CG and Navy to the rescue

Pima

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So a family of 4, two being under the age or 3 decided to sail to the South Pacific from CA on a 36 ft sailboat.

Shocker! They had to be rescued, 900 miles off of Cabo, by the CG because the baby girl got ill (suspected salmonella). Their vessel also is in trouble, and needs repairs. The baby needs to be helo'd off the boat.

I want to hand them the flipping bill for their stupidity. OBTW, Eric and Charlotte Kaufman tried this once before when she was pregnant with the baby that is being helo-vac at taxpayer dollars. They had to turn back during that try too.

How much you want to bet next year they will try this again....maybe not if the CG and Navy hand them the bill.
 
We should have some compassion.
Some people are too stupid to know they are stupid.
 
Why is the Navy getting a shout out here?


Some folks are billed if it's non-life threatening and replacing the capabilities of a commercial service. However the very good reason for not billing (other than the fact that our fellow American's are already "billed" 1/2 of their paychecks in the form of taxes) is that if people know they'll have to pay, they'll hold off far longer before requesting assistance, and that time can cost lives.
 
CNN is reporting that AF Guard Pararescue went in to stabilize things until the ship arrives. :thumb:
 
LITS,

I think they should be handed a bill. You are not a parent yet, but I think most of us that are, would say to them WTF? You are going to sail to the South Pacific with 2 children under 3 on a 36 ft sailboat?

This was pure selfishness on the parents part. It was about their desires and not their children's needs or safety. Do you have any memories from the age of one, how about three? I am sure the 3 yr old will have a vague memory of this adventure. It will be of people jumping from the air and staying on the boat until a really big boat came and took her, and her family up into the sky. Plus 4 strangers staying on board with them and the 14 hr travel to get her sister to a hospital where docs are awaiting the family's arrival.

They are so lucky that this was the worst thing that happened. I.E a child falling overboard because little ones at that age tend to wake up in the middle of the night looking for their parents. I doubt on a 36 foot sailboat there was room for a crib. They also were risking their health because 1 yr olds need shots. The same could be said for delaying their developmental skills, mainly gross motor skills and socialization for the 3 year old.

I am going to be honest, I have ZERO respect for the wife/mom. They did this when she was pregnant with the 2nd child ending with the same result...turning back.

Again to me this was narcisstic on their part and the only way IMPO to stop them doing it for the third time is to hand them the giant bill. Would I feel differently if this was their first try? Yes. I would blame it on stupidity. However, this is the second time they tried and failed, so NOPE, no pass from me.

In the end they had the CG, ANG and the Navy involved for their immature, narcisstic, selfish desires.

Let's be honest, they are on WWW.drudge.com and WWW.dailymail.co.UK.

My bet is her blog is filled with negative posts, and her Etsy business will be closed all because of their decisions and how it is now international news.

FWIW, LITS what actually entails a CG license? The reports say he has one. As someone that attended CGA, would you do this?

OBTW, if you read about the rescue you will know that all 4 were evacuated, and since the boat was in trouble, the next question is will they tow it back or have Navy personnel and supplies to get their steering and communications back up?

Spit on me once shame on you, spit on me twice shame on me.

Next news story, They didn't have health insurance
 
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LITS,

I think they should be handed a bill. You are not a parent yet, but I think most of us that are, would say to them WTF? You are going to sail to the South Pacific with 2 children under 3 on a 36 ft sailboat?

This was pure selfishness on the parents part. It was about their desires and not their children's needs or safety. Do you have any memories from the age of one, how about three? I am sure the 3 yr old will have a vague memory of this adventure. It will be of people jumping from the air and staying on the boat until a really big boat came and took her, and her family up into the sky. Plus 4 strangers staying on board with them and the 14 hr travel to get her sister to a hospital where docs are awaiting the family's arrival.

They are so lucky that this was the worst thing that happened. I.E a child falling overboard because little ones at that age tend to wake up in the middle of the night looking for their parents. I doubt on a 36 foot sailboat there was room for a crib. They also were risking their health because 1 yr olds need shots. The same could be said for delaying their developmental skills, mainly gross motor skills and socialization for the 3 year old.

I am going to be honest, I have ZERO respect for the wife/mom. They did this when she was pregnant with the 2nd child ending with the same result...turning back.

Again to me this was narcisstic on their part and the only way IMPO to stop them doing it for the third time is to hand them the giant bill. Would I feel differently if this was their first try? Yes. I would blame it on stupidity. However, this is the second time they tried and failed, so NOPE, no pass from me.

In the end they had the CG, ANG and the Navy involved for their immature, narcisstic, selfish desires.

Let's be honest, they are on WWW.drudge.com and WWW.dailymail.co.UK.

My bet is her blog is filled with negative posts, and her Etsy business will be closed all because of their decisions and how it is now international news.

FWIW, LITS what actually entails a CG license? The reports say he has one. As someone that attended CGA, would you do this?

OBTW, if you read about the rescue you will know that all 4 were evacuated, and since the boat was in trouble, the next question is will they tow it back or have Navy personnel and supplies to get their steering and communications back up?

Spit on me once shame on you, spit on me twice shame on me.

Next news story, They didn't have health insurance

+1 I agree
 
Because they and the ANG have done more than the CG in this particular instance.

http://www.navytimes.com/article/20...warship-reaches-sailboat-carrying-ill-toddler

Good, a link always helps.


You'll find many (not comfortable saying "majority") of SAR cases result from the dumb selfish actions of a few.

If you change people to rescue them, they will wait longer to ask to be rescued, and that will result in more extreme situations, putting the idiots and their rescuers in great harm.
 
LITS,

I get your position. Out of curiosity do you support the Affordable Care Act? If not, why not?
 
Out of curiosity do you support the Affordable Care Act? If not, why not?


Remember this is a thread on the sailboat rescue, a debate on the ACA could take pages and become heated. If one wants to discuss the ACA I'd recommend a separate thread.



As to the Coast Guard License it didn't say what kind of license he has. My guess is he either has a 300 ton license or possibly a sailing license with the sailing license being more likely given they say he also does deliveries.
 
As to the Coast Guard License it didn't say what kind of license he has. My guess is he either has a 300 ton license or possibly a sailing license with the sailing license being more likely given they say he also does deliveries.
I was thinking the same thing.. he probably has a 100 ton license with a sailing endorsement. I really doubt he has an unlimited ocean license.
Pima said:
would you do this?
Well I went to sea for 34 years on big ships and after everything I've seen out there I'd say 'no way' especially in a 32 foot boat with a 1 and 3 year old.. That's not very prudent and you're asking for trouble.

There's an old seagoing saying that applies here..
Anybody that would go to sea for pleasure [or adventure] would go to Hell for a holiday..
 
LITS,

I get your position. Out of curiosity do you support the Affordable Care Act? If not, why not?

I don't. Why? Well one, I have a M.D. father who is seeing some of the effects. Second, I am very worried about the excise taxes that will be leveled on a number of employers in 2015-2016ish period. Third, it was poorly thought out and even more poorly implemented. It's going to get far worse before it gets better…. and we're only seeing the beginning of the nightmare.

That said, the Coast Guard provides SAR to the American people (and anyone else). It's already paid for by our taxes. You don't give an organization $10,000,000,000 and then also say "and when they provide their most basic mission set…. they're going to charge you more."

This isn't my outlook on it, it's the position of the service. Now and then the subject of charging for SAR cases comes up, and this is the position each time. If it's a simple tow in a life threatening situation, they may be charged what it would take to have a private company to do the same thing (so as to not take away business from that private company.
 
The amazing thing is that you need a license to do almost anything.....

BUT .. no license needed to be a parent. Agree with Pima on this one... irresponsible
 
Maybe next they will try and hike the Appalachian Trail with the 2 tots!!:shake:
 
Back country skiers, big wave surfers, mountain climbers...the list goes on and on. When you choose (key word) to engage in an ingerently dangerous sport (not work) IMHO you should accept some added responsibility. Those in it for a profit - insurance companies - sure think so. They wouldn't issue me a policy until I removed my diving board from my backyard pool. What if I'd have said "Yeah I have a diving board...it's a 10 meter platform that my 12 year old son uses to practice for his cliff diving competitions." ?
 
CG Firstie here. As LITS said SAR is a service funded by the taxpayers, so they should be entitled to being rescued without being charged (and we have many international agreements on rescuing anyone at sea, which stems from maritime tradition).

PIMA, I'm aware that the AF provides inland SAR efforts for those areas where the CG isn't around. Does the AF charge those they rescue?
 
CG Firstie here. As LITS said SAR is a service funded by the taxpayers, so they should be entitled to being rescued without being charged...

What about towing? I've seen the CG tow quite a few disabled vessels, do they get a bill for that?
 
I felt that LITS always was speaking from his experience as a Coast Guard Officer when answering. As such, what does his position on the ACA have to do with his position on this rescue?

Apples and Oranges.....

True and yes.

So consider three things....

1. There are private services to tow and respond to non-emergency situations. TowBoat US, etc. The Coast Guard WILL change for a non-emergency response, because it uses resources and the Coast Guard should not be a free alternative to the private sector (and the private sector doesn't appreciate losing business).

2. Any SAR hoax generally results in the criminal paying for the SAR operations. That's generally a six-figure deal, so that IS a hefty penalty (in addition to jail time).

3. If you're at home, and you think you're having a heart attack, but you don't want to pay, out of pocket, for an emergency team. So you hold off. You wait to see if you just have a cramp, or heart burn, or you're just nervous. And the longer you wait, the worse it gets. The Coast Guard does not provide SAR for free. It has budget close to $10 billion. A portion of that budget supports SAR. 100% of that budget is paid for by us, the taxpayers. The Coast Guard (officers and enlisted) would much rather pluck 10 folks from a boat 200 miles out that's taking on water than search for 10 folks 200 miles out in 40 degree water and 20 ft. seas. If it's something they could deal with on their own, or something a private service can do, sure. But if there's a threat to life.... why cloud someone's judgement (and keep in mind, in an emergency, you're not always thinking straight) with trying to decide how much money his/her life is worth?


Prudent mariners DO get in trouble now and then, but they have the training and expertise to avoid many of the issues less experienced folks run into. And MANY cases are just dumb decisions or dumb luck. Honestly, having been in a number or SAR cases, there is not a person on the cutter or in that helo who is complaining about possibly saving a life. Not one.
 
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