[JAFO]

Mind you , there were also a few Darwin Award candidates out yesterday . Like the clown who went surfing from Hastings and was rescued after putting the lives of Hastings lifeboat crew and the SAR chopper at risk....
They should’ve ‘kneecapped’ the moron . That would keep him from putting other lives at risk totally unnecessarily..

Just feel I should say as a reasonably keen surfer, that you may well be right, but surfers do go out in some pretty extreme conditions and well within their capability. I have no idea what the conditions on that particular beach were like and whether it was plain crazy. It can be dangerous making judgements whenever we see some doing things that may seem pretty extreme to others.

I think if the surfer has to be rescued by the lifeboat it is reasonable to presume that the surfer is operating outwith his capabilities.

[IMCR]

As to surfing, I feel I could give the long answer or the short.

The short answer is that if you havent surfed I would try some simple you tube to gain some insight into the conditions that surfers go out in. Breaking surf is not ideal for any boat. Experienced surfers know they are taking risks. As I said earlier it all adds up to the risks maybe having been stupid, and, I doubt there is a useful break at Hastings (but I could be very wrong I havent checked), BUT there were a lot of surfers out today elsewhere, going well. I have no idea about the Hastings incident. As to putting the services at risk, be it mountain rescuers, the RNLI, or others that might come to mind, I am sure we will each have our own views but having been involved, I usually find those that would judge others, are the least qualified to do so.

[lobstaboy]

Indeed - if we all made perfect decisions all the time there would be no need for things like life boats or mountain rescue.
But we don't.
Occasionally skygods get it wrong and end up flying into IMC when they are only VFR qualified - bet they wish there was a life boat to get them out of the 5hit.
That said the life boat footage did look pretty terrifying...

[IMCR]

BTW I have just had a look at the reports and the poor chap lost his board - probably the tether came adrift. Losing your board is an issue, and can happen in more benign conditions, but place you at equal risk. It takes a good level of skill and fitness to get through the break in those conditions, so I very much doubt he was close to a beginner, and it would seem he had been surfing for some while. As I said earlier, I have no idea of the exact circumstances, other than the couple of reports I have just read. You may all be right, just putting a different point of view.

Its a bit like what we all do -there were one or two up yesterday in light aircraft - perhaps they were equally reckless. I have landed in 50 knots in a light twin and was as close as I ever wish to get to my limits (and possibly those of the aircraft), but the TAF hadnt forecast near on that. We all make mistakes.

[IMCR]

Oh and it would seem the surfer made his own way ashore, (and wasnt rescued), and the lifeboat nearly capsized returning to Hastings, so I think we will need to hear rather more about events before rushing to conclusions.

[avtur3]

Here is a little tale that brings the current news stories of the storm and the virus together.

Our younger daughter lives in Cardiff, she's been up visiting Mrs Avtur at our home in Haywards Heath (15 miles north of Brighton) this past weekend. Because of the stormy weather daughter decided she wasn't happy driving her Corsa back to Cardiff on Sunday so booked today (Monday) off work to drive back in better conditions.

A colleague of my daughter's in her workplace in Cardiff was aware daughter hadn't turned in today and later learned that our daughter been away 'near' Brighton over the weekend. The colleague has raised a concern that daughter should be asked not turn into work tomorrow because she's been 'near Brighton'.

I'm away working in "the sandpit" this week, happy to be watching from a distance.

[Rob L]

Here is a little tale that brings the current news stories of the storm and the virus together.

Our younger daughter lives in Cardiff, she's been up visiting Mrs Avtur at our home in Haywards Heath (15 miles north of Brighton) this past weekend. Because of the stormy weather daughter decided she wasn't happy driving her Corsa back to Cardiff on Sunday so booked today (Monday) off work to drive back in better conditions.

A colleague of my daughter's in her workplace in Cardiff was aware daughter hadn't turned in today and later learned that our daughter been away 'near' Brighton over the weekend. The colleague has raised a concern that daughter should be asked not turn into work tomorrow because she's been 'near Brighton'.

I'm away working in "the sandpit" this week, happy to be watching from a distance.

Because someone from Brighton has been in a Chalet in France with seven other singletons, and has caught a certain virus. I don't blame your daughter's colleague for the concern.

[VFRBimbler]

I was interested to see a report of an aircraft making five attempts to land at Schipol before thinking better of it and heading back to Madrid.

Is there a legal limit to the number of attempts to land that can be made or is it down to an airline’s SOPs (in which case, is five considered sensible)?

[Flyin'Dutch']

If only IMCR could be so generous with the excuses when it comes to organisations, as he can clearly be with muppet windsurfers, we would have saved an awful lot of electrons.

[IMCR]

If only IMCR could be so generous with the excuses when it comes to organisations, as he can clearly be with muppet windsurfers, we would have saved an awful lot of electrons.

This is probably because I quite like the idea of people going out doing exciting things, yes sometimes taking a risk too far, and, yes sometimes making mistakes, and equallly, I dont have a lot of time for those who would rather live in glass houses, be the first to crticise, nor to recognise that we do sometimes make mistakes, and of those that would rather invent a series of rules and penalties to make themselves feel important and better.

PS I gather the chap was not a windsurfer, even though many of the press refer to him as such, but a surfer. One has a sail on the board, one doesnt, and there are other differences, other makes and choices are available.

(PS Flyin"Dutch" only teasing, not a dig, but there is prossibly some serious sentiment in there somewhere, since you raised the point).

[Waveflyer]

If only IMCR could be so generous with the excuses when it comes to organisations, as he can clearly be with muppet windsurfers, we would have saved an awful lot of electrons.

This is probably because I quite like the idea of people going out doing exciting things, yes sometimes taking a risk too far, and, yes sometimes making mistakes, and equallly, I dont have a lot of time for those who would rather live in glass houses, be the first to crticise, nor to recognise that we do sometimes make mistakes, and of those that would rather invent a series of rules and penalties to make themselves feel important and better.

PS I gather the chap was not a windsurfer, even though many of the press refer to him as such, but a surfer. One has a sail on the board, one doesnt, and there are other differences, other makes and choices are available.

(PS Flyin"Dutch" only teasing, not a dig, but there is prossibly some serious sentiment in there somewhere, since you raised the point).

IMCR
I wonder if the families of the lifeboat crew would agree with your opinion?

[lobstaboy]

Plenty of other Muppets to choose from it seems
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland- ... s-51447226

[IMCR]

IMCR
I wonder if the families of the lifeboat crew would agree with your opinion?

As a "retired" member I would recommend go and have a chat with them at your local RNLI station - you might be surprised by the answer you receive from most of the crew. As always there will be other opinions.

[Sooty25]

IMCR
I wonder if the families of the lifeboat crew would agree with your opinion?

As a "retired" member I would recommend go and have a chat with them at your local RNLI station - you might be surprised by the answer you receive from most of the crew. As always there will be other opinions.

As "retired" crew, I second that.

The media hype over the "near capsize" is PR gold for the RNLI, they are even using the video themselves. It plays on those that don't understand.

This is not a "modified fishing boat", a huge amount of R&D and testing went into the design and development of a boat that will survive just about anything the sea will chuck at it. If that little episode hadn't been filmed by a member of the public, nobody would have even mentioned it. Just watch the video again and observe how it immediately recovers and accelerates away.

[flybymike]

Lay off IMCR.
I like people who readily challenge the system, (even if I don’t agree with them.)