The law of accumulating catastrophe. Often applied to nautical situations. Often a disaster beginning with one simple error that causes a domino effect.
Bill was sailing along when a shackle parted on the jib stay. The mast fell over the side. When Bill tried to engage the engine, the prop picked up some of the rigging and stalled. The wind and current pushed his boat until it ran aground on the beach. He had become an unwitting victim of Beare's law of accumulating catastrophe.
by Aquarama January 5, 2011
An example of Beare's Law of Accelerating Catastrophe at Sea - BLAC.
Imagine you are at sea and sailing along nicely a few miles off the coast of Corsica. You have the Genoa poled out and are running downwind. You are single handed. You pop down below to make yourself a cup of tea. Everything is fine. All of a sudden the wind shifts and you gybe. The pole slams across the forestay bent; the genoa is backed and the pole is trapped under the sail. As the boat lurches you are scolded with coffee. You rush on deck to sea the wind picking up and the boat floundering.
You are confident you will soon bring things under control. However, the wind is gusting alarmingly. A squawl from the hills. You cannot get the whisker pole off to furl the sail. You look up and in horror you see a ship coming at you dead ahead. The wind gusts and the boat is knocked down. You slip and land hard on deck bruising your arm.
And so it accumulates as you experience Beare's Law of Accelerating Catastrophe at Sea - BLAC.
Imagine you are at sea and sailing along nicely a few miles off the coast of Corsica. You have the Genoa poled out and are running downwind. You are single handed. You pop down below to make yourself a cup of tea. Everything is fine. All of a sudden the wind shifts and you gybe. The pole slams across the forestay bent; the genoa is backed and the pole is trapped under the sail. As the boat lurches you are scolded with coffee. You rush on deck to sea the wind picking up and the boat floundering.
You are confident you will soon bring things under control. However, the wind is gusting alarmingly. A squawl from the hills. You cannot get the whisker pole off to furl the sail. You look up and in horror you see a ship coming at you dead ahead. The wind gusts and the boat is knocked down. You slip and land hard on deck bruising your arm.
And so it accumulates as you experience Beare's Law of Accelerating Catastrophe at Sea - BLAC.
by Angus Beare March 26, 2007