Apparently Mark Kirk, current Illinois candidate for Senate, lied not only about his military record, but also his "life changing" sailboat mishap as a teenager. I can understand how capsizing a sailboat could be life changing and require a Coast Guard rescue, but then I read that the sailboat in question was a Sunfish (and he wasn't injured) and he was .5 mile offshore.
Give me a break.
Some other things that don't make sense from a technical perspective:
*The halyard obviously has nothing to do with not being able to right the boat. I suspect he "lost" it because he was trying to somehow depower the sail or something due to his continual capsizing...and in the process capsized again. That makes the most sense to me.
*Did he really stand around on a turtled Sunfish to watch anything (much less a sunset)? Given the panicked situation he was obviously in, standing up on the hull of a turtled Sunfish for any reason other than to un-turtle it seems a bit unbelievable (and stupid).
Anyway, I guess my point is that Mark Kirk was a shockingly bad sailor as a teen This incident wouldn't inspire me to go into public service. It would inspire me to learn how to sail properly.
Apparently Mark Kirk, current Illinois candidate for Senate, lied not only about his military record, but also his "life changing" sailboat mishap as a teenager. ...Anyway, I guess my point is that Mark Kirk was a shockingly bad sailor as a teen This incident wouldn't inspire me to go into public service. It would inspire me to learn how to sail properly.
Like most dingys the sunfish makes a more stable platform upside down than right side up. That said. What a joke! Talk about making up a story to draw attention...Dude would not get my vote.
I'm sure it was plenty stable, but I'm talking about slipping off due to the smooth surface, wetness, temperature, and panic. I wouldn't stand on it as I froze my *** off waiting for a rescue to watching a sunset, for sure. He claimed to be hypothermic...
Ok everyone, I am on the east coast of Lake MIchigan. I had to Google this and read the whole story. Here is a link to the Tribune's newspaper story, quotes from Mark's mother, and a best friend sailing with him that day.....read on. It looks like he turtled and drift away from the boat in colder waters ?