As a pro with 35 years experience:
How often have you needed assistance due to bad weather or equipment failure? I remember that runaway diesel.
How often have you walked away from a job due to the condition of the boat or due to the seasonal weather conditions when customer wanted you to do the delivery?
Have you ever abandoned a customer's boat?
What gets me most about this whole thing is that they seemed so casual about abandoning the boat and that they refused to be taken off by an eastbound ship. That helicopter ride had to have cost us taxpayers at least $100,000.
Charlie Doane's criticism of your comments seem not only unjustified but cannot be defended considering the outcome. Going to sea because that is what the customer wanted is in direct conflict with good seamanship practices.