Captain Calamitys

[sailaboutvic]

You have to remember how fundamentally unsound the original plan was. Would anybody here buy an old boat blind in Norway and set out immediately in late summer to try and get straight to the Uk going north of the British Isles?

All it demonstrates is a complete lack of awareness of what is involved and the almost inevitability of coming unstuck.

Would I buy an old boat without seeing it , NO , but many do I personally know and have met many people from down under and the US that brought boats in the Med without seeing them .
Sailing across the North Sea in late summer or come to that in the winter?
as long has the weather permits it , why not , in pass years I have many times and it been very enjoyable .
why they headed north.
I have no idea , maybe someone could I enlighten me , maybe they just wanted to see the Northern isles before heading back home .
At 72 it may be the only chance they would ever had .
I can't record that they where rescued in hight seas because of weather condition or that they where lost . but has I said I don't know of all the nine case that been reported .
I agree there judgment isn't very good and there seamanship not what I would call great but bad luck and lot of people who wanted to get their five minutes of fame by reporting the story have played a big part in making this what it turned out to be .

 

[sailaboutvic]

"the point that they tried to made was , at times they were only informing the CG off the situation and it the CG who took it on themselves to send a lifeboat ( Since when????)
Once a call has been made to the CG , if they decide to send out a lifeboat there not much you can do . And I thing we can all agree that later UKCG staff have been making some bad calls , you can read of many on here .
Again I am not defending these guy , but what happening here is nothing unusual to what really happening out at sea most weekends , it just we don't alway read about them .

Mike I think it very clear that UKCG isn't what it use to be , their been many cases where staff have got it badly wrong , sending lifeboat out when there been no need , directing boat to the wrong place and one case I know very well when an heart attack victim nearly die because of the miss management of CG , that said on the whole they do a good job .under some very stressful circumstances .
I think If an life boat arrived and your told that your going to be tow , your not going to have much of a say .
It also been reports that the boat wasn't seaworthy , if that's he case , then the question has to be asked why didn't the MCA put a stop to it all , they have the power , I'm guessing the reason is because the reports where untrue ,

 

[longjohnsilver]

Surely the point is that, although stating they have a passion for sailing and the sea, they have little experience or knowledge. Easy to say you have a passion for something, lots do, but a year later that passion has expired or been replaced by a passion for something else, so in other words, is pretty meaningless.

They have stated that at times they were basically lost, pretty difficult to achieve in this day and age of electronic navigation. And setting their boat alight was rather stupid. 2 mistakes at the same time, tieing up in such a way that it would fall away from the quay is a fairly major error, then compounded by leaving a lit candle burning as they went ashore. If that's not stupid, then I don't know what is.

How many here have allowed their boat to fall over. Not many I would guess. And how many of us have witnessed that happen to someone else. In 30 years I have never seen it. So in my book, whilst being entitled to do what they have wanted to do, and living the so called dream, they have also been particularly stupid, and rather ignorant when questioned about their mistakes. Thank goodness they didn't arrive in Dartmouth, as seemed on the cards a few weeks back.

Just out of interest, does anyone know if they have insurance? In many ports it's a necessary requirement otherwise you can be asked to leave.

 

[TonyBuckley]

It is brilliant that the world has eccentrics such as these guys. And here is another one:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...home-steel-whale-shaped-boat-called-Moby.html

 

[EdWingfield]

"In many ports it's a necessary requirement otherwise you can be asked to leave."

I understood that no one has the authority to require a vessel to leave. But I suppose they may ask.

 

[Wandering Star]

It is brilliant that the world has eccentrics such as these guys. And here is another one:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...home-steel-whale-shaped-boat-called-Moby.html

An eccentric certainly but hardly a Captain Calamity. He's already crossed the Atlantic in a coca cola shaped bottle and made a few other successful Atlantic crossings on weird floaty things. I think he's an Atlantic rower too. Saw a very small (6 feet?) boat he was preparing for a crossing in Puerto Mogan, Gran Canaria.

 

[Daydream believer]

one case I know very well when an heart attack victim nearly die because of the miss management of CG , ,

No, I think the person was more likely to die from the heart attack than from the CG :ambivalence:

 

[laika]

lot of people who wanted to get their five minutes of fame by reporting the story have played a big part in making this what it turned out to be .

By "what it turned out to be" do you mean the misadventures themselves or the decision of Mr. Weise to abandon the endeavour and Mr. Shapiro's pause for thought while he tries to acquire two more crew but also considers quitting?

If the former, I question whether pulitzer-seeking newshounds were responsible as I only heard the first report (and by whom it was written I cannot recall) after the fire. If the latter, some might consider that a good thing, especially if the sojourn in Hayle results in Mr. Shapiro acquiring more experienced crew to help him complete his ambition.

In either case, I would suggest that hacks generally report stories because it's their job rather than explicitly to seek the limelight.

 

[TonyBuckley]

An eccentric certainly but hardly a Captain Calamity. He's already crossed the Atlantic in a coca cola shaped bottle and made a few other successful Atlantic crossings on weird floaty things. I think he's an Atlantic rower too. Saw a very small (6 feet?) boat he was preparing for a crossing in Puerto Mogan, Gran Canaria.

I was not suggesting he was a Captain Calamity. I was not suggesting he would fail. I apologise if that was the impression. I posted as an example of someone against the odds, and adventurous, and much more brave than I!

 

[VO5]

I was not suggesting he was a Captain Calamity. I was not suggesting he would fail. I apologise if that was the impression. I posted as an example of someone against the odds, and adventurous, and much more brave than I!

And I am particularly bemused by his comment referring to sitting in a cupboard for three days of cogitation. I find it difficult to supress a giggle.

 

[Guise]

And now everyone can relax, as YBW reports she's been sold and will be restored by her new owners. I can't help feeling sad that someone's dream should end this way, however unrealistic and unsound.

 

[pvb]

And now everyone can relax, as YBW reports she's been sold and will be restored by her new owners. I can't help feeling sad that someone's dream should end this way, however unrealistic and unsound.

Phew, that's a relief! Not an ideal ending to the saga, but probably best.

 

[dom]

Phew, that's a relief! Not an ideal ending to the saga, but probably best.

Agreed, the ending is a bit sad but probably amongst the best of the possible outcomes -- they all live including the boat

 

[chrishscorp]

Agreed, the ending is a bit sad but probably amongst the best of the possible outcomes -- they all live including the boat

Yes, boat still floats and they get to go home in one piece. At least they had the sense to set sail in a boat unlike 3 bods earlier this week who tried to use a chest freezer as a craft......:ambivalence: