Risk tolerance and trusting your instincts

by Molly Winans, SpinSheet
“When in doubt, don’t go out.” When I heard about the Sierra Nevada avalanche on February 17, the deadliest in California history with nine deaths, that sailing maxim came to mind. I remembered the captain who took out a crew of 16 aboard the replica HMS Bounty during Hurricane Sandy and sank the ship. A crewmember died. The sailing community wondered, “Why did they go out?” As for the California skiers, why did they not hunker down in their huts and play cards for two days until the blizzard passed?

We may never know the answers. We also will never know if an avalanche would have struck the skiers after the storm ended. But, let me pose a question about risk tolerance: Have you ever pushed the limits while sailing in terrible and/or deteriorating conditions? I suspect you have (I have), perhaps because heavy weather blew in unexpectedly, quickly, or worse than predicted. You’ve found yourself out there when you should have been safe onshore. A lot of outdoor-adventurer disasters hit close to home and make me think, “This could happen to me or to someone I love.” – Full report