Rebel Heart Assistance By MichaelLA PAZ, MEXICO

Nine-hundred miles off the Mexican coast, the Kaufman family had no choice but to sink the boat that has been their home for the past seven years. I don’t know whether they carried hull insurance (we don’t carry hull insurance for Del Viento). I don’t know their financial situation (though I know they saved for years to make this attempt at their dream a reality). But I do know that a friend is soliciting financial support on their behalf. If you’re inclined to help the family with a donation, the information is here:

 

I’ve seen still pictures from their rescue and read the error filled news reports of their circumstances. I’ve read strong negative bias in news reports about the family’s decision to sail across an ocean with their children. I’ve read hateful comments from lay persons all over the internet. All of it hits close to home. For me and other cruisers I know, it evokes a bunch of emotion.

In The Right Stuff, author Tom Wolfe describes test pilots’ responses to the crashes of fellow pilots, a defensive response that tended to always assign blame to the other, fated pilot, as opposed to the experimental aircraft. This mindset was their assurance that they were in control up there, that so long as they had the skill to fly the plane, so long as they were better than the guy who bought the farm, they would be okay.

I tend towards the same mindset and have processed every bit of information I can from what is yet known of Charlotte’s and Eric’s circumstances, in the context of how I would have done better or done differently. But the truth is, I am no less likely to commit errors or fall prey to rotten luck than they are. That’s not to say that I don’t aim to make our own ocean crossing passage one day, just that it could have been us out there too.

I wish the crew of the former Rebel Heart all the best.

--MR

Rebel Heart Distress By MichaelLA PAZ, MEXICO

I just read an alarming news item on Latitude 38's 'Lectronic Latitude site and am spreading the news in case anybody misses it there. This hits close to home and my family and I extend our best wishes for a good outcome. Following is a reprint of the Latitude 38 report, written by Ladonna Buback:

Sick Baby Awaits Mid-Ocean Airlift

April 4, 2014 – Pacific Ocean

A well-known cruising family from San Diego were awaiting evacuation from their boat about 900 miles southwest of Cabo San Lucas this morning after their one-year-old daughter Lyra fell ill. Eric and Charlotte Kaufman, 35 and 34, left San Diego in 2012 aboard their Hans Christian 36 Rebel Heart with their young daughter Cora (now 3). The family has spent the last two years cruising Mexico, and along the way, baby Lyra joined the crew. They keep a popular blog at www.therebelheart.com.

 

 

The Kaufmans' plans were to cruise the South Pacific this year before continuing on to New Zealand, and by all accounts, the crew and boat were well-prepared. Rebel Heart left La Cruz on March 20 as part of the Pacific Puddle Jump, but yesterday they called for help when Lyra became critically ill. Four pararescuemen from the National Guard parachuted down to the boat yesterday to provide medical assistance.

 

Details are still sketchy, but initial reports by the medics say that Lyra was suffering from a serious heart ailment and required more medical care than could be provided aboard Rebel Heart. At last word, she was in stable condition. The crew of an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter is underway today to transport Lyra to a nearby Navy frigate, which will take her the rest of the way to shore. It's unclear whether the entire family will be evacuated.

 

Celebrity Ahoy! By MichaelLA PAZ, MEXICO

Esta historia es una broma...
Note: This post was published on April Fools day--oh, the power of suggestion. The woman pictured is my sister.

In the post I published yesterday, I included a picture of Venus, the yacht of the late Steve Jobs. Well today, I learned who is in town to charter the 256-foot vessel:

Celebrity in La Paz.

That’s Stefani Germanotta—aka Lady Gaga—walking along the La Paz boardwalk (and that’s Eleanor’s head off to the right). The megastar singer was dressed conservatively and without makeup, she looked normal.

Cruising pals of ours (Pete and Kathy) aboard Citla are good friends with Venus’s captain and got a tour of the boat the day before. They told us they heard guests were arriving today but that they weren’t told who they were. They assumed it would be the owner and family.

Then, this afternoon, walking past Marina Cortez, we noticed a small army of photographers standing idle. I asked them what they were shooting and they said Lady Gaga was on her way. I don’t really know much about the woman or her music, but the girls know her hits and were very excited at the news, both begged me to stay and wait and see. I normally would have obliged, but we were late meeting another cruiser to pick up some solar panels I bought from him.

Then, an eighth of a mile down the malecon, three black SUVs pulled to a stop in front of us and out climbed Lady Gaga and a couple other folks. They walked right towards us and I wasn’t sure it was her at first, but she smiled at the girls and Frances called out, “I love your song ‘Born This Way.’” This stopped Ms. Germanotta in her tracks and she came over and thanked Frances and asked her if she could sing a bit of the song and Frances clammed up, but Eleanor belted out a couple verses. Lady Gaga laughed, asked the girls their names and ages, and then thanked them and then continued on at the urging of some of her people. And that was it.

I realized I had no picture and ran ahead with Eleanor to snap this one. Seconds later, the singer was enveloped in a scene and disappeared, headed for her cruise on Venus.

Not bad for a Tuesday.

--MR