July 27, 201511 yr I understand that everybody is upset, and I understand why. For people like me who grew up on the water, that's what we did. We had a 20' Bayliner. My brother and I used to fish all over Lake Erie at that age. The thing I am most curious about is what kind of equipment the boat had. Ship to shore radio, satelite phone, that type of thing. If they did not have the ability to contact or be contacted that is a problem.
July 27, 201511 yr Nuts. Oldest son just this summer got the ok to take out Grandpa's fishing boat on the lake.
July 27, 201511 yr I understand that everybody is upset, and I understand why. For people like me who grew up on the water, that's what we did. We had a 20' Bayliner. My brother and I used to fish all over Lake Erie at that age. The thing I am most curious about is what kind of equipment the boat had. Ship to shore radio, satelite phone, that type of thing. If they did not have the ability to contact or be contacted that is a problem. They don't work well when the boat is upside down. Granted, if one grows up on the ocean or in the mountains, there is a higher comfort level...maybe foolishly so....from someone out of their normal elements. For us it was riding horses...we just saddled up, hopped on and went. Today it would take waivers, helmets, training, etc. to ride horses all over the place as we did.
July 27, 201511 yr There is nooooo way they should have been allowed to sail alone. However, with an adult in the boat, it's probably 3 missing people today.
July 27, 201511 yr 14 is the legal age to have a boating license in Florida.. That being said I took a 25 ft boat out on Lake Erie once.. Caught some weather and was never so scared in my life.. Couldn't imagine doing it at 14
July 27, 201511 yr Author There is nooooo way they should have been allowed to sail alone. However, with an adult in the boat, it's probably 3 missing people today. I would argue that an experienced adult would have checked the radar and known it was a bad idea to go into a storm.
July 27, 201511 yr I would argue that an experienced adult would have checked the radar and known it was a bad idea to go into a storm. Did they go out into a storm? I hadn't read that.
July 28, 201511 yr Author Did they go out into a storm? I hadn't read that. Yeah in the original article it said there were heavy winds and rain in the area on Friday
July 28, 201511 yr I agree the parents should have never let the kids out to sea. But let's remember they are literally in "a living hell" right now. I cannot imagine the pain and guilt they must feel right now...
July 28, 201511 yr Author Marine experts say missing Fla. teenagers should not have been alone offshore - The Washington Post
July 28, 201511 yr They was in a 19 foot boat which is very tiny for the ocean. When i was a kid we had a 20 foot Sea Ray and the Ohio river was almost to rough for it I couldn't imagine out in the ocean with it.
July 28, 201511 yr Author Missing teens could live for 4 days at sea, Coast Guard says | News - Home From this article: A commercial fisherman and the manager of Jib Yacht Club and Marina worried they may have been the last to see the boys. Joey Krizka told The Palm Beach Post that they only had $109 to pay for the $122 bill, which included 28 gallons of gas. Krizka told them they could pay him later, because he saw them regularly. Jim Dulin said he is a commercial fisherman with 20 years of experience. He told The Palm Beach Post that he was heading toward the Jupiter Inlet Friday afternoon to turn away from a thunderstorm, when he saw two "crazy" kids going toward it. "The storm was really black," Dulin said. "The temperature dropped and you could tell it was going to be a really mean one."
July 30, 201511 yr I'm sure this happens along the coast more often than most people realize. Kids who are born into that environment include boating, and even boating offshore as a way of life, even at a young age. We allow our youngsters to four-wheel in rough terrain, and (going back to my youth) operate heavy farming equipment. Things go wrong, accidents happen, and kids die. IF these kids were reckless and went out into a storm, then it is on them for being irresponsible. There is a young man about 13 at the camp in Canada where I fish who thinks absolutely nothing of boating in the North Channel of Lake Huron, and like all of us, has encoutered rough sailing, where you need a degree of know-how to navigate safely. I'm sure that there are times, like we adults when he/we push the weather envelope farther than we should if the fish are biting. He takes customers out (free of chage) and gets them on fish, if they are struggling. Someday he will be a successful guide and resort owner, and I'm sure his kids will do the same thing. I realize that the North Channel and the Atlantic Ocean are two entirely different monsters, BUT I point it out to demonstrate a mentality among families whose kids are raised in that environment. Their parents have every confidence (as is the case here) that their boys will exercise proper judgement and act responsibly. I'm not sure that the parents are the ones to blame here. It appears to be a tragic accident, but one in which the boys themselves are more to blame than are their parents.
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