There will undoubtedly be criticism of the $ 1 million spent sending HMAS Arunta on a 1200 kilometre mercy dash to rescue injured sailor Yann Elies from his yacht in the Great Southern Ocean.
Yann was competing in the Vendee Globe around-the-world race and in previous years mishaps have led to similar dramatic rescues - and a similar heavy expense sheeted home to Australian taxpayers.
It would be unthinkable that Australia would refuse to respond to such calls for help. We have obligations under international treaties to assist people of all nationalities in trouble - and it is the Australian psyche to disregard cost when human life is at stake.
What would be nice would be for the organisers of races like the Vendee Globe to take out an insurance policy to cover at least part of the cost of such rescues.
The race has sponsors and the media shows great interest - hence a levy to provide cover would not be unreasonable.
By it's very nature, sailing in the Great Southern Ocean is a risky business. It is far removed from anywhere - and is well known for producing huge storms and hazards such as drifting ice bergs.
An Australian response is not likely to change in the future - and at least the dash of an Australian warship can be written off as a training exercise.
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