Re: [Paddlewise] Billed for a Rescue

   Hey gang,
     I could not open the link so I am not sure of the story that created 
this topic but as a member of SAR I know the Coast Guard if they are 
involved in a search will fine people if they are called out on false 
pretenses.
    Several years ago a power boater called in a "mayday, I am sinking". 
When the CG found him in his boat sitting on calm seas with no water in his 
bilge but he was quite drunk. They confiscated his boat and fined him 
heavily.
    A big dispute happened on Denali a couple years ago when a climber 
returned who had to be rescued twice before. The rangers wanted to kick him 
off the mountain but others  said they had no legal right to.

    As far as our local unit we have decided not to fine or charge people 
even if the search was a result of their own ignorance. We fear the word of 
a fine will cause others to search for friends and family themselves rather 
than call us until a lot of time has passed. The longer they wait to call us 
in the longer it takes for us to find them.
    We do however have a term called a "bastard search". This is when we 
first search the bars before going out  lest we be tramping through the snow 
while the "victim" is enjoying himself drinking with his buddy. The term 
comes from a search a while back when a hunter returned to town and hit the 
bar before going home. His family in the mean time thought he was still out 
in the woods and called search and rescue. When the news reached the 
searchers in the field the term "bastard search" was spontaneously created.
    Other units have reported missing teenager who were actually hiding at 
their boy friend/girl friends house.
    Back when I was a white water raft guide in West Virginia we faced the 
Disney syndrome in people who could not get into their heads that these were 
real rapids and yes they could eat you up. One lady tried using her paddle 
to latch on to the "cable that was towing us down the river". "Amazing" she 
said "you can't even see it". The "what me worry" attitude and the lily 
dipping style of paddling of some often got the raft in trouble. "paddle or 
we are going to die!", sometimes worked but I found as a pastor I had an 
advantage. Rather than praying all I had to do was say oh s_at_*#^ and folks 
woke up and started paddling hard.
    Also remember it is easy for us to sit back and say what another person 
does is crazy but remember going out to sea in our wee boats is considered 
by many to border on lunancy. I have read accounts of more than one sea 
kayaker having to presuade some government offical in a bananna republic 
that a seakayak was a safe boat along the coast.

Take care
Bob
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************