S/V Rebel Heart Rescue in Pacific off Mexico

[Jim_ME]

So here we go again...

I just watched the NBC Evening News which featured a story about rescuing a toddler from a sailboat far off the coast of Mexico. The story showed a photo of the boat [a Hans Christian 36, I would learn] sitting in fairly calm water and reported that it had lost its "steering or communication abilities" in a storm.

And spoke about how the navy had removed the crew from "the doomed sailboat"

Looking at the photo on the screen of the cruising sailboat sitting calmly in the water, I wondered why he would call this boat "doomed"?

So I searched for a story online to see if it will shed more light on this event...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/06/navy-sailboat-baby-rescue/7379067/

"A U.S. Navy warship arrived Sunday at a sailboat hundreds of miles off the coast of Mexico in order to rescue a sick 1-year-old girl whose parents were attempting to circumnavigate the globe."

The couple and their children were almost 1,000 miles from Cabo San Lucas after setting out from San Diego to circle the globe, and did not have steering or communication abilities. In a post on the couple's blog eight days after setting out, they called the trip "the stupidest thing we have ever done."

Is she talking about attempting such a trip in general? Is this the couples' assessment after being rescued? (Which you might think from the context in the story)

Do another search...find the blog...
http://www.therebelheart.com/charlottes-blog/

Find the quote...

I think this may be the stupidest thing we have ever done. "Stupid" is the number one word that resonates throughout my day as we tick the slow minutes away to the kids' bed times each night. "Why am I doing this?" "What the f*** was I thinking?"

When was that posted?
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 19:22
11 days earlier? Before or after the storm that damaged the steering?

So search further...
http://www.standard.net/stories/2014/04/06/family-sick-baby-rescued-stalled-sailboat

"U.S. sailors rescued an American family with an ill 1-year-old from a sailboat..."

When her [Charlotte the wife/mother co-owner] sister first mentioned plans to sail with two young children, English recalled, "I thought it was nuts."

Will have to do more reading to understand what happened. A difficult situation with a sick toddler, and trouble with the boat. Obviously the safety of the child is the most important thing.

However, I did wonder whether, if the father/owner/captain [once he knows his young daughter will be in good hands and medically cared for] had wanted to stay aboard, jury rig a temporary rudder and sail his boat back to Mexico or San Diego, would he have been allowed to do this? [ideally with one or two of the Navy rescue crew, if possible] Reminds me a bit of the rescue of the crew of Westsail 32 Satori in The Perfect Storm. I'll be interested to keep searching articles to see what became of the sailboat.

[Travelnik]

Here is the link to the story on CF:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f2/forum-members-boat-and-daughter-in-trouble-off-of-mexico-123774.html

Very sad that they lost their liveaboard home.  :(

[Jim_ME]

Thanks, Travelnick. I didn't check any other forums, since I didn't want their views to influence my initial post and reaction to the news story on TV.

Have they lost their sailboat/home?

I haven't yet read all the posts carefully, but this part of the quote there...

"The guard is determining whether more rescue craft might have to be employed to get all family members to safety, if necessary. But he said it is possible that they could get the boat moving on its own."

seems to indicate that the Guard may be working on getting the sailboat repaired or jury rigged and may sail or motor it back?

[Travelnik]

The boat was scuttled because it was leaking, and would pose a hazard to navigation. They were only allowed to take 3 bags off the boat. The rest of their family's belongings are gone. Three bags for a family of 4 to rebuild their lives with. Very sad, but at least they're all alive and well.

Here is an official quote from the family:

Eric and Charlotte Kaufman, recently rescued from their sailing vessel in the Pacific Ocean, have issued the following statement from aboard the US Navy Oliver Hazard Perry class Frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48):

"First, we would like to express how grateful we are to the men and women of the Coast Guard, California Air National Guard and Navy who rescued our family, especially the pararescuemen and crew of USS Vandegrift. We are very thankful to be safe and well. We also appreciate all the concern, thoughts and prayers of everyone back home for the health of our daughter Lyra. She is doing well now, and her medical condition continues to improve.

"We understand there are those who question our decision to sail with our family, but please know that this is how our family has lived for seven years, and when we departed on this journey more than a year ago, we were then and remain today confident that we prepared as well as any sailing crew could. The ocean is one of the greatest forces of nature, and it always has the potential to overcome those who live on or near it. We are proud of our choices and our preparation, and while we are disappointed that we lost our sailboat and our home, we remain grateful for those who came to our aid and those family and friends who continue to encourage and support us.

"Thank you."

[Jim_ME]

They didn't report that in the story on the evening news. Must have been on an update that I had not seen.

First, I wish the best for the child and whole family.

Still, I have that nagging question in my mind. What were the options and expectations the sailboat captain? Was he told ahead of time that his sailboat would be sunk? What kind of leak, and how fast? Could he have been given fuel to run his motor, charge batteries and then bilge pumps could take care of leak?

I am concerned that this outcome, on top of others like Satori, could create a real disincentive for captains/owners to call for assistance.

Edit: Travelnik, I had not read your quote from the family when I wrote the above. It's true that the Services did mount an impressive rescue, and the medics even parachuting from the plane to reach the sailboat and treat the child quickly.

Just to learn from the event, though, I am still puzzled about what happened to such a capable sailboat, which looked so normal on the news report, and saddened that such a great boat was destroyed if there had been some practical alternative. It would be nice if there was some self-powered beacon like an EPIRB that rescuers could leave going to warn off other vessels so that it need not be sunk, and that an owner could use to relocate the boat later, be brought out with a crew to repair/jury rig and sail the boat home.

[Travelnik]

I suppose we won't know all the details until they get home and give an official press release.

From the stories I have read, they had some damage to the steering, or self-steering, one or more of their sails were torn, and that the leak may have come from the packing gland.

Right now, all of that is just speculation though.

The captain is experienced, I believe he was in the Navy, and has worked as a professional delivery captain, but from what I have read, chose to go with his family rather than trying to sail further to another destination, and fly home.

[Jim_ME]

I suppose we won't know all the details until they get home and give an official press release.

I hope that there is a full account, not to criticize or second-guess the sailboat family in any way, but so that others can learn as much as we can from this event and prevent it in the future, if it is possible.

From the stories I have read, they had some damage to the steering, or self-steering, one or more of their sails were torn, and that the leak may have come from the packing gland. Right now, all of that is just speculation though.

The captain is experienced, I believe he was in the Navy, and has worked as a professional delivery captain, but from what I have read, chose to go with his family rather than trying to sail further to another destination, and fly home.

This only makes it more baffling. An extremely capable sailboat, with what (from these descriptions, albeit preliminary) appears to be less than major damage, and a very experienced captain. As you say, there may be more to it, that we may learn later. [I expect that they may write at length about it in their blog when they get back home.]

I can certainly imagine being very concerned and feeling the need to take drastic action if a member of the crew (especially one's child) needs medical attention, and that the boat would be a distant secondary consideration.

Still, it would be a relief to know that he was given the option to save his boat and sail/limp to the nearest port, if that was his choice--and informed in advance that if he did not, it would be sunk.

[CharlieJ]

Reminds me a bit of the rescue of the crew of Westsail 32 Satori in The Perfect Storm. I'll be interested to keep searching articles to see what became of the sailboat.

Satori was a tad different situation though. Ray Leonard was ordered off the boat under threat of having his captain's papers revoked. He was not who called the SOS, and leaving the boat was NOT his choice.. Satori later washed  ashore totally intact. Leonard was forced to sell her to cover expenses of refloating the boat.

Sartori spent some time after that with her new owners moored in my marina in Port Lavaca. From what I understand she's now down in Corpus Christi, still going strong

[Jim_ME]

Satori was a tad different situation though. Ray Leonard was ordered off the boat under threat of having his captain's papers revoked. He was not who called the SOS, and leaving the boat was NOT his choice.. Satori later washed  ashore totally intact. Leonard was forced to sell her to cover expenses of refloating the boat.
Sartori spent some time after that with her new owners moored in my marina in Port Lavaca. From what I understand she's now down in Corpus Christi, still going strong

I agree that it was different in many respects. When I first posted below, I didn't know that the HC36 captain may have been given the choice to stay aboard and to make for port (if he in fact was, I haven't read any official report on this, but we may eventually).

One other difference is that at least Satori was not called a hazard to navigation and scuttled, so there was a chance that her owner might recover her. And even though not the right person, it may be some consolation that someone got the boat, and it is still in use.

I always thought that Leonard, especially since he did not make the distress call, and may have reasonably assumed that the Coast Guard would remove his crew, but not him, that he should have refused rescue and stayed on his boat. fight or sue to get his license back later. Might have to accept that the CG would tell him not to call for rescue again--that they weren't coming back out in this storm. [So then] He could have made that choice to accept those terms, if he wished. From the book he clearly believed his boat could handle it, and was of course proven right when, (as you say) even with no one aboard, the boat survived.

[Jim_ME]

I started the post with "here we go again" referring to the angles that the various media reports were taking. I reminded me of the coverage given to the sailboat and family that got iced in that we had a thread about awhile back.

The use of words like "doomed sailboat" to characterize a boat that seemed not to have much serious damage.

As it turned out, if the boat was later scuttled by the authorities (as has been posted, though I haven't taken the time to find an official story on it yet) in hindsight and in one sense, the boat may have indeed been doomed--though it seems unlikely that the reporter could have known this. Maybe he meant that the voyage was doomed, since it was already clear that it had been interrupted or given up on at that time?  

I watched news coverage again on the following evening, and the boat characterization had been downgraded in the story to "crippled".
The rescue crew "had boarded the crippled sailboat"...

The story then seemed to shift from one of a "toddler being rescued" and the family also coming along, to a sailboat crew rescued, including 3 and 1 year old children.

"Amid harsh judgments" The anchorman went on...  
The boat had "lost power and steering" and made the distress call.
And the family was relieved that they won't have to pay for the rescue.
The harsh judgments being by the general public about undertaking such a passage with the young children.

It was interesting to see that the report included a quote from the mother's own blog entry about how the passage seemed "stupid" to her. Written over 10 days before, when I doubt that she could have imagined that they would later decide to call for assistance.

One thought is that once you call for assistance from the (public) authorities, the story becomes public, and the public is encouraged to weigh in. going back into ones blogs and cherry picking your writings from their original context, and quoting your sister about how "nuts" she had always thought it was...all of this is fair game.

You have entered and will now be tried in the land of public opinion.

I think about the Scarlet Letter and how in the times past, wrongdoers were publicly humiliated by being put in the stocks in the public square.

Think about the public controversy about the parents who were allowing their young daughter to attempt a world record for the youngest woman to solo circumnavigate.

Recall reading about Tania Aebi sailing solo in her Contessa 26 in the tradewinds, sometimes with no working motor, or radio, or even working self-steering gear. (true she didn't have a sick 1 year old aboard to be concerned about).

I recall reading about another French family that lived aboard and went back to sea with children shortly after having a newborn.

The report seemed to give much time to the angle that this cruise had self-evidently, from the outcome, always been a foolhardy risk.

I suppose that I will read the father and mother's separate blog accounts to see if there is anything to be learned about what went wrong, and how I might learn from and compensate and prepare for such things if I should ever choose to undertake a similar adventure.

And yet, the lead story was about the still-missing airliner that perished with 239 people aboard.

I think about how many of the people in the early settlements such as Jamestown perished in those first winters.

As we have discussed before, there is a constant tension, conflict, and balance between learning and preparing and taking reasonable risks--knowing that we cannot make cruising, or any activity completely risk free--and avoiding unreasonable risks. Such as not going out and trying to get past an approaching hurricane, such as the ill-fated Bounty did. Such as the Titanic not having sufficient lifeboats, and refusing to slow down despite reports of icebergs in the region.

The answers are not easy and clear cut, and vary with the boat and crew capabilities. Learning to sail a boat is not that hard, but learning to have good judgment, and gaining the experience that it is rooted in, that takes time.

When Charlie writes that at 72 he is still learning, I take it that this is (at least in part) what he means. I do think that the shared experiences offered and read by the community here, among other places such as blogs, are very valuable.

The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
   

[CharlieJ]

One thing about that blog entry  where she called it "stupid".

Down at the very end, where no doubt NONE of the "dooms dayers" read to, she also said "but it'll all be worth it"

Here's the last few lines-

"It?s a massive part of our world that is wildly alive, that is in danger, that is changing every day, and that may be vastly different by the time our daughters are grown. Ultimately, how many people will ever experience the feeling of being surrounded by waves and wind, as close as an arm?s reach away from them, for weeks and weeks? It is a difficult, self-imposed isolation that is completely worth it. Okay, maybe still a tiny bit stupid, but worth it."

Sounds way different when you read to the end doesn't it?

[Travelnik]

I still feel sorry for them, even though the irony is that this is the same guy that was bashing Zen big time for doing the same thing. There weren't any little kids involved in the Zenamaran story though.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f129/what-a-mess-zenamaran-106946.html

There were a few of us sticking up for Zen on that thread, but a lot of the ones that were against Zen are all in favor of supporting Rebel Heart!  ???

This is another reason I like it over here . . . more true support without the hypocrisy. You guys are a much better family!  ;D

[CapnK]

I still feel sorry for them, even though the irony is that this is the same guy that was bashing Zen big time for doing the same thing. There weren't any little kids involved in the Zenamaran story though.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f129/what-a-mess-zenamaran-106946.html

There were a few of us sticking up for Zen on that thread, but a lot of the ones that were against Zen are all in favor of supporting Rebel Heart!  ???

This is another reason I like it over here . . . more true support without the hypocrisy. You guys are a much better family!  ;D

HA! Man, everything else aside, if that ain't a great example of Karma, I don't know what is... ;D

And I just lost *any* sympathy I may have had for the guy. Please someone go on that thread and 'bump' it so that maybe mister 'Rebel Heart' can have a few moments of introspection and perhaps become "Change of Heart"...

...read his Post #30

[CharlieJ]

Well, well-that's interesting.

What's that about people who throw stones?l

[Tim]

The quick read of some of that reminds me why I never bothered signing up or ever reading over there.

[Travelnik]

... Please someone go on that thread and 'bump' it so that maybe mister 'Rebel Heart' can have a few moments of introspection and perhaps become "Change of Heart"...

...read his Post #30

Bumped! (At least his quote!)  ;D

[Captain Smollett]

I have purposefully "reserved comment" in this thread for a number of very personal reasons.

But, I will say that having looked at some of the comments in the CF thread on Zen's experience, I would like to reiterate the thought "Thank goodness I avoid that poisonous place."  Geez; talk about naysayers that give sailors a bad name...no wonder so many give up on the dream.

It is instructive to look at the experiences of others and use them as springboards for discussion.  However, pointing "blame" and casting insults is more often than not the product of extremely lazy thinking.

Discussions like this can turn political, but suffice it to say that I have learned a lot from the sailfar community in regards to personal responsibility and self reliance and I do appreciate that that has consistently been the message behind "KISS" and "Small" sailing.

I regret any time there is a story of sailors having trouble at sea...all it does is fuel the naysayers and nannyists in general, and the types seen in that CF thread in particular.  It only harms the community for other sailors to jump on that naysaying bandwagon. 

[s/v Faith]

I am very sorry for the family, the loss has got to be crushing.

I do agree with comments about naysayers.... 

.... Having been on the receiving end of such comments I have to say I have a profound distaste for caskng stones from shore at anyone who dares to dream over the horizon....

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[s/v Faith]

Let me also say (while I will not pretend to speak for my friend Zen)....

  I know that even with the things said about him, Zen's heart will break to hear of this tragedy.  He is first a compassionate human, but more so he is a true "Sailor".  I suspect his heart will break at this news, as should all of ours.

  Peace and fair winds to all.

[Jim_ME]

He is first a compassionate human, but more so he is a true "Sailor".
Peace and fair winds to all.

I think that is true. It's easier to be compassionate to someone in one's own tribe, but takes real humanity to show that to others--even those that might not have shown that to us (one of us).