Man was both bonkers and brave and a little bit selfish
I suspect that description applies to just about any extreme adventurer that pushes against the limits.
Scott / Shackleton? Edmund Hillary? Donald Campbell? Jeb Corliss?
Man dies doing something risky shocker
^Ignore.. Just ignore^
I watched it last night with the OH. Upset us both. He was agonisingly close.
I can not imagine what was going through his head during that storm. It must have been terrifying.
Still sad thinking about it now.
I dont mind people taking risks, its their life and their family, but the design of the cockpit canopy did seem to be very poor.
That struck me as both stupid and likey to add to his risk.
I can't help but think of the parallels between this and Scott and Amundsen. Like Scott he suddenly found he was in a race that he wasn't expecting and like Scott that may well have pushed him to cut corners in his preparation. If that canopy had been designed to lock down and be water tight in it's stowage position he would almost certainly have made it just as Scott would have done had he pushed one ton camp further south as Oates had wanted.
Got as far as him paddling away from the beach when my boy (about the same age as his) came in.
I think when your have children, your responsibility to them should outweighs everything else.
Just watched.
Sat on the floor in tears at the end 🙁
Going to go and give my boys a hug.
Wow. Thanks to the op - an amazing film of an amazing, if slightly insane man! Fascinating and heart wrenching.
Shame about all the self righteous, judgemental crap on here but you get used to that after a while.
Just finished watching after switching off last night after a few minutes. The video on his first paddle away from shore was truly heartbreaking to watch! He seemed to know his fate was sealed there and then. So close.......
Just watched it. Tragic, very honest and very thought provoking, but I do side with the comments of selfishness, especially when he paddles off at the start. As much as people like thrill seeking, it was pretty clear his gut instinct was strongly telling him not to do it ... more than just a niggling doubt.
As for the distress call, close your eyes and try and make out the words without having the text in front to read from. much harder to make out. You can hear the slurr in the speech too from the cold.
good film, thanks for that.. in fairness to the guy though, he did more or less make it. what I don't get with the bubble thing though, is surely it must have been detachable in the event of capsizing?
[RE: Astronauts] I think they were brave, and bold, but I also think they knew that the chances of success were high.
Manned space flight (all space program's in history) have a 98% survival rate. So yes, the chances are pretty good and it's actually not as risky as it might seem.
What I don't understand is how these people try to mix their 'stare death in the face' exploits, with providing the security that a family needs and deserves.
I don't kayak anywhere, but I do do stuff that could be considered quite risky, and I have a family. I battle with this all the time - when I go out, leaving partner and daughter sleeping in bed, I do quite often have thoughts of "what the hell am I doing?"
Having a family does change things - I used to think academically about what would happen if I died, but now it's much more emotional - for instance when taking [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/cycleologist/7006225806/in/set-72157623445887175 ]this picture[/url] on top of a crane with no safety barrier, previously I'd have been very careful and cautious, but this time I just kept thinking about what would happen to my daughter if I died.
But I still do stuff like that. Why? I really can't explain it even to myself. I try to rationalise it by saying that it's not really all that risky, and I have the experience and skills to deal with the situation, but that's not really enough.
I guess what I'm saying is that you can't really understand it.
Its still not the same Ben, what he did he knew was more likely to end in his death than in survival, Would you take that photo if the odds of survival were only 40% or 30%.
And he doesn't bear comparison to the astronauts either he didn't do it to advance mankind's knowledge of the world, of science or of space, he wasn't opening up new worlds of possibility to move the human race forward. Neither does he compare to the great explorers, that would be like Scott hopping to the pole in the tracks of a skidoo, anyone can get from Australia to Tasmania, all you need is a credit card.
It wasn't an adventure, it wasn't exploration it was an act of sheer stupidity.
people born with....mental problems, they can't say forget it.
Just because a person isn't dribbling and bagning their head on a wall doesn't mean they don't suffer mental health poblems. 😉
Really enjoyed that. Thanks for the heads up .
Tbh I don't get the emotional reaction fro m people other than I get the feeling some people on here would like to think they are this type of person and think by being emotional about it somehow makes them more like him.
Broken down into black and white
He was a selfish individual
He got in out of his depth
He and his family paid the price
There are much sadder tales to tell than this. It's the equivalent of me saying to my wife that I think I could survive jumping out of a plane without a parachute. I MAY survive and have a story to tell/sell . I may die but hell lets give it a go cos I will get a buzz. My own sense of preservation and the swift kick in the nuts my wife would give me would soon put paid to the idea.
Really good watch but not in the least bit sad tbh
I don't get the reaction either, he was 50 miles away from what a 1500mile journey... I think he clearly proved that while it was dangerous, it's not impossible.
Thanks to the OP as watched this last night. Struck by what seemed an amazingly dangerous trip to undertake in what was clearly a modded kayak with serious potential flaws. I'm not a thrill seeker in any extreme way so understand I don't 'get it', especially as the propsect of one night in that wet straightjacket type cabin on dry land would be horrible for me! Agree also with the selfishishnes re his little boy, maybe less so re his wife as seemed he was so when she met him. I don't get the comparison to the great explorers though as not sure what we as a race learnt from what he achieved. Shame he's no longer about testing himself a little less extremely.
i watched this a good while ago with the GF. we both sat there shouting expletives at the screen, each one wit a nod to how stupid and selfish the guy was.
his family paid the price, he didn't. he deserved it.
but not in the least bit sad
Is it not sad that a child is left without a father? Or that a bloke who so obviously loved his son still felt driven to do something so patently dangerous? The things I found most sad were his wife's comments at the end of the film, that she believed he'd achieved what he set out to. Her pride in him, and love for him, were humbling.
I'd neither condone or condemn his actions. People, including those with kids, do daft stuff every day of the week which could feasibly leave them unable to fully care for their family. Maybe not with the same odds of failure as McAuley, but still with significant risk. I know a lad whose dad drank himself to death at 37 who will probably never understand why. At least McAuley's son might be able to extract some, however limited, sense of why his father did what he did.
He deserved to die? What a ridiculous statement!
Just had a little me time to watch this. Great stuff, so near and yet so far.
Been thinking about it some more now.
What it comes down is we (the human race) need people like this to push the boundaries, those that thrive on risk help overall development.
Lets face we all ride bikes, off-road, in dangerous situations. We all enjoy being on the edge of control and no doubt we've all got tales of when we've crossed that threshold.
But, IMO there's a time for doing this, and its when you're young and single and when the cost of a mistake affects fewer people.
Zimbo. A dad setting off for work, kissing his son goodbye and not returning because he was involved in a car crash is sad. A father deciding to undertake something so blatantly obviously staked against himself is stupid.
What did we learn from the race up everest or the race to the poles, not a great deal... still people do them, it's up to the individual to weigh up the risks for themselves..I don't get the comparison to the great explorers though as not sure what we as a race learnt from what he achieved.
Well worth a watch but you can't help think .... why ?!!??!
Very sad.
My wife's in the "why do dangerous things that could kill you?" camp.
I'm in the other camp, much like the STW favourite Jeremy Clarkson once described it whilst interviewing that sobbing round-the-world sailor woman : "if it wasn't for people like you we'd all still be living in caves eating leaves"
I suppose he was alluding to the human spirit of adventure, or whatever you want to call it.
Got into the video as far as the point at which he says goodbye to his son. The thought of never seeing my lad again flashed into my mind, making me feel rather nauseated.
Still, I quite fancy giving the trans-Alantic rowing race a go (certainly not as dodgy as solo-ing the Southern Ocean).
What did we learn from the race up everest or the race to the poles, not a great deal..
You are clearly ignorant as to the scientific research undertaken by Scott's final expedition. Half the men on that trip were scientists and the data they collected is still used today. The pole was an objective but only one of many.
As has been suggested above. He probably would have lived if he had been able to do one of two things.
1. Design that bubble thing to have a watertight seal when in open position. That would have meant that he could have roll back up without leaving the boat.
2. Be able to easily jetison the bubble thing in the event of it flooding and he cannot empty it, therefore be able to upright the boat.
despite everything, it looks like he could have lived if a bit more effort had gone into his equipment. To undertake a venture like that with poor prep was madness.
The start of the film would suggest that he hadn't prepared well. His first effort was binned because he was cold. Had not not actually been out to sea to test his equipment?
I'm not wishing to seem crude, but I'm watching this just now and wondering, for a 30 day kayak trip, what does one do for ablutions?
I think when your have children, your responsibility to them should outweigh everything else.
True on so many levels.
The first, aborted launch was telling for me. He sobbed, saying he didn't think he'd see his family again. He seemed like a man who'd committed himself to an idea and was going to carry it through even though he seemed fairly unsure of success. It seemed more like some sort of compulsion than an adventure.
[quote=thegreatape ]I'm not wishing to seem crude, but I'm watching this just now and wondering, for a 30 day kayak trip, what does one do for ablutions?
I had the same thought. My only guess was some sort of bed-pan that he could tip over the edge.
avdave2 - Member
You are clearly ignorant as to the scientific research undertaken by Scott's final expedition. Half the men on that trip were scientists and the data they collected is still used today. The pole was an objective but only one of many.
fairly enough poor example that one. but the point still stands many people do silly things for no great reason it's an indivdual choice. personally I wont condemn those that do. fair do's to them imo.
I agree with assessment that the guy died due to poor equipment, a bit more thought and he'd be alive.
Just watched that, what an interesting and dificult program to watch. As a dad, if I was still mad enough to try it, I'd have binned it at point of sobbing about never seeing them again on the first aborted go. My children are so much more important than that.
It was a very sad story no question but I had trouble being overly sympathetic with both him and his wife. As two adults they had the choice to go ahead with the trip or not. She stated herself that she wouldn't ask him not to do it because of it's importance to him. The victim in this is that poor little boy who had no say in the matter, no right or ability to question the decision so I would have hoped that the two adults could have seen beyond their own selfish aspirations and done the right thing by their son.
Sad story but I was just angered by it more than anything else. I absolutely understand the notion of exploring and adventuring, pushing your limits and taking risks but like it or not when you have children your own desires have to take a back seat for a while.
Just watched this.
Pretty hard to watch, since there was a real sense of failure looming from the very beginning.
My following comments come from someone who doesn't have children, so you'll have to read them as such.
Although nowhere near the same scale, every time something goes wrong for me on a remote mountain, particularly on a winter climb, the rushing feeling of mortality is something that astounds me every time. Absolute, sick to your stomach, this-is-all-on-me-and-I'm-in-deep-sh1t-now. Death moves from the realm of "sad accident" which we face in our normal lives to "this might actually happen right now".
The first thought is always "what the **** am I doing here?". But that's exactly what you came for. I doubt many of these guys do it for the record, it's more about challenging themselves, and without that they're nothing. I can't imagine how that felt for him or his family, and obviously in hindsight they would turn back the clock. But would he turn it back and not attempt it at all? Maybe he'd just do it differently.
The courage some people have amazes me. I cack my pants on a Grade III winter climb on Ben Nevis when things go wrong. That guy held it together in what can only be described as hell for 30 days. On his own, probably knowing his fate for quite some time.
Morally right or wrong, stupid or brave, purist or illprepared...balls out human endeavour like that gets me every single time.
