Goboatnow
Thought I was having déjà vu since my post was written in 2008.
Ironically there is a video illustrating exactly what we are talking about in the recent
capsize thread and subsequent rescue. See others comment in post 331 of
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...iue-44538.html
The rescue methods you describe are fraught with
danger, and the
advice you were given by your
captain friend only underlines what I stated that most commercial freighter captains do not appreciate that the greatest moment of
danger to the crew being rescued would be if they created a potential crush point between the ship’s
hull and the foundering yacht.
There are a number of ways to make a soft transfer between ship and yacht and in extreme conditions floating a life raft (not lifeboat) down to the yacht can make for a safer transfer of already injured or stressed yacht crew.
Life rafts can easily be retrieved by ship’s crew and I have used that method myself in an
offshore rescue in extreme conditions.
But perhaps some commercial captains don’t want to risk company equipment and will try to get the yacht alongside.
The “Foreign” issue relates more to language barriers but also levels of
training in 3rd world Certificates of Competency
What I am advocating to yacht crew is to be proactive in managing your own rescue in the safest way possible and to avoid the creation of a crush point if that appears to be what the well meaning rescuer intends to do.
Once you are on board, you are in their hands, but up until then, it is still the yacht captain’s responsibility to take care of his crew.
I don’t say this from just reading
books, but with a long career as a professional
captain (Master Mariner) and yachtsman, I have rescued and been rescued.