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O.C.Diver · 12-12-2010, 17:08

Captain Piero Calamai had by all accounts a great career as a captain. At the conclusion of his career he mad a few bad decisions one morning, that cost 46 lives, sank a beautiful ship, and let him a broken person for the rest of his life.

He was captaining the Andrea Doria when she was sunk.

There will be times in your future to prove you can bring the ship and passengers home safely when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

Only a fool goes out looking to prove he can do it.

Ted

Intentional Drifter · 12-12-2010, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.C.Diver

Only a fool goes out looking to prove he can do it.

Ted

Wiser words were never spoken on this subject.

Go ahead, call me a chickens**t sailor. I'll happily take it, 'cause I'll be here to do so.

ID

**hummingway** · 12-12-2010, 18:06

Good winds here today but the fog monster was out.

unbusted67 I hope your boss will appreciate you taking responsibility for making the safe choice.

zopi · 12-12-2010, 18:57

Good job. Football sucks. That is all.

cchesley · 12-12-2010, 21:18

unbusted67,

When you get that piece of paper from the USCG (and even if you never did), you essentially accept the responsibility for saying 'no' to a wide variety of groups (boss, friends, customers, etc). If it was easy, no one would need a license. It represents your ability to 'know enough to say no'. If your boss gets mad, tell him to get a license... then he too will know enough to say no. He'll know that it was a bit of work to get the license, that there were responsibilities that came with it and that he wouldn't think of throwing it away foolishly.

Nope. You did exactly the right thing. Welcome to a Captain's world!

ozskipper · 13-12-2010, 00:22

If you had killed them, how would you be feeling right now? It takes a real man to say he "cant" do something. Any cowboy can hop in a boat and start an engine!.

Cheers
Oz

**GordMay** · 13-12-2010, 04:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatman61

Never regret cancelling... it beats regretting going...

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfarrar

... However, there's another, more important pressure. It's the burden of leadership and the responsibility to do the right thing. Ultimately, you have to make the decision ...

INDEED!

unbusted67 · 13-12-2010, 04:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by zopi

Good job. Football sucks. That is all.

Hahahah thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by cchesley

unbusted67,

When you get that piece of paper from the USCG (and even if you never did), you essentially accept the responsibility for saying 'no' to a wide variety of groups (boss, friends, customers, etc). If it was easy, no one would need a license. It represents your ability to 'know enough to say no'. If your boss gets mad, tell him to get a license... then he too will know enough to say no. He'll know that it was a bit of work to get the license, that there were responsibilities that came with it and that he wouldn't think of throwing it away foolishly.

Nope. You did exactly the right thing. Welcome to a Captain's world!

He does have his license along with a bunch of the other guys at the yard. I'll get a bunch of crap for it from them but not as much as I would if I had smashed the boat into the dock or broken a passenger's arm. Thanks for all of the warm words guys. That's exactly what I was looking for, I'm sure it won't be the last time I will be whining on CF.

moggie · 13-12-2010, 05:39

When I became a pilot, I was told there is only one ***hole that counts, it's the one you are sitting on! if it gets through all the others strapped on to the same piece of aluminium will also make it, if you don't like it turn around. WELL DONE!

chris_gee · 13-12-2010, 09:18

I would have thought a fare paying or commercial service required a licenced captain. It seems you are not as yet. Acting as one for free would not, it seems to me, release the owner from that obligation. If so, I wonder about his judgment in asking an inexperienced person to step up in difficult conditions, particularly when others were available. Your response, however, was correct as the responsibility for boat and passengers becomes yours.

delmarrey · 13-12-2010, 09:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris_gee

I would have thought a fare paying or commercial service required a licenced captain. It seems you are not as yet. Acting as one for free would not, it seems to me, release the owner from that obligation. If so, I wonder about his judgment in asking an inexperienced person to step up in difficult conditions, particularly when others were available. Your response, however, was correct as the responsibility for boat and passengers becomes yours.

Ditto! And maybe this was a test. If the owner has other licensed Captain's, what his he thinking asking you to take a boat out in nasty weather?

Modus Operandi?

rebel heart · 13-12-2010, 09:53

Sometimes you have to push it, sometimes you have to call it and go home. A while ago I had the option of going out in a gale, and picking up crew at a pier that I'd never been to in a harbor with little room for error (and much chop). In the end the gale conditions with plenty of sea room was fine and I'm glad I pushed it, but I'm also glad I passed on going into that harbor and risking smashing into a pier.

My $0.02: I'd have no problems cancelling a trip as long as I knew the specific reasons and had some plans on how to get through those problems in the future. Was it leaving the mooring? Approaching the dock? Reversing? Waves en route? I'd just make it as specific as possible because if I approach it methodically like that, the next time the conditions are foul I'll know that I addressed the issues and now it's just fear playing on my mind, not legitimate concerns (which have been met).

Shrew · 13-12-2010, 10:16

Topics like these remind me of an old adage in climbing/mountaineering. You hire a guide or appoint a team leader NOT because they can climb better than you.

You hire a guide or appoint a team leader who excercises responsible judgement. That is the person that decides when it's time to stop climbing, and when it's time to turn around.

Someone has to make the decision about when it is safe and when it's not. The person motivated by time, money, or accolades IS NOT the person who should be making this decision.

rebel heart · 13-12-2010, 11:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrew

Topics like these remind me of an old adage in climbing/mountaineering. You hire a guide or appoint a team leader NOT because they can climb better than you.

You hire a guide or appoint a team leader who excercises responsible judgement. That is the person that decides when it's time to stop climbing, and when it's time to turn around.

Someone has to make the decision about when it is safe and when it's not. The person motivated by time, money, or accolades IS NOT the person who should be making this decision.

Agreed, but if you don't push your limits and expand your abilities, you'll forever look out at 30 knot seas with a wrenched stomach. For everyone who's comfortable in heavy weather it (probably) was a series of baby steps going out of their comfort zone inch by inch until they looked down and saw whitecaps getting sheared horizontally and realized that everything was, surprisingly, under control. And different boats can reset that progress as you need to learn handling on all of them.

I think the best of both worlds is if you can go out in rough conditions with a crew who also is up for the challenge and understands the risks (in no way am I stating that means "passengers"). But if you have some mariner friends who know that it will be one of those "learning experiences" and are ready to grab boat poles and fend off whatever the hell you almost bang into, I think it's important to constantly push your limits ever so slightly.