Can’t we all just agree that it is the guys fault for dying?
Not to be dificult but I don't blame him. I once was helping someone move the temperature was 43 C and we were moving them up two flights of stairs. After a bit everyone else left and I didn't even realize it. Apparently I was working alone for about an hour and half without rest or water. When they asked why I didn't take a break or stop I was confused by the question and couldn't answer. My ability to think was just gone. If someone hadn't stopped me when they did I probably would have died that day. Now I know I have to hydrate and rest on hot days before I feel I need a break.
On the second day out Sailing from Darwin Australia to Christmas Island (about 1400NM due West) the wind died entirely , no wind. This was unusual as the Historical piolet charts suggested a 85% east to south east wind. The trades were gone and their we sat, at night one could see a strong glow of Orange to the North ..East Timor was on fire due to civil unrest.
We were about 11 deg south of the equator, the air was stagnant, the surface of the Ocean had turned milk white, sea snakes seemed common slithering across the surface. The thermometer was pinned at above 110 deg F. About the third day of this hellish nightmare we (my son and I) cocooned the aft portion of the vessel trying to keep the sun off of us.
Their was most definitely some mental gymnastics going on … after 30 min sitting on deck I would decide nothing could be as bad as this and go inside the vessel, 30 min later, I would decide nothing could be as bad as this and go back outside. I had thought about jumping into the water to cool off, but the water seemed so uninviting.
Weather forecasting out of Guam was gone likely due to conditions in the Atmosphere D layer which propagate single bounce. We were out of range of VHF weather forecasting from Australia and high seas marine weather forecasting transmitted from Diego Garcia was absent. On and on this went for 12 days, my son , half my age seemed to handle this better, less agitated he was.
I left the SSB on the 8meg band during the day and 14meg band evening and night.
Eventually we picked up vessel chatter some 800NM west. They suggested there was wind 300 NM west of our position, I had fuel for 600 NM in flat water. Normally rule no 1 was- do not start engine without enough fuel to reach destination-. The HEAT was horrible with no relief on board, no refrigeration… I'm sure I was slightly delirious, even desperate because I did start the engine and motored for three days at 5 knts.
I cannot express in words how we felt when the wind came, the sails fluttered and snapped full…this hellish nightmare was over. Without some kind of protection from the heat at the very least cool or cold liquids one's mental capacity drops off rapidly.