Very sad and scary situation , I hope they find them but it's not looking good. They found the boat capsized without them, that's a really bad sign, you're supposed to stay with the boat if possible.
I know this type of accident can and has happened to boaters of all experience levels, and we have no idea if inexperience had anything to do with it, but still seems mighty aggressive.
RE: Thoughts on a couple of 14 year olds making a run to the Bahamas? Â
I know this type of accident can and has happened to boaters of all experience levels, and we have no idea if inexperience had anything to do with it, but still seems mighty aggressive.
the Mothers seem awfully damn calm while their kids are adrift. It is almost like they really believe the kids are fine and doing well. They are without a boat! They have been in exposure now without food or water for at least 3 days.
That isn't a recipe for staying calm if I'm their parent.
RE: Thoughts on a couple of 14 year olds making a run to the Bahamas? Â
I know this type of accident can and has happened to boaters of all experience levels, and we have no idea if inexperience had anything to do with it, but still seems mighty aggressive.
There are a million different ways to justify it, and I still can't agree with them. Boating offshore is a sketchy proposition - doing it in a single engine, 19' boat is plain stupid, regardless whether adults or teenagers. I've done it too - and I'm lucky I didn't pay for my stupidity.
Then there's the fact that a 14 year old, no matter how seasoned, isn't as physically strong or mentally composed than he'd be at 18, and those are two factors that play in greatly to your safety at that point.
I really hope they find them, but letting them go out that far, in such a small boat, was a recipe for disaster.
They went offshore without a EPIRB, working radio or GPS for navigation. What could go wrong? Did they even check the weather before going out, which probably did them in. BTW 14 year olds cannot be an experienced anything. If they were experienced, they would have taken steps to protect themselves. Like notifying people of their intentions. Chart course, time leaving and expected return, where exactly they were heading. They did none of it.
With a 19ft single engine boat even I would be reluctant to lose sight of land.
I bet there was a lot of bait on that boat when it flipped creating a chum slick, well you know where I'm going with this.
the Mothers seem awfully damn calm while their kids are adrift. It is almost like they really believe the kids are fine and doing well. They are without a boat! They have been in exposure now without food or water for at least 3 days.
That isn't a recipe for staying calm if I'm their parent.
The mothers are in denial at this point. I saw them interviewed on the Today Show this morning. I am certain they were capable of handling themselves around a boat....but they lacked the experience and fear which likely could have prevented this situation.
I can't imagine the guilt the parent will feel when they realize they allowed the kids to go offshore without the necessary safety equipment which would have helped them.
Article in Washington Post indicated no radio onboard. I will assume there was no emergency beacon as well. It was a 19' single engine boat. Such a boat has no business being more than a mile or two offshore under the best of conditions in my opinion.
...to be given the freedom and lack of supervision that contributed to this sad story.
Totally agree. No matter what kind of license they have or how long they've been boating, they are still 14. This is indeed a tragedy but the fact that the parents let them go out on their own is ridiculous.
"Their families reported there were life jackets on their boat, but Barney noted that Coast Guard and Navy rescuers don’t believe the boat was equipped with a radio. The Coast Guard, Barney said, never received a distress call from the vessel.
Complicating matters, he said, was a series of powerful thunderstorms up and down the coast Friday."
If they had a EPIRB, one press of a button would have instantly alerted the Coast Guard to distress and their location.
Another consideration is a 19ft boat doesn't hold much fuel. If the sea is flat you can cover a great distance quickly. If the seas rise to 3-4 feet or more with chop is a whole different ballgame.
I don't believe I would ever allow a 14 year old of mine to do this Â
but setting that aside; even if they were convinced the boys were seasoned enough to take this on how could the parents not equipped the boat with all the best safety equipment available before sending them off on this type of journey? It's the ocean and even the best sailors in the world could run into trouble in a 19 foot boat.
I believe you may be right. That's the way it is sounding by the last I have read about it. I shouldn't have questioned the parents as quickly as I did. I was under the impression they were sailing to the Bahamas based on other early reports but that doesn't appear to be the case.
Hoping for a miracle
Without a boat?
That isn't a recipe for staying calm if I'm their parent.
There are a million different ways to justify it, and I still can't agree with them. Boating offshore is a sketchy proposition - doing it in a single engine, 19' boat is plain stupid, regardless whether adults or teenagers. I've done it too - and I'm lucky I didn't pay for my stupidity.
Then there's the fact that a 14 year old, no matter how seasoned, isn't as physically strong or mentally composed than he'd be at 18, and those are two factors that play in greatly to your safety at that point.
I really hope they find them, but letting them go out that far, in such a small boat, was a recipe for disaster.
With a 19ft single engine boat even I would be reluctant to lose sight of land.
I bet there was a lot of bait on that boat when it flipped creating a chum slick, well you know where I'm going with this.
RIP boys
That isn't a recipe for staying calm if I'm their parent.
The mothers are in denial at this point. I saw them interviewed on the Today Show this morning. I am certain they were capable of handling themselves around a boat....but they lacked the experience and fear which likely could have prevented this situation.
I can't imagine the guilt the parent will feel when they realize they allowed the kids to go offshore without the necessary safety equipment which would have helped them.
Its not in any of the articles I've read
Its not in any of the articles I've read
Article in Washington Post indicated no radio onboard. I will assume there was no emergency beacon as well. It was a 19' single engine boat. Such a boat has no business being more than a mile or two offshore under the best of conditions in my opinion.
WaPo link - ( New Window )
Totally agree. No matter what kind of license they have or how long they've been boating, they are still 14. This is indeed a tragedy but the fact that the parents let them go out on their own is ridiculous.
Complicating matters, he said, was a series of powerful thunderstorms up and down the coast Friday."
If they had a EPIRB, one press of a button would have instantly alerted the Coast Guard to distress and their location.
Another consideration is a 19ft boat doesn't hold much fuel. If the sea is flat you can cover a great distance quickly. If the seas rise to 3-4 feet or more with chop is a whole different ballgame.
I believe you may be right. That's the way it is sounding by the last I have read about it. I shouldn't have questioned the parents as quickly as I did. I was under the impression they were sailing to the Bahamas based on other early reports but that doesn't appear to be the case.
That's not a good sign.
These things aren't luxuries anymore, they're so inexpensive that I can't imagine anything bigger than a dingy without them.