NO OFFSHORE EXPERIENCE

3 April 2015: It's been in the headlines: "man rescued at sea, 200 miles off Cape Hatteras." "66 Days at sea in 36' sailboat." "Coast Guard airlifts survivor at sea" Well, folks, here's the lesson for today: If you are a 37 year old man - or woman - who lives on a 36' elderly boat don't take it to sea until you learn how to sail it!
Apparently, Louis Jordan's sailing experience consisted solely of sailing (?) motoring (?) on day trips on the intercoastal and he had never, so I am told, taken the boat offshore. Sailing in the "big water" is an entirely different experience than running up and down the intercoastal - and singlehanded in a 36' sail boat offshore, is different still. 

The man and his boat,  Angel, had been missing for 66 days - he went out "to do a little sailing and some fishing" in the 3rd week of January. He was found by a German container ship this week and collected by a Coast Guard helo yesterday from his rescuer, and flown to the hospital ashore. The boat - Angel - had apparently capsized and was left adrift, possibly to become one of the many drifting obstacles in the ocean waiting for another sail boat to come to grief when they meet, probably in the dark of night.



But, God bless the German container ship and God bless our Coast Guard - always ready to save some idiot from themselves! 
 
 
 
 



 

So, I leave you today with a thought: if you are going to sea, know what you are doing, and let people know where you're going!

Until next time,
                                                  Fair Winds,
                                                        Old Salt