Gene Kearns
http://www.brunswickbeacon.com/
http://tinyurl.com/gzz7t


Shortwave Sportfishing penned the following thoughts:
I read about that yesterday - idiots.


Charitable and kind to the last, eh?


Gene Kearns wrote:
I'm not really sure if it was a sailboat or not.

I think not. There was na article about this in the Raleigh
newspaper and it showed a picture of a USCG boat towing in a
motor cat, center console type.

It's suprising that such a boat would capsize in those
conditions. Makes me wonder if there was some problems with
the piloting or loading of it.


... These guys were from
a city that is about a 7-8 hour drive(depending on potty breaks) from
the ocean. They lived in the mountains and were probably only lake
boaters. They likely had a hand-held VHF radio or perhaps a cell phone
since it appears the started, but did not complete an Mayday.


I can see that. It would be very difficult to make a radio
call using a handheld while swimming!


Though their actions seem stupid, I've heard some posters, here,
belittle the dangers of 4-5 foot waves and heightened winds. I hope
these guys didn't come here and get the idea that this sort of
challenge to Mother Nature is safe.


Their being lake boaters may have been why they thought it
safer to swim to shore. 4 miles thru chilly, choppy ocean
waters, with possible breaking surf & undertow, strike me
asomething to be attempted only if the alternative is to
swim the other way. If you have a chance to stay with a
floating boat, even a capsized one, that's much much better.


I'm not sure where these guys put in at, but in those wind/wave
conditions, there wasn't a safe access to sheltered waters available.
They were essentially doomed from the time they pushed the boat off of
the trailer and left safe harbor.


"Doomed" is a little pessimistic, but they certinly didn't
pay much attention to the warning signs. It just goes to
show the impossibility of idiot-proofing the world.