shaggybaxter said..surfershaneA said..SailPlan said..
surfershaneA: Seeing that you opened your thread with an attack, I believe a right of reply is warranted.
1. I do not know you. I have never opened a chat/talk/discussion with anyone along the lines that you have quoted. What "self-proclaimed right to occupy a safe anchorage"? WTF?! Simply, you have the wrong person!
2. This is a forum - people do give opinions. How an opinion given could lead to a bizarre personal attack is beyond me.
3. This has been an incredibly sad incident. Let us pause, and respect that.
Importantly, if I offended by commenting that it scared me seeing children swinging from a mast with no adults on board (and therefore no dinghy to summon help if required), I sincerely apologise for that.
So after your accusations of the kids being left constantly unsupervised, how do you think the mother and older sister who would constantly be watching them feel?
Given how dangerous the current is that 150 m further out from your boat, anyone considerate seeing children who loved the water as much as they did would have encouraged them to move in a safe distance from shore. Instead, you note potential dangers and attribute blame.
Just woa up there a bit before you hurdle the fence sir knight.
SailPlan said it wasn't him as to whomever you are referencing to.
He is allowed to share his observations, and why the hell is it his responsibility as to the effect of other peoples actions on themselves?
It's tragic and horrible and emotions should run high, but man you're wrong.
We're all responsible for our own lives, blaming neighbors is bull*&^%.
RIP little kid, I'm not judging you and nor was SailPlan.
See the difference here is I like to think of myself as a Waterman. I grew up around the ocean and like to think by now I can identify dangers around the water and act accordingly. As an example, over the years I have saved countless lives in the surf including a couple of late evening and night time rescues that have made the headlines.
Then you get the others who will see a danger and do nothing other than gossip and spread rumours. Most people find this the safe option particularly whilst securely on their posterior behind a keyboard. Sadly, the world today is full of self interest.
Now the difference is when I see kids on a boat who love to swim in an area of strong current I identify a danger. Instead of waiting to after that danger materialises and attributing blame, I try to do something about it. In this case try to encourage the parents to move the boat closer into shore. Noting the parents had valid insecurities for not wanting to do so.
The others who watch and do nothing yet are later happy to make accusations of neglect are in my opinion worthless examples of the lowest order. In this case, the other person even challenged my right to be anchored near them due their claim to have permission to be there waiting for a private mooring to become available. This sort of attitude is another sad reason the child's parents may have been wary of anchoring around other yachts in the safer waters?
So what are you going to do next time you can see someone possibly getting hurt?
And these are great kids. Anyone who can reach out and help the family should do so!