'Rebel Heart' mom criticizes web 'armchair quarterbacks'

Locutus

Adorable Deplorable
Jun 18, 2007
32,230
45
48
65
next time just let them die.

SAN DIEGO — The woman whose family was rescued at sea from the disabled Rebel Heart sailboat thanked the military who came to their aid, and said she was dismayed by the “mean-spirited” comments left on their blogs by strangers she described as “Internet armchair quarterbacks.”

Charlotte Kaufman of San Diego made the post Sunday on her Rebel Heart blog. Her husband, Eric Kaufman, earlier posted thanks on his blog.

The family sent a distress call April 3 prompted by the illness of their 1-year-old daughter, Lyra, who had sick for several days. The boat was dead in the water after experiencing problems about 900 miles off the coast of Mexico.

She praised the “incredible bravery” of the four pararescuers from the California Air National Guard who spent three nights on their boat, holding Lyra and her sister, Charlotte, 3, “on rough seas to keep them safe.”

Later rescued by the crew of the Navy frigate USS Vandegrift, she noted how officers gave up their quarters and made a crib for Lyra.
“The world’s finest Navy does not begin to describe the professionalism, competence and humanity of the people onboard the Vandegrift,” she wrote.

She said during eight years on the boat, she and her husband got engaged, married, and had their girls. The boat is now "at the bottom of the Pacific," she noted.

“It truly is shocking to watch your home slowly start sinking before your eyes,” she said.

Kaufman said some friends and family have “expressed anger at the mean-spirited comments that have been left on our blog by complete strangers.” She posted two of the comments, which contained profanities.

“We will slowly delete the comments from the Internet armchair quarterbacks who know nothing about us, our life, our skills, or, I might add, sailing,” she wrote.

Kaufman said she was saddened that some members of her own “estranged, nuclear family” gave negative interviews about her and her husband to the media.

She ended the blog saying: “Rebel Heart will be back. Just give us some time.”


'Rebel Heart' mom criticizes web 'armchair quarterbacks' | UTSanDiego.com