience, in all forms of weather, are in a position to be a credible critic. I disagree. My sailing experience is more akin to yours. Yet, if what I understand to be the case is true, based on the facts, I'm still knowledgeable enough to see that Barnes was not skilled enough for such an undertaking. I could be wrong. But the fact of the matter is, an obstetrician doesn't have to give birth to be able to deliver a baby. Here's the thing. His boat was floating. Given that, he could have repaired what he could, jury rigged a sail and headed straight for shore. He really did seem to rely more on technology than skill.Why he decided that a cutter rigged ketch was the best boat to singlehand is beyond me. Why was he was sailing under mizzen alone in a storm? I would think the boat would be completely unbalanced. I know he was trailing drogues, but why didn't he hove to and let the storm get past him? And frankly, how much heavy weather sailing experience has he really had? From all I can tell, it really doesn't seem like he's had a lot. Again, I could be wrong.I know, the facts will come out. The truth will most likely lie somewhere in the middle, as it always does. I look forward to the analysis and hope to extract some lessons from all of this, too.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I think the point is

it is impossible for anyone to know how he would react when his life is in danger. Rather than second-guessing him or making rash judgements and stupid criticisms, let's see if there is anything to be learned

 

[Franklin]

wow

He was actually flying a mizzen alone? No wonder he broached. Duh!

 

[trysail]

Prepared

The fearless voyager was definitely not prepared. From my experience offshore I can't imagine taking this kind of voyage without meeting ORC cat 1 equipment standards. The batteries on Ken's boat shouldn't have come loose on a roll. What equipment did he have to cut the rig away? Why wasn't he sailing with a storm jib in those conditions? Did he even have one. As to the boat design, I'd bet a boat with that shallow of a draft with its heavy displacement might roll fairly easily. The hull design probably contributed to the roll by tripping when the boat was significantly broached by a wave. The overly large deadlights that were smashed looked to be a problem also. Relying on an epirb and a sat phone to overcome preparedness is damn irresponsible because you are putting your rescuers at risk. I am by no means an expert but have a couple of thousand miles offshore experience including weathering 3 days of gale force (35-50 sustained) winds and 25 foot confused seas. My ideas of a proper offshore boat have changed quite a bit since that experience.

 

[sailortonyb]

Dan... stick to what u know

Your statement "Why he decided that a cutter rigged ketch was the best boat to singlehand is beyond me. Why was he was sailing under mizzen alone in a storm? I would think the boat would be completely unbalanced." Start sailing and quit reading and stop criticizing.

 

[henkmeuzelaar]

Rant ?? Feeding Frenzy !!

Shame on you, Old Salt, for stirring up the shark tank Who are we going to RANT about for an encore?Tania Aebi? Robin Lee Grantham?Or does the fact that these two ill-prepared sailors "made it" make all the difference here? I thought it was the voyage that counted, not the destination.... *boxI am just as interested in what really happened as the rest of us. I just don't know nearly enough to make any sensible remarks. Once the facts are on the table it will be interesting to see how many posters will have to eat their words.So, let's heave to smartly and drip some oil on the waves!Flying Dutchman(just testing my slick new avatar )

 

[NautiDuck]

You don't have to be an expert...

to be critical. Hell, I'm no mountain climber but I can see that those guys who died on Mt Hood were unprepared, did poor planning, climbed in the worst weather, and exposed their potential rescuers to great danger. I'm no world sailor either but it is clear this guy had a dream that was bigger then his brain. It doesn't take an old salt to see that. Any fool can try to live the dream.

 

[reudi ross]

have you guys stopped and listened to yourselves?

What a bunch of self righteous buttholes ALL of you are!!!!Get a clue and shut the f up

 

[surfer dude]

The irony of life is that, by the time you're old

enough to know your way around, you're not going anywhere.

 

[Robert Gainer]

Larry, experience, judgment and wisdom

Larry,You are trying to get a handle on something that’s more complex then just experience. After all, experience is just time spent doing something and doesn’t reflect skill and education. I know many people who have been sailing for over thirty years and they enjoy themselves but they really aren’t very skillful and just know enough to day sail because they haven’t studied the subject at all. Because that’s all they want to do they get along just fine and there’s nothing wrong with this. But more then this, I think the magic ingredient, for want of a better word, is wisdom. Just because you have read all the books and can answer any question with authority and know how to talk a good game and can turn in a splice with the best of them doesn’t mean they can make the right decisions when the chips are down. I think the only way you can judge the wisdom of a posters comment is to read everything you can find on all aspects of sailing and practice until you have a feel for how it all works and then you are in a position to make some judgments on your own.Good to see that you are branching out and visiting more groups then just the CYOA group. I am amazed at how each group has developed its own personality and attracted people with such diverse backgrounds. Each group seems to have a tilt towards a different part of the sailing experience and reading from more then one group will give you an outlook from more then one point of view.All the best,Robert Gainer1972 Tartan 34C “Growler”

 

[Old Salt]

I have to agree that we shouldn't be 2nd guessing

the type of boat he picked. That is not necessarily the issue here.Harry Pidgeon & Francis Chichester had a Yawl, Dumas, Moitessier & Robin Knox-Johnston had a Ketch. Etc Etc Etc Heck even Dean Vincent(USA) did a solo circumnavigation on a Ferro Cement Ketch !! - though he did take 3 years (Little bit of History here -- Harry Pidgeon from USA was the first person to do 2 circumnavigations in the 20's and 30's but he did take the easy way via Panama )My point is its not the boat. From all I know and have read is that the solo sailor that does take this type of adventure has to know his boat well. VERY WELL. One common denominator of most of these sailors (at least the successful ones) is that they describe the relationship with the boat as almost an extention of themselves. They know every creak and every line, they know every toe stubber and curve on her deck. Like a relationship with a woman they know how far they can push in certain circumstances and they know when to back down and take it easy.It looks like Donna Lange is really getting to know her "man" 'Inspired Insanity' (she too is on a solo circumnavigation) For instance:"… after 10,000 miles of running reaches, the bulkheads and every internal piece of wood, has developed its own chorus of squeaks and groans.""My demands came from Mother Nature and my boat, Inspired Insanity. Mother Nature was much like a demanding 3-year old, completely irrational and uncontrollable. My boat is best described like a demanding 5-year-old child, sometimes reasonable and predictable, sometimes not..........Crazy weather systems, failing electrical systems, old gear, worn sails, injury, and soul searching mental anguish all tormented my attempts to rest. The 3-year old would throw a tantrum and the 5-year old would demand a repair. "I submit Ken Barnes had no such relationship with his boat. It was more akin to meeting on the internet and deciding to live together for a year in rough isolation without spending anytime alone with her. What this was, is a first time blind date that turned sour and never got off the ground. Maybe he could have taken "her" for a couple of weekend dates before he made such a big commitment to her. The sad thing is, he left her for his security and her to die in the "barren tundra" called the Southern Ocean.

 

[Fred Ficarra]

re; Who you are (again)

This is me: http://epitomesrebuild.com/, and I say 'Book him Danno!'.

 

[caguy]

Forget the guy, he's safe, where's the boat?

Does anyone know what happened to his boat after he abandoned it? Isn't it up for salvage?

 

[Joe]

scuttle or salvage?

If he scuttled it, it's at the bottom of the ocean.If he abandoned it, anyone can grab it and claim salvage rights.Isn't that correct?