So, now the military is claiming the Rebel Heart wasn't inoperable!?!?!? News reports said he lost steer, communications and that every time he tried to start the engine it took on water?!!?? Now claiming otherwise:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014...st-nationalguard-navy-rescue/2/?#article-copy
“The family was very, very well prepared for this voyage. They had all the necessary radio and equipment and training… Theoretically, they could have brought their boat back to shore. … the boat wasn’t sinking. It was just a small amount of water coming on board,” said the pararescueman who gave his rank, master sergeant, but not his full name.
Why, then, did the family issue the distress call?
“Time,” he said. “They were three weeks out with favorable winds. Turning around and heading back toward shore with his sick daughter, would have taken too long. So (Eric Kaufman) decided, ‘Hey, my family is worth more than my boat, so let’s get out of here while I can.’ “
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In addition to the child falling ill, the family reported that their boat, christened the Rebel Heart, took on water whenever they tried to start the vessel's engine, the Coast Guard said.
The Kaufmans' crippled sailboat, listing badly and considered a navigation hazard, was scuttled by the father himself, who cut holes in the vessel and then watched it sink after he was taken off the yacht on Monday morning, Navy officials said.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/rebel-heart-family-returns-safely_n_5127650.html