What to Consider When Abandoning Ship

Saw that on the flight to Miami. No sound and didn't need it...
 
I was a bit disappointed in that article. It seemed to lack any 'meaty' advice except to ignore the oft repeated "You never step off until you have to step up." I guess I was looking for some advice with more substance than considering the overall situation.
 
I've never abandoned ship but I think if I was considering anything it would be living....oh and I'd have my ditch bag already in hand.
 
timemachine said:
I've never abandoned ship but I think if I was considering anything it would be living....oh and I'd have my ditch bag already in hand.
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We boat on pretty calm water right now but plan to do some longer trips that include being on much bigger water ... we don't carry a ditch bag now and I'm curious what you keep in one?
 
Gofirstclass said:
I was a bit disappointed in that article. It seemed to lack any 'meaty' advice except to ignore the oft repeated "You never step off until you have to step up." I guess I was looking for some advice with more substance than considering the overall situation.
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+1. Agreed! I felt the same way, after reading this, I was left thinking "More detailed info would have made this article valid"
 
"Ira Hubbard, the owner of Marine Flower II, abandoned a perfectly good watertight vessel in the middle of the Atlantic. It is exactly what he should have done. His boat wasn’t sinking, but after a day fighting seasickness and fatigue, his wife and daughter could only lay below with his infant son. In a matter of hours, he would have to single-hand his 64 foot ketch through a hurricane after days without sleep. If he hadn’t called for rescue when he did, the search and rescue would have likely been just a search. Stepping down into the ocean was a very good idea. If you’re thinking you would have done differently given Hubbard’s circumstances then you are exactly the kind of boater the Coast Guard often looks for, but never finds."

Maybe its just me but I'm not abandoning a 64' watertight boat in the middle of the Atlantic for a life raft. I don't care how sea sick the crew may feel. Poorly written article with almost no useful advice.
 
I feel the same way, guys. The article raised more puzzling questions instead of helpful and detailed advice.

JimT said:
"Ira Hubbard, the owner of Marine Flower II, abandoned a perfectly good watertight vessel in the middle of the Atlantic. It is exactly what he should have done. His boat wasn’t sinking, but after a day fighting seasickness and fatigue, his wife and daughter could only lay below with his infant son. In a matter of hours, he would have to single-hand his 64 foot ketch through a hurricane after days without sleep. If he hadn’t called for rescue when he did, the search and rescue would have likely been just a search. Stepping down into the ocean was a very good idea. If you’re thinking you would have done differently given Hubbard’s circumstances then you are exactly the kind of boater the Coast Guard often looks for, but never finds."

Maybe its just me but I'm not abandoning a 64' watertight boat in the middle of the Atlantic for a life raft. I don't care how sea sick the crew may feel. Poorly written article with almost no useful advice.
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Jim, I'm sure most of us thought the same. I have no idea how this "advice" could even be published. The writer is posting conflicting info. One statement says that boaring life raft should be done only in calm water, the other says it's a good idea to jump the ship due to seasickness. :smt021
 
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Gofirstclass said:
I was a bit disappointed in that article. It seemed to lack any 'meaty' advice except to ignore the oft repeated "You never step off until you have to step up." I guess I was looking for some advice with more substance than considering the overall situation.
Click to expand...

They did have advice on dinks...opps sorry you didn't have one! You would have had a "step through" to the water....:grin:
 
A guy i went to school with many years ago (maritime academy) was a recent grad and driving an ocean going tug. I dont remember the details because this was almost 30 years ago, but i do recall their tug sank, and they all went in to the liferaft in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I believe they were out there for along time before they were rescued , ie, a week or more. This particular guy was tough as nails. When we were cadets on our training ship, and in some foreign port, he was the guy in the bar fight. I also remembering hearing that another member of the crew was caught drinking the water rations when others were not looking, and he ended up paying a price for that. IE, they gave him a severe beating. Anyway, all were eventually rescued and it did end well.
 
JimT said:
"Ira Hubbard, the owner of Marine Flower II, abandoned a perfectly good watertight vessel in the middle of the Atlantic. It is exactly what he should have done. His boat wasn’t sinking, but after a day fighting seasickness and fatigue, his wife and daughter could only lay below with his infant son. In a matter of hours, he would have to single-hand his 64 foot ketch through a hurricane after days without sleep. If he hadn’t called for rescue when he did, the search and rescue would have likely been just a search. Stepping down into the ocean was a very good idea. If you’re thinking you would have done differently given Hubbard’s circumstances then you are exactly the kind of boater the Coast Guard often looks for, but never finds."

Maybe its just me but I'm not abandoning a 64' watertight boat in the middle of the Atlantic for a life raft. I don't care how sea sick the crew may feel. Poorly written article with almost no useful advice.
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I thought this at first too. Then I Googled it and watched some videos. They didn't get into a life raft, they only jumped ship after the Coast Guard Helo was already overhead. Apparently he had been up for several days already, his wife and two kids were down below seasick, the seas were pretty severe, and a hurricane was bearing down on them. They all made it safely to the Helo, but I couldn't find anything about how the boat made out.
 
 
I Have to agree, this article has almost no useful information. Trade a perfectly good boat for a life raft because I don't feel good...........No Way.
 
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