Aug 16, 2007

In case you die!

So people seem pretty concerned about the likelihood of LeeAnn and I dying on this boat. We have been told in all seriousness, "Don't go swimming because the sharks will eat you." and to watch out for pirates because: "They really exist..." If it's not sharks, it's the barracudas. Or it's the dangers of sailing on the ocean, where "Storms can appear out of thin air!" and "It takes 8 hours to travel 1 mile."

Now, I'm not arrogant, and I don't think I'm invincible, but come on people! We are sailing to South Carolina.... not around Cape Horn. of the 1,000 miles we have to travel, only 120 of it will be on open ocean.

So feel free to be concerned. After all, I'm terrified. But just for consolation here are some ways we won't be dying:

Our odds of dying by...

Falling down on accident 1 in 218
Being crushed between two objects 1 in  27,559
Being blown up 1 in  25,497
Being bit by a wild animal 1 in  48,052
Drowning in the bath tub 1 in  11,000
Drowning in a swimming pool 1 in  7,000
Accidentally suffocating in bed 1 in  7,541
Accidentally hanging yourself 1 in  13,531
Choking while eating 1 in  4,284
Choking on something other than food 1 in  1,248 (wow)
Dying in a building fire 1 in  1,358
Alcohol 1 in  10,048
Suicide 1 in  119
Being killed by someone 1 in  211 (wow)
Being killed by the government 1 in  8,861
The doctor accidentally kills us 1 in  1,313
Eaten by shark 1 in  8 million
Winning the lotto 1 in  1.3 million


I guess what I'm saying is 43,649 people die in cars each year. Only 675 die in some sort of water transportation accident. So the odds are against you! Be safe! We will too!

1 comment:

  1. Hey Chad & LeeAnn (Sp) sorry if I spelled it wrong, but I haven't slept in almost 24 hours (I was too excited I am going sailing for the first time in about 3 hours). I love the site I have been researching and reading about livingaboard / cruising for 2+ years now and I should be buying a boat within the month! Anyways, I wanted to make a note about your statistics .. why? because statistics bother me ... they are always eschewed in some direction. eg, 1 / 8 million are eaten by a shark, ok got it, but how many people are in waters that contain sharks everyday compared to how many people drive everyday, but I do still like the statistics because my friends & family are hassling me about the same thing!

    ReplyDelete