There was a story earlier this year of a father and his fourteen year old daughter sailing from Burlington to Hamilton on a catamaran.  Even though he was an experienced sailor, he underestimated the strength of the wind, and found himself in trouble after the boat capsized, then turned completely upside down.

They found themselves stranded, sitting on the upside down hull for hours, with no phone or radio.  As it got dark, he started to worry about shipping traffic – what if a laker came along, and didn’t see them in the dark?

You can imagine the fear that would be setting in.  He tried to stay strong for his kid, but would be hiding all kinds of worries, like any parent who’s put on a brave face knows.

Thankfully his wife was paying attention, and when they didn’t come home, she checked the yacht club, then called the Coast Guard.  They were found at around 10pm that night, and although their boat didn’t survive, they did.

This was a really close call, since they had no way to call anyone for help.  In that moment they needed more than comfort, more than entertainment, they needed concrete action to save them.

Question: If you were in that situation, and had a cell phone, who would you call?  Why?

From: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/how-a-father-and-daughter-survived-hours-clinging-to-capsized-boat-in-lake-ontario-1.2749376

Meeting with a Group?  Your discussion questions are in this week’s Group Study Guide

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