Covidiot Cruisers in the Solomon Islands

[theDangerz]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

In view of the recent weather nastiness in Fiji and the adverse experiences of yachties there does anyone wish to modify their stated opinions on the actions of "the covidiots" in attempting to clear out of a cyclone prone area?

I don't think anyone here (or the officials in the SI) was questioning the decision to leave before cyclone season.
I think the questionable decisions were not storing enough water for the journey and/or wandering into a country currently locked down during a pandemic and assuming all would go well.

It sounds like they have a Garmin onboard and looks like at least one of the boats have had AIS turned on since departing Fiji.

I'm assuming that if either of the 2 vessels can simply show in their GPS tracks that they were indeed were making passage safely outside of the boundaries of the solomon islands but then paused/drifted for a while (during attempted engine repairs) and then afterward changed course/heading into the region looking for safe harbor - that all this goes away pretty easily for them as that would be tough to argue/deny in any court.

If their tracks show them pointing straight from Fiji To SI, I would imagine it will be a much harder/uphill battle in the courts.

I was surprised in listening to their interviews the GPS tracks weren't the first thing they brought up... I would be flashing our tracks in front of anyone who would listen/publish them!!

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by theDangerz

I think the questionable decisions were not storing enough water for the journey

I have started a separate thread to discuss, in general terms, the water reserve tradeoffs faced during crossings with smaller cruising catamarans.