DaySailer.org Forum

Hope everyone got their boats hauled out safely and early.


Took mine out on Saturday morning, weather was beautiful.

Keep away from trees.

Nearly lost my boat in a winter storm once, by sheer happestance it was parked not in its customary spot. Had it been, I would now be writing in a different forum ...

HMS Bounty replica sunk off the coast of NC today. 14 of 16 rescued. 1 dead, the other is still missing. Very sad news.

Very sad day ! I heard it was the Ship's Captain that is missing. Brad

The story gets stranger by the minute: the crew member who died was named Claudene Christian, and she had claimed to be the great-great-great-great-whatever granddaughter of Fletcher Christian, who led the mutiny on the original HMS Bounty. No one in her family is backing up the claim tho, at least not that I've read so far ...

On Sailing Anarchy the posted a video interview with the captain. In it he boasts of seeking out hurricanes. He left New London a few days before the storm hit. Despite the warnings he did not seek shelter and tried to s kirt the storm. It suggests, at least, the skipper was reckless and may have been indifferent to the safety of his crew

Good article about decision making at sea:

http://sailingsimplicity.com/r-i-p-hms- ... ing-at-sea

I must resist the temptations of a decade an a half of cable reality TV to turn me into an armchair expert. I yearn to find justification for this tragedy. There is none. I remind myself that Captain Walbridge was one of the most respected in the industry, with a lifetime dedicated to sailing and teaching sailors. None of the crew was pressed into service and I'm sure all were well aware of the potential intensity of Sandy. If I was a betting man and even had the benefit of a national decision poll, my money would still be on the captain, as was theirs. The problem was not the storm or the ship. When bilge pumps stop working at sea in rough weather, ship's go down! We have memorials dedicated to good and capable sailors lost at sea. Let's not deny ourselves the rightful memory of one of the best.

Captain Ahab

The is an article in the New York Times today. The quote another tall ship captain who declined to go out with the torment approaching.

Nerts. Autocorrect changed "storm" to "torment"

"We chase hurricanes.... you try to get as close to the eye as you can...." - Robin Walbridge, Captain Bounty

“When I first heard the Bounty was out there, I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’ ” - Dan Moreland, Captain Picton Castle

Sums it up for me. Let's all take a lesson from this tragedy.

Well....,there you have it! Too bad we can't all meet up at a pub somewhere and have this discussion over an ale or two,......or three! Captains of the HMS Bountys have had a history of public opinion polarization. I happen to respect Cap'n Bligh too. Another misunderstood commander. His descendants are are still reaping the rewards of his dedicated and honorable service to the crown. The descendants of the mutineers of the original Bounty on the other hand.... well....most of 'em are still stuck on Pitcairn, where there's been a few 'social problems' over the centuries

ales all around. aargh. tho capt bligh's story has a tenuous connection to waldridge's tragic foible

dannyb9 wrote: aargh. tho capt bligh's story has a tenuous connection to waldridge's tragic foible

Tenuous? LOL, maybe so, maybe not. I'm speaking of a captain's prerogative and DUTY to do what is necessary to make the best available decision to save a ship. it's mission, and it's soul's (yea,in that order) despite popular 20/20 hindsight. Albeit, I must admit, there is still SOME question in my mind about the effect to of the Bounty's being for sale and (if/how) problems with the ships bilge system (were they known ?) weighed in on the captain's decision to go ahead. This ship was NOT a Daysailer, and should have been able to make it in IMHP. History will decide.

Bottoms up!

PS: Please pardon me for belabouring the issue. Sailing season's over in Michigan, so............

BTW: Here's the my last DS2 sail for me, for you winter sailing vid junkies. LOL

http://youtu.be/uHF5kGS-uc0

back in the day a captain's main responsibility was the ship and cargo. the crew were expendable. that was then, now is quite different.
thanks for the video, new sails are great.
sorry your season is over, i got my daysailer for winter sailing here on coastal s.c. it has become my favorite, 'go to' sailboat.