Quote:
Originally Posted by ED-n-KEL
Joseph, I agree 100%.
As with most levels of any type of engineering, there should always be some type of "safety factor", "service factor", "margin of safety", "margin for error", etc, etc. This basically means that if you need 100HP to do a job, then put a 125HP motor to do it. Unfortunately, these days the train of thought is if you need 100HP, use a 75HP to save money. This is pretty much the reasoning that usually kills people and pollutes thousands of miles of water and land.
I wonder if people would get it if they were asked to put themselves and their entire families in a basket and hang this basket off of a 1000ft cliff.
Now, the family and basket weigh in at 4000 lbs... so we'll use a rope with a 3500 lb capacity. You could leave belts, shoes, clothes, behind to save a little weight.... Any takers?
Let's leave Jimmy and Johnny on land and reduce the basket weight to 3500 lbs.... and still use 3500 lb capacity rope. Still, any takers?
People, this is not a video game where when you crash you get to restart and all is well.
Anyone considering running down the highway with their vehicle maxed out and with their entire family inside should seriously reconsider and reevaluate their priorities.
BP didn't want to spend the extra money on the correct BOP for 5000ft of water. Where are their savings now?
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But Ed.....BP has been doing this for many years and
"Never had a problem".......Sound familiar?
It drives me crazy when I see people post that statement in these towing threads.........."I do it ....and I've never had a problem"........ In most cases, that statement is only made to help the poster justify his risky behavior and encourage others to help justify that behavior. In my opinion....that type of thinking is irresponsible.
If someone wants to do something risky, that's fine with me. I am one of the biggest risk takers on the planet. I've sailed around the world in a small boat...I was a deep depth scuba diver and a sky-diver.....would I recommend any of that to others? He!! NO.........However, when people come to me and ask how they can make doing it safer, I'm glad to help
as long as their risk taking does not involve the safety of others........ Although I will
absolutely tell them that they can die doing it and I have seen plenty of people die doing all those things.
In my sailing seminars, I did not advocate (nor did I use) the use of an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) or life rafts on sailboats that are making long ocean crossings without crew. My philosophy is that I have the right to risk my own like . I DO NOT have the right to risk the lives of those that my be involved in attempting a rescue. Many Coast Guardsman have died in rescue attempts on small craft. Just like many people have been killed in car accidents involving the risky behavior of others. I
WILL NOT put myself in that position and I would
NEVER recommend it to others..
As for the life-raft.....they are a joke on a small vessel. There have been many cases worldwide of empty life-rafts being found or sailboats being found (
afloat) with the life-raft missing and never discovered and/or the raft being discovered with a dead body. The idea of dying in a life-raft does not appeal to me. I firmly believe that the time taken to deploy the raft would be much better spent saving the boat. If the attempt fails (which is actually rare), so be it.......I'm not spending the "rest of my life" in a raft, floating on the ocean. There have been very few cases, world-wide of small craft sailors being rescued from a life-raft.