To Help or Not

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Like I said before, there were 20 boats in the anchorage and all but one refused to help. Actually it was a lot more boats than that since boats were coming and going. The 2 strads of the 3 strand anchor line chafed thru were obviously dangling off the bow. That didn't just happen. No one did anything to help. Then it dragged thru the anchorage and hit me. The buck stopped there. Others said it had been dragging for weeks. You guys might be overestimating your fellow cruisers .

I might have missed this... Where did this happen?

[Bycrick]

Ah, the difference between how the world (and its humans) actually is and how you think it should be. How many threads on this forum have posters complaining that "insurance is too expensive. I’m self-insured?" So when that person's boat sinks or burns, and they’re left with an underwater asset and potentially a big bill for cleanup or damage, their natural reaction is to find someone else to blame. Some examples that I’ve experienced first hand:

Boat grounded on shallows. He wants a tow but has no lines. I throw him a line and try to tow him off. The line breaks and he goes back on the ground. "Your line broke and the damage happened after that."

Boat catches fire. I give him my fire extinguisher. When the boat burns and sinks, "Your fire extinguisher wasn’t big enough to put out the fire."

Trying to tow a boat out of danger. Line comes off towed boat. Tow boat catches the line in the prop. Towed boat runs aground. "If you knew how to drive a boat, you’d not have run over the line."

Never underestimate the ability of somebody who’s made a mistake from trying to find somebody else to blame it on.

[kmacdonald]

Lawers can argue ANYTHING!

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I might have missed this... Where did this happen?

Post #21

[Bycrick]

Post #63. Absolutely correct. Hence, if one wishes to avoid problems with lawyers and courts, one ignores whatever "moral necessities" one thinks that there might be in a perfect world, and let’s nature take its course.

Even when there are insurance companies involved, you can get in trouble. An uninsured boat catches fire. Ultimately drifts down on a very expensive sports fishing boat, which then burns to the water line. First two boats involved are uninsured. Third-boats insurance company pays off, and then tries to recover from everybody else in the neighborhood. They’ve got lawyers on retainer, so they’ve got nothing better to do than go to court. You pay your lawyers for three years to defend you.

Do I like this situation? No. But it is what it is. When your neighbor's boat catches fire, find a bag of marshmallows and read your insurance policy again.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Post #21

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3574461


?

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3574461


?

What are you asking?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

What are you asking?

I asked: "Where did this happen?" You responded with "Post #21". In this post you write:

Not from what I see here. 20 anchored boats and only one helped. Others even refused to help with various reasons given.

I don't see a location, hence my ?

[kmacdonald]

I don't want to give exact location for obvious reasons but florida ICW. Not near any marinas. One of if not the best anchorage on the ICW.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

I don't want to give exact location for obvious reasons but florida ICW. Not near any marinas. One of if not the best anchorage on the ICW.

Thanks. That's what I was asking. It was alluded or suggested you were talking about somewhere in the USA, but your location identifier says "Canada."

In so many ways, the US is an outlier. I don't doubt the reality of your situation, but as you can see from most respondents, it just doesn't ring true to most who are outside the US.

[kmacdonald]

I'm sure it has a lot to due with location. A lot of things do. Different strokes for different cultures.

[Shrew]

I've had a friend use a dinghy to push an unoccupied boat dragging down on us. He pushed it out of the way and past us. Then my wife and I caught it with lines as it was dragging past and rafted it to us.

Another occasion, a large unoccupied boat was dragging into an unoccupied two boat raft. I jumped on and fender the boats, then rafted the dragged boat to the two boat raft. I then went back to my boat to wait for anyone to show up. When the owner of the dragging boat came back first (alone) I went over, explained what happened and helped him re-anchor.

Feel free to sue me. i'm fairly sure between 'good Samaritan' laws and Marine Salvage laws, pressing charges will be a challenge.

[Oeanda]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

. I'll always help out in that situation if I safely can. And if they try to hold me liable for some kind of damages afterwards, then I'll just have to deal with that as best I can.

I feel the same way as Shrew and Jeb.
I’ll try to help automatically. If later the victim sues me for getting involved, for some reason (which isn’t something I can imagine any local here doing) I’m willing to go in front of a judge and clearly explain what happened. If that judge punishes me for it… Well, I’m going to be very depressed I guess, because clearly something here is pretty rotten, and maybe it’s time to move. But I’m willing to take that chance.

I can’t think of many people here who wouldn’t automatically help. Not all of them are necessary saintly people or even friendly and some of them would call you a f’n idiot, etc. but they’d still help because that’s just what is done. So it obviously varies greatly by location.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Oeanda

I feel the same way as Shrew and Jeb.
I’ll try to help automatically. If later the victim sues me for getting involved, for some reason (which isn’t something I can imagine any local here doing) I’m willing to go in front of a judge and clearly explain what happened. If that judge punishes me for it… Well, I’m going to be very depressed I guess, because clearly something here is pretty rotten, and maybe it’s time to move. But I’m willing to take that chance.

I can’t think of many people here who wouldn’t automatically help. Not all of them are necessary saintly people or even friendly and some of them would call you a f’n idiot, etc. but they’d still help because that’s just what is done. So it obviously varies greatly by location.

Varies by location, maybe, but all my locations around the world have been like this. Sailors are sailors, and maybe there are some shortbirds somewhere that would stand by and watch another sailor's boat be wrecked, but I can honestly say I never met one of those. And hope never to.

[JPA Cate]

The year was 1986.

The place this all took place was Caleta Partida, in Baja California, north of La Paz.

A bunch of cruisers were anchored there. It is good, clean, deep sand holding. We'd all pass along the beach from time to time, except one boat. No one was visible on it. Ever.

All of us started getting creeped out about "Moonlight". It was all we talked about ashore. Days passed, and no one was seen. Should we do something? Most of us are Yanks, and so we know about not trespassing. But. Well, what if he is dead? or incapacitated? ....much worry, much talk. Eventually, it was decided that 3 of the skippers would go together to the boat (to be witnesses for each other in case the Port Captain would have to be notified.)

What did they find? Moonlight's skipper had the flu.

But, he did thank them for coming over.

I think that if a person has had a really negative experience helping others, it may dim that wish to help another sailor, but that for most of us, who have had positive experiences helping out or trying to help, there's no question. One does what is reasonable to improve a situation, and hope for the best.

People who spend a lot of time cruising, particularly in lower population density places, realize there is a cruising community, and that community has "we help each other" as part of its founding, from "the law of the sea" on down.

Ann