On Sat, 12 Jul 2014 19:38:25 +0200, Ignatios Souvatzis
wrote:

Just to illustrate the rough rule my instructors and skippers try
to hammer into me every time: "We only abandon ship if we really,
really must (mostly uncontrollable fire or flooding) - The ship is
tougher than you are and a nicer place to stay in a storm than
a liferaft."

SY Elusive was abandoned on 23 May 2014 350 miles east of Virgina Beach;
crew was transferred to a nearby freighter.[1]

About a month later, the crew of SY Marlin on their way from the
Bermudas to the Azores sighted the Elusive. After verifying with
USCG that the ship was abandoned, and considering the legal hassles
to do anything with it even if they spared enough crew to sail it
somewhere, too, they let it continue its drifting.[2]

Regards,
-is

[1] http://www.sailnet.com/forums/vessel...-may-14-a.html
[2] http://www.sy-marlin.de/?m=20140623


The US Coast Guard encourages abandonment. They will often
order a perfectly good boat abandoned once they show up with
their helicopter after a MAYDAY call is received and they
respond to it. I think they'd rather practice rescues than
to advise a crew to remain with a boat that is really in no
danger of foundering.

It's gotten to the point that if a captain and crew is
experiencing discomfort and is stressed about being out
of sight of land and has some small doubt as to the
seaworthiness of their vessel they are more than willing
to abandon ship.

That is the state of sailing these days. No bravery, no
skill, no perseverance. Pathetic wimps and pussies!

asa and rbc added

--
Sir Gregory