I guess I have misunderstood you as it seemed like you were defending them, but now you reinforce the stupidity of the father and his decision making skills.
From what I’ve read, the father is the one who has been pushing this whole thing on his kids. The mother had expressed her concerns with the financial pressures with the advertising sponsors that let to the trip being made in winter. This dad shouldn’t try to bail out his debts and failing ship-building business on the backs of his children’s lives.