Man Bites Dog
Cruising World is running a story "Mega-Yacht Rescues Distressed ARC Crew - Rescued captain suffers from mental problems" on a rescue-at-sea the luxury sailing yacht Mirabella V (charters for 300K a week) enacted 300 miles from Cape Verde Islands...the Mirabella V recieved a distress call from the S/V Compromise, a 32' sloop taking part in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. The ARC is an annual transatlantic rally starting each November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and claims to be the largest transocean sailing event in the world. In any event, the story gives a detailed viewpoint as recounted by David Dawes, the captain of Mirabella V...an interesting if not terribly dramatic account of the rescue that leaves the reader puzzled as to exactly what mental distress the captain of the Compromise suffered from. Why did he issue a Mayday? Was it bad weather, a mental breakdown, off his meds? Was he crazy for going to sea in an unfit vessel? I can't help but wonder why Cruising World is passing this off as a news story...there's no context or any supporting details whatsoever. And hence no story...
4 comments:
Yachting Monthly has a slightly better explanation...
Peta Stuart-Hunt, PR Manager for World Cruising Club, clarified the situation, reporting that skipper Brosnan 'suffers from a medical condition controlled by drugs and it appears that through a combination of not taking his medication, exhaustion and possible seasickness, his condition got out of control.'
I suspect it's because it's Mirabella and ARC that make it a story. If I ever run into this kind of problem, I hope Mirabella or someone like Dawes is around to come to my assistance. For me the most interesting aspect was that Compromise kept sailing making it harder for Mirabella to catch up with them. I have often found that when I run into a problem, you become so focused on the problem at hand that you make dopey mistakes. This is probably what happened here. Actually it's an idea for a blog post. The other thing is that I think the ARC creates a false sense of security that you will be sailing in company. It's amazing that nearest boat was Mirabella 300 miles away.
What's fascinating for those of us who've never been very far offshore is to speculate as to how we'd react to a long, lonely passage. Would it drive me bonkers? Would I enjoy the solitude? If I did, what would that tell me about myself?
Good comments/questions...very thought provoking. Thanks guys!
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