My husband Dane who is a meteorologist and I who is an oceanographer helped Nenad prepare for the trip and talked with him twice a week by satphone for weather and ocean current updates. I think I know the answer to the question. Nenad came to my house in early March 2001 for a seminar on oceanography and weather to aid him in preparation for his trip. It was clear at that time that he was driven and that he intended to attempt this solo row no matter what the expense (financial or personal). I believe it was his passion and that thoughts of the row occupied his every waking moment. I have given seminars to and worked with this type of person in the past so I recognize the pioneer attitude and obsession. However, the others we helped did take our safety advice. His tragic flaw was his stubbornness and unwillingness to listen to sound advice. I think he had his thinking on what was safety and if it differed from others, that did not change his way. I find myself thinking about Nenad a lot and can't get him off my mind. He became sort of a family member and was not just another client. It would have been easier if he were just another client. I knew from the very first email from Nenad that I was going to like him. I was right. All his emails were full of humor and fun. In person he was as I expected. I even remember the way he smelled and the clothes he was wearing at my house. He came here with a tiny little suitcase. The first day he wore a black turtle neck with a gray sweater over top of it. Next morning he took a shower and put on the black turtle neck and same pants! I liked his economy and simplicity. He spent the day with us learning about oceanography and meteorology. He interacted well with our daughter and her friend as well as our menagerie of animals. I also remember he spent over an hour with a coat hanger trying to get my car key from behind the dashboard. He did not give up until he was successful. I thought he was extremely persistent and resourceful. Several reporters have told me they thought he had a death wish. I do not believe this. I think that if he really thought it would cost him his life he would rethink it. He was so close to the end of the journey so I think, like the victims in the "Perfect storm" movie (one of my clients was in the book but not in the movie), he thought it was worth the risk even though we warned him that he could get capsized repeatedly and was in for very nasty weather. I felt like Nenad became a part of our family and we really miss him. When we met in March, it was clear that our personalities fit together and we felt so comfortable with him. We talked twice a week regularly from May until the end of September. I urged him to abort the trip on Sept 24th when we saw extremely bad weather coming his way. He said, "No, if I push the EPIRB, the coast guard will rescue me and not the boat." I told him he should anticipate a capsize. I was VERY concerned so I emailed Steve Najjir, the boat builder, called Ellen, and faxed Ray Bolger, the boat designer. Ray and Steve thought the boat could withstand a capsize unless he were hit by a rogue wave and that the boat was virtually unsinkable. My husband found a buoy reporting waves increasing from 16 ft to 27.5 ft on average in his vicinity. About that time he did push the EPIRB. When he was here we showed him a video of us with Tori Murden on the Discovery Channel as she attempted to cross the ocean in a rowboat. She encountered 2 hurricanes and was almost killed. Having the EPIRB strapped to her body saved her life. We emphasized to Nenad that he needed to have one strapped to HIS body and not to throw it overboard. He threw it over board and only the EPIRB was found. I think he was hit by a rogue wave. Irony is that he would not push the EPIRB because the coast guard would only save him and not the boat. And then the boat was rescued but he was not. We loved Nenad and will really miss him. He was a delightful person. He called himself atypical. I think that was an appropriate short description of himself. Jenifer Clark President, Jenifer Clark's Gulfstream