Anti-Whaling Activists Cool Boat Sinking

[Ram]

Originally Posted by Sailndive345

Doesn't it seem like the tri has forward motion? I think I saw a distinct wake from her all the way to the point of collision in the Japanese video (?)

She looks like she belongs in a Batman movie Pretty cool looking but doesn't look like a boat to me

Hate to see people getting hurt in avoidable situations...

Sailndive

yea im afraid your right, it could have been that they were trying to turn hard to aviod the ship , since the other video clearly shows the ship turning in to the tri--
reverse may have helped?

[Tom.B]

It sure looks like the whaling ship adjusted course to intentionally ram them. That's pretty sad. I guess they just had enough.

*edit* I went back and looked at the video from the Japanese ship and clearly, the bat boat throttled up just before the collision. I think that if they had stayed still, they could have avoided the whaling ship.

It could just be a case of the bat boat not being able to turn in time despite their efforts to do so. Although, a good reverse thrust would have been the smarter move.

[Nice N Easy]

From what I could see in the videos, looks like the batboat was making way, into the path of the Jap ship. If true, it will not help Sea Shepards position, to claim otherwise.

[David M]

If any fault is to be assigned, both are guilty. Neither were taking early action to avoid a collision. Early action means when you first detect each other which was probably hours ago.

When two sides play games like this, no one party is ever completely innocent.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by David M

If any fault is to be assigned, both are guilty. Neither were taking early action to avoid a collision.

very true.. but it will be a court case that may bring public awareness... and that in itself may be whats needed

[sabray]

Not a fan of whaling but I'd sware the sea shepherd ships are flying skull and crossbones.
Why the need to glamorize piracy in the name of whale conservation.

[Fiveslide]

Originally Posted by Sailndive345

Doesn't it seem like the tri has forward motion? I think I saw a distinct wake from her all the way to the point of collision in the Japanese video (?)

She looks like she belongs in a Batman movie Pretty cool looking but doesn't look like a boat to me

Hate to see people getting hurt in avoidable situations...

Sailndive

There may have been some forward motion, but not much. In the first video idpnd posted there were several people standing on top of the boat clearly in harms way. I don't think they are that suicidal, are they?

[David M]

Who is at fault does not come down to what happened in the last 30 seconds.

Both vessels broke the rules well before then if they got that close in the first place.

The rules assign responsibility to avoid collision long before vessels get this close. Additionally, BOTH vessels have clearly become give way vessel during the entire time the video is being recorded.

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navr...otr_online.htm

[Sailndive345]

Originally Posted by Fiveslide

There may have been some forward motion, but not much. In the first video idpnd posted there were several people standing on top of the boat clearly in harms way. I don't think they are that suicidal, are they?

I remember watching these guys on TV a couple of times in 'Whale Wars' - They are borderline suicidal....

[cdennyb]

Yep, that's what the media (biased as it is) is saying but I saw the video and the skipper of the anti-whaling vessel should be brought up on charges for intentially ramming and attempting to cause damage and injury on the high seas.
When the vessel you're operating is only a fraction the size of the stand-on vessel, the smaller vessel should give way, which it obviously did NOT.
The way I see it, it's more propaganda from the environmentalists and this will not help them much. If they kept their nose 'clean' and attempted to highlight the illegal activities of the whalers (research) vessel and actions against them (like water cannons and sound) instead of trying to make the world see some convoluted story as fact when it oviously isnt, I'd have more sympathy for them.
In my opinion... they got what they deserved. If you play with fire, you can plan on getting burned on occassion.
If you play 'chicken' with a 100 ton vessel, plan on getting smashed on occassion too.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100106/...rctica_whaling

[jdoe71]

Nobody has mentioned it's a basic starboard crossing situation here, and no one is restricted in their ability to maneuver. Clearly the whaler was maneuvering quite well.

Is it political if I say whaling, especially under the guise of "research", disgusts me?

[David M]

Journalists know virtually nothing of the Rules of the Road. They did not spend four years at a maritime academy studying them. Their uneducated opinions on the matter carries no credibility.

As I said, what happened in the last 30 seconds is irrelevant as far as assigning fault. Both vessels broke the rules and then eventually became the give-way vessel well before the video started.

Speaking outside of the Rules, if you are going to play chicken with a larger vessel then eventually you are going to suffer the consequences. Was the Sea Shepherd organization expecting to never get hit? If so, that is a pretty unrealistic expectation considering what they have been doing for the past few years. They received what was eventually going to happen if they did it long enough. That is not a political statement about the merits of what they are doing. I'm just saying what I think are the stats and the facts.

[FrankZ]

I have merged the two threads about this, even if they are from different points of view.

[Ram]

Originally Posted by David M

Journalists know virtually nothing of the Rules of the Road. They did not spend four years at a maritime academy studying them. Their uneducated opinions on the matter carries no credibility.

As I said, what happened in the last 30 seconds is irrelevant as far as assigning fault. Both vessels broke the rules and then eventually became the give-way vessel well before the video started.

Speaking outside of the Rules, if you are going to play chicken with a larger vessel then eventually you are going to suffer the consequences. Was the Sea Shepherd organization expecting to never get hit? If so, that is a pretty unrealistic expectation. They finally got what was eventually going to happen if they did it long enough. Play with fire long enough and eventually you are going to get burned.

Perhaps getting hit was what they wanted so that folks like us become more aware of the killing of these whales- I m happy there out there giving as much hell to the whalers as they can -and bringing this to all of our minds

[highseas]

Regardless of who was in the wrong,the act of whaling itself is wrong.Seems that species of every type are on the verge,and only man has the ability and responsibility to correct past wrongdoings.Many people want to see the whales,but how many want to save them?