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Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

bbc.com

51–60 of 66 posts

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#51

So a man can't cross the Atlantic in a hamster wheel, but rich people can go to the bottom of the Atlantic? Unfair

From the article:

> Officials said he refused to step off the vessel and threatened to kill himself. He also claimed that he had a bomb on board, according to court papers.

Fortunately he did not actually have a bomb on board.

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As a generality, "unsafe voyage" is a reasonable thing to outlaw. Morons will need search & rescue on the CG's taxpayer-supplied dime, then maybe need medical care at public expense, too. Of all the stupid things regular people can do to add strain/cost to the united states' social systems, "unsafe voyage" seems pretty low on the list, both in cost and frequency. I'd guess that injuries as a result of accidental gu…

> I'd guess that injuries as a result of accidental gun discharge and/or fireworks easily 10x-100x yearly spend on search and rescue. Fireworks are illegal in many states. Guns are regulated and there's widespread efforts for more.

Fireworks are universally illegal in a single state. Google it.

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#53
post #2

At what point should the Coast Guard just say "Give us contact details for your next of kin, then go ahead. YOYO."? It's not like they'll be inundated with Darwin Award wannabe's anywhere near as creative and determined as this guy.

My understanding is that if someone is at sea and in distress, saying "you asked for it" isn't a valid reason to ignore their SOS. So, if someone goes out in "an unsafe manner", then it's quite likely that real mariners (e.g. the Coast Guard) will have to risk their own lives to save Bozo's.

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had he ever demonstrated that could get further than his own state, you might have a point. But those reading TFA all the way to the end know that it’s not the first time the Coast Guard has pulled him out of the water, and it’s not been far from where he started.

What wasn’t clear from the article is if he needed to be pulled out of the water or if the coast guard “rescued” him because they just assumed he was insane. (Which seems reasonable). He does however seem to not want to be rescued and allows to hamster wheel himself to a probable death. I do wonder why he isn’t allowed to, people do all sorts of insane things and die doing it and they’re allowed to, such as difficult…

The article clearly stated he is facing charges for obstruction of boarding so the Coast Guard had probable cause to board and he refused and said he had a bomb.

Given that this is his third/fourth attempt at hamster wheeling in the Atlantic they probably knew exactly who it was when they got the call.

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd guess that injuries as a result of accidental gun discharge and/or fireworks easily 10x-100x yearly spend on search and rescue. Fireworks are illegal in many states. Guns are regulated and there's widespread efforts for more.

Fireworks are universally illegal in a single state. Google it.

"Universally" makes that statement useless. Vermont only allows sparklers. That is practically a ban on fireworks in the context of this discussion. Many other states have strong restrictions, partially for sake of reducing injuries (and noise and fire risk).

And there is constant advocacy for stronger restrictions/bans.

The point is, we do restrict people's actions on fireworks and guns in order to prevent larger costs. They are not a counter example for why the Coast Guard should have done nothing in this case.

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#57
post #12

Criminal complaint: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23937421-baluchi

Funny, some crazy guy's perfectly fine hamster wheel vessel gets deemed manifestly unsafe however an eccentric entrepreneur's million dollar submarine ends up crumpling up some billionaires.

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#58

So a man can't cross the Atlantic in a hamster wheel, but rich people can go to the bottom of the Atlantic? Unfair

Had he ever demonstrated that could get further than his own state, you might have a point. But those reading TFA all the way to the end know that it’s not the first time the Coast Guard has pulled him out of the water, and it’s not been far from where he started.

30 miles in entirely the wrong direction is actually much further than I'd have expected him to get

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#59
post #25

I don't understand why they have to intervene besides giving him warnings. At some point, tell him he's not their responsibility anymore if he refuses again and go do something more productive. Countless human hours spent preventing someone from doing something that would harm no one but himself. There are probably good Samaritan laws forcing public officers to provide "help" if they are informed of a situation and n…

> would harm no one but himself. Is a danger for himself but also to other ships that could crash against that structure. The sea is a busy road and this thing can easily sink a small boat carried by the wind, or crush somebody if carried by a wave onboard of a bigger ship and falling over a worker. Plus recent spy issues of people mapping sensible locations while pretending to be a lost tourist, that must be address…

there are small boats at 110km into the sea that can't see a giant garbage patch coming their way?

Re: Florida man arrested after trying to cross Atlantic in hamster wheel vessel

#60
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> would harm no one but himself. Is a danger for himself but also to other ships that could crash against that structure. The sea is a busy road and this thing can easily sink a small boat carried by the wind, or crush somebody if carried by a wave onboard of a bigger ship and falling over a worker. Plus recent spy issues of people mapping sensible locations while pretending to be a lost tourist, that must be address…

there are small boats at 110km into the sea that can't see a giant garbage patch coming their way?

In the context of a hurricane about to come, the answer is a big, uppercase, neon-flashing letters, yes. The weather at the sea can change fast.
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