Boats, a hole in the water into which you throw money...

[Brad Johnson]

Sometimes ALL your money...

...and possessions

...and yourself

...which you then don't insure

...and lose because ignorance and inexperience gets you into a sandbar and capsized 2 days into your over-romanticized "Society Sucks. We're Outta Here" world tour.

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/02/11/couple-sells-all-possessions-for-sailboat-sinks-2-days-into-trip.html

Brad

[dogmush]

So far their GoFundMe has 50% more donations then the boat cost, so they did OK.

[Ben]

I saw that the other day.

People can do whatever they want, but personally, I think it takes a lot of chutzpah to toss a plea on GoFundMe for money for a new boat for try #2. Also I guess they never heard of insurance, given they're also asking for dough to salvage boat #1.

Not to immediately go on a tangent, but I often shake my head at the kind of things people ask for (and get) on GoFundMe.

Edit: Dogmush beat me to the punch. Hell's horses. That only makes my head shake more.

[charby]

Should of had a proper survey of the boat done before purchase.

[Perd Hapley]

Nikki Walsh, 24, and boyfriend Tanner Broadwell, 26, decided nearly a year ago that they were tired of working.

“How can we live our lives when we’re working most of the day and you have to pay so much just to live?” Walsh, who booked time-share tours for a living, said to The New York Post.

“Most of the work you do goes to your home. There has to be another option,” she added.

   I had the same stupid thoughts when I was 24.

I think it was Camille Paglia, or one of those other outlaw feminists, that talked about this kind of attitude. We live in such abundance, we don't realize that having a house, and food, and clothes, and umpteen different comforts is not the default state of affairs. Those are things you have to work for. Or, like these two, you whine on GoFundMe, and they're just given to you.  

Not to immediately go on a tangent, but I often shake my head at the kind of things people ask for (and get) on GoFundMe.

Edit: Dogmush beat me to the punch. Hell's horses. That only makes my head shake more.

Yeah. I'd go on that site, and beg for money, but I suspect it depends on having an active social media presence to begin with, so...

[RoadKingLarry]

Those yutzes got ravaged on the sailing forums I frequent.
Wholly carp, what a clueless pair of morons. The sad part is that they'll likely get enough gofundme money to try again.
Maybe the 2nd time around Darwin will win.

[dogmush]

I'm trying to figure out what they hit.  John's Pass has a lot of shifting shoals, but it's all sand bottom.  There's nothing really there to tear a hole and sink a boat that fast.  Lot's of folks run aground, but very few sink right there.

Unless their POS 1968 sailboat was just so rotten it fell apart.

[Hawkmoon]

Should of had a proper survey of the boat done before purchase.

Should have spent five bucks for a chart of the harbor.

[230RN]

“'We thought the channel was where we were going, but it wasn’t,' Walsh told the Post, telling the publication they were armed with GPS and paper navigation charts."

I wonder why they specified "paper?"

[dogmush]

“'We thought the channel was where we were going, but it wasn’t,' Walsh told the Post, telling the publication they were armed with GPS and paper navigation charts."

I wonder why they specified "paper?"

Because a chartploter is cheap, ubiquitous and easy to keep up to date.

The paper charts probably came with the boat, were 10 years old and not updated.*


*for those non-nautical types, the USCG publishes Notice(s) To Mariners weekly that tell you how to update your charts for things like new underwater hazards, shifting channels, moved buoys, etc. If you choose to navigate on paper charts, you have to make these corrections by hand. Next Monday's will have a new "partially submerged wreck" to add.

[Hawkmoon]

“'We thought the channel was where we were going, but it wasn’t,' Walsh told the Post,

"Red right returning."

Charts are helpful, but only if you know how to read them.

[RoadKingLarry]

I'm trying to figure out what they hit.  John's Pass has a lot of shifting shoals, but it's all sand bottom.  There's nothing really there to tear a hole and sink a boat that fast.  Lot's of folks run aground, but very few sink right there.

Unless their POS 1968 sailboat was just so rotten it fell apart.

Reports I've seen say the bolted on keel separated from the hull when they grounded on the sandbar. Sounds mostly like their boat was un-seaworthy at best and they're lucky it happened where it did.

Another reason I prefer encapsulated keels and full keels as well.

[charby]

Should have spent five bucks for a chart of the harbor.

No, survey would of been a better value.

[RoadKingLarry]

$500-700 or so for a proper survey plus haul-out fees. Money well spent for amateurs.

[Hawkmoon]

Reports I've seen say the bolted on keel separated from the hull when they grounded on the sandbar. Sounds mostly like their boat was un-seaworthy at best and they're lucky it happened where it did.

Another reason I prefer encapsulated keels and full keels as well.

Ditto.

My last boat was an Alberg 30. Not as large or as fancy as RKL's new ship, but it sailed beautifully.

[charby]

"Red right returning."

Charts are helpful, but only if you know how to read them.

So true, cut my teeth running rivers with little regard for throttle. You really got to be trying to sink a boat, or really stupid.

[Hawkmoon]

This (setting out in unseaworthy sailboats) appears to be an emerging trend. First it was those two females who were rescued by the U.S. Navy in the south Pacific, now these two nitwits. As previously commented, all in all they're very fortunate that their keel fell off near safety rather than well offshore at night in a storm.