Passage making and the responsibility to others—World Cruising news

by David Schmidt, Sail-World Cruising Editor on 29 Jan 2016 While bluewater cruising is one of life’s great adventures, proper seamanship skills, vessel and equipment preparation and-prior to leaving the dock-a sober-minded appraisal of one’s own skills and abilities are critical elements in ensuring that all parties reach Point B safely. This might sound basic, but the simple truth is that the bottom of the ocean is littered with the wreckage of countless ships and yachts that left the safety of shore unprepared. And while today’s mariners are unbelievably lucky to have capable and dependable rescue services in many parts of the world (not to mention cartography and electronics), the hard-boiled reality is that when the unprepared mariner calls for help, he or she is potentially putting the lives of others in jeopardy.

This final point should resonate loudly for all sailors, but-unfortunately-there are always going to be people who prioritize their own dreams ahead of the safety of others.

Take, for example, the still unfolding story of Bob Weise and Steve Shapiro (both 71), two woefully unprepared American sailors who have been trying to cross the Atlantic on a gaff-rigged wooden sailboat called Nora.

Weiss and Shapiro have had to call for rescue services nine times in seven months as they attempt to sail home from Europe. The two were rescued twice in North Sea by both Danish and Norwegian rescuing authorities; the Royal National Lifeboat Institution came to their assistance another two times; the American-flagged duo ran aground twice in Irish waters (once near Belfast and once near Kilmore Quay, Ireland); the two managed to partially capsize/swamp their vessel once, and they have also suffered an onboard fire.

Yet these two sailors see the situation through vastly different lenses than the rest of the world. “We’ve had a ball, we really have,” said Weiss on a video interview with the BBC. “We’ve had to call for help, but they have been very helpful to us. They guided us in and they helped us out. The people everywhere have been great-I’ve had so much fun.”

As for their responsibility to help protect the lives of others, Shapiro appears as callous as he is a poor sailor and a prime example of someone who should not be venturing offshore.

“No,” Shapiro told the BBC in a video interview about his responsibility to others. “You walk out the door and you put lives at risk by that reasoning.”

Yet plenty of other experienced sailors and-likely-rescuing authorities see these actions as reckless and absolutely un-seamanlike.

“It’s not fair to all these rescue services to spend a fortune,” said Sir Robin Knox Johnston, the first person to sail solo and nonstop around the world and the founder of the Clipper Round the World Race. “They will do it; they are duty bound to go to their assistance. But these [sailors] have a responsibility, and that’s not to need assistance.”

While it will be interesting to see what happens to Mr. Shapiro, Mr. Weiss and their wooden steed Nora, these two are hardly the only woefully unprepared sailors to find their dreams in tatters.

Take, for example, the story of the father and son team of Reg and Jason McGlashan, two Australian sailors who had the brilliant idea of buying an old racing sloop that was “raced hard and put away wet” sight unseen, and then attempted to sail the rickety-looking old girl from Newport, Rhode Island back to Port Macquarie, Australia in February of 2015. The only catch was that Reg was a sailing novice and Jason knew just enough to put the two in grave danger.

Fortunately, the two only made it as far as the island of Nantucket, but markedly less fortunate was the fact that they sailed into in a massive North Atlantic storm and had to call the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for a helicopter rescue that absolutely put other people’s lives at risk.

Here, of course, the moral of this story isn’t to beat up on ill-prepared dreamers from the dry, warm and safe comforts of my office, but rather to highlight the absolute necessity of proper seamanship skills, properly prepared vessels, sails, electronics and other equipment, and the sensibility to know when one’s eyes for adventure are considerably bigger than one’s sailing skills.

Also inside this issue, get the latest on a boatyard fire that has claimed as many 30-some yachts in Cowes, UK, learn about an exploratory expedition to the Galapagos Islands, and, finally, get the full download from a Canadian sailor who was rescued by the USCG after spending five days in a life raft in late 2015.

May the four winds blow you safely home,