# Another inexperienced couple sinks their boat. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 12, 2018, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657 "2018-02-12T00:39:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/21 "2018-02-12T15:07:43Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > [Couple sells all possessions for sailboat, sinks 2 days into trip | Fox News](http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/02/11/couple-sells-all-possessions-for-sailboat-sinks-2-days-into-trip.html) > > So. No experience. 24 and 26 years old, barely out of school and they are tired of paying for a house. “Barely out of school?” You mean college? Did they even go to college? The article mentions that the boyfriend “used to drive for Uber,” implying that that was his bread and butter. [If so, that ain’t much bread or butter,](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/06/27/how-much-uber-drivers-actually-make-per-hour/?utm_term=.65427d18f893) and I’m not surprised that they felt like they were busting their asses just to live a basic life. That said, it’s a bit early to burn out in your mid-20s. I wonder what he majored in that resulted in “Uber driver” being his best career option (and I wonder what she used to do for a living as well). ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/22 "2018-02-12T15:11:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And yes, given that the boat and apparently all the equipment and provisions cost only $10,000 should have given them a clue that they were ill-equipped to sail around the world. I’m not sailing around the world, I’m not even sailing a Sunfish in the local park where I could walk/wade to shore if something happened but I have no idea how much it would cost to sail around the world. I’m guessing ≈ $2m for electronics (GPS, EPIRB, comms/radios). After that I’m out of my element. Supposing I _do_ want to sail around the world, how much should one budget? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/23 "2018-02-12T15:26:28Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > What ever happened to the simple past-tense word “sank”? Sank their boat is a better headline. I don’t understand needlessly shifting tense either. Is it time to start a Darwin Award pool on these two? It’s only a matter of time before they get another boat. This isn’t going to end well. They’ll get themselves back in trouble very soon. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/24 "2018-02-12T15:30:18Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > “Professional-level hiking trail”? Someone is paying someone else to be traipsing about outdoors? What kind of money are we talking about here? Obviously a noob. The Professionals don’t use trails. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/25 "2018-02-12T15:31:05Z")
When I learned to sail, one of the most shocking things I found was that a license and training are unnecessary. You simply find someone willing to sell or rent a boat to you, and off you go. Doesn’t it make more sense to learn about sailing, how to read charts, use a GPS, and so on? Judging from the article, these people decided to go, and they went. Practice first. Baby steps. Learn, then do. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/26 "2018-02-12T16:07:59Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > And yes, given that the boat and apparently all the equipment and provisions cost only $10,000 should have given them a clue that they were ill-equipped to sail around the world. > > I’m not sailing around the world, I’m not even sailing a Sunfish in the local park where I could walk/wade to shore if something happened but I have no idea how much it would cost to sail around the world. I’m guessing ≈ $2m for electronics (GPS, EPIRB, comms/radios). After that I’m out of my element. Supposing I _do_ want to sail around the world, how much should one budget? I have no idea what it should cost to buy and properly equip a boat for a round-the-world trip. But I do know that $10,000 won’t get you very much of a car. And that’s probably enough for a boat that you mostly keep docked at the marina. But for something of this level, I assume you’ll need a lot more equipment and a sturdier boat. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/27 "2018-02-12T16:27:38Z")
Some years back, we owned an honest-to-goodness blue-water sailboat, more than capable of handling just about anything the ocean could dish out. Similar vessels can be had for around $100K, less if you’re willing to do some serious work on it. Now for that same $100K, you could get a decent coastal cruiser and outfit it was a really good suite of electronics, safety gear, and maybe even new sails. There might be enough left over for some provisioning. Speaking as someone who married her sailing instructor and who has owned 5 different sailboats since 1983, ranging in size from 23’ to 37’, I feel safe in saying there ain’t no way you’re going to get a decent boat with decent gear and then provision it for $10K - even if the seller was being extremely generous. There’s a difference between being adventurous and ridiculously reckless. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/28 "2018-02-12T17:09:28Z")
What is the word again for someone so incompetent or ignorant they are oblivious to just how incompetent and/or ignorant they are? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/29 "2018-02-12T17:40:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > What is the word again for someone so incompetent or ignorant they are oblivious to just how incompetent and/or ignorant they are? I’m not a psychologist, but I’m absolutely certain you mean the Denning-Kroger effect. > **[Dunning–Kruger effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect)** > > The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities. It was first described by Justin Kruger and David Dunning in 1999. Some researchers also include the opposite effect for high performers: their tendency to underestimate their skills. In popular culture, the Dunning–Kruger effect is often misunderstood as a claim about general overconfidence of people with low intelligence instead of specific overconfidence... ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/30 "2018-02-12T17:40:54Z")
What they need is a GoFundMe campaign to buy a clue. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/31 "2018-02-12T18:17:07Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > I’m guessing ≈ $2m for electronics… Two millidollars? Two million dollars? Either doesn’t make sense, so I’m not sure what you’re saying here. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/32 "2018-02-12T18:19:29Z")
Oh, what the hell. They had a little adventure that was cut short. It didn’t cost them that much. They’re in their 20s, so their whole life is ahead of them. Sold their car and quit their jobs? So what? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/33 "2018-02-12T18:35:09Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Oh, what the hell. They had a little adventure that was cut short. It didn’t cost them that much. They’re in their 20s, so their whole life is ahead of them. Sold their car and quit their jobs? So what? And they saved the dog toys. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/34 "2018-02-12T18:35:51Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > … I wonder what she used to do for a living as well). The article says that Nikki Walsh, the female half of our dynamic duo, “booked time-share tours for a living”. I don’t know what that pays, but I can’t imagine it’s very much. Insert obligatory “GET A JOB YA BUMS!!!” here. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/35 "2018-02-12T18:39:05Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > The article says that Nikki Walsh, the female half of our dynamic duo, “booked time-share tours for a living”. I don’t know what that pays, but I can’t imagine it’s very much. Insert obligatory “GET A JOB YA BUMS!!!” here. Suddenly I’m not so concerned about her getting her job back. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/36 "2018-02-12T18:40:27Z")
Well, she’s certainly familiar with scamming people out of their money, then. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/37 "2018-02-12T18:41:47Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Well, she’s certainly familiar with scamming people out of their money, then. Yes, this GoFundMe thing might be a good bit _less_ fraudulent / dishonest / despicable than her previous “career”. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/38 "2018-02-12T18:42:27Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > _\_ So what? I could be wrong, but I suspect it’s the GoFundMe aspect of the story that people may find irritating… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/39 "2018-02-12T18:43:43Z")
With a job like that you would think she would be immune to “Let’s spend everything we got and blow it on a vacation we are ill-prepared to take” mentality. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657/40 "2018-02-12T18:45:02Z")
I just learned (by googling) that there are such things as Timeshare Boats. Perhaps she should have bought into one. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-inexperienced-couple-sinks-their-boat/808657.md?page=3)