Re: [Paddlewise] more on Coast Guard rescues

Wayne wrote;

> This whole thing brings to mind a program I saw on the history channel a
>while back. There was a freighter foundering somewhere in the North
>Atlantic, back in the 30's or 40's I believe. The Captain refused to be
>rescued when another ship arrived and took the rest of the crew back to
>shore. He was going to stay with his listing ship until it either sank
>(which it was in grave danger of) or it was towed to safety. So he stayed
>on, alone, after everyone else left.

(SNIP)

>Am I the only one who thinks that he was a fool, who needlessly put the
>lives of many other people at risk by declining rescue when the
opportunity
>first arose?

I suspect this may have been Captain Kurt Carlson and I think it may have
been in the
fifties.

The tradition among seafarers to not give up the ship until the last
possible moment stems from salvage laws. An abandoned ship
belongs to the salvager. Carlson was doing his duty. Foolish?  Perhaps in
the context of personal risk but staying with the ship was consistent with
the highest  traditions of the sea.

I firmly believe the tradition valid for those who work on the sea. There
is a brotherhood of the sea for those who must face adversity without
option just as there is a brotherhood for those at war. Who would ever
undertake these roles knowing it was every man or woman for himself?

I have much different feelings about those who go to sea for fun. The
recreational paddler or sailor has options unavailable to the professional.

Cheers,
John Winters
Redwing Designs
Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft
http://home.ican.net/~735769/




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