Inexcusable!!

[Alan Wheeler]

Nah Sean, the "worst seamanship" prize has to go to this fellow. 20years later, we Kiwi's are still scratching our heads as to how this guy got away with it.
http://freewebs.com/cossackdivetours/capejackson.htm

This stretch of water has to be the nastiest and ruffest, bar none other in the world. The tidal rips through here can make the sea look like a grade 2-3 river at times. When there is a wind against tide, the waves can be simply enormouse. I have been in the ruffest sea of my life here, and I never want to meet the waves I did ever again.

[rsn48]

Around 10 or 15 years ago, a BC Ferry hit a power craft (around 32 feet) and killed some of the people aboard. At the time, it was determined the captain of the power boat was below as the ferry approached, and people in Vancouver were outraged at this fellow.

When it went to court of course everyone expected the small boat captain to be at fault as he was not in control of his vessel. The court found the BC Ferry Captain at fault as he was in exactly the same position as this CG Captain. If you have to give way, you have to give way; it doesn't matter if some one is below having sex or what have you. Now if its a big container ship that doesn't have the manoeuvrability, there is leeway. But if the ship at fault had manoeuvrable room, they'll lose in court. This CG captain had manoeuvrable room. All he would have had to do was pull back on the throttle to half earlier than he did and nothing would have happened.

In a situation like this, I throttle back and aim for the crossing boats stern about 50 yards back; this brings me back to the original course as he is crossing in front of me.

I don't think this guy had a big ego, I think he had the usual problem thinking that happens to all of us at some time: "It ain't going to happen to me."

[CaptainK]

ssullivan once whispered in the wind

Captain Kent Dresser began working as a watch-stander for Safe/Sea in 1989 at the age of 14. In 1992, at age of 18, Captain Dresser became one of the youngest licensed captains in the area.

Hey Sean.

Those numbers don't match up? You're saying he's this old? And later you're saying he's much more older in just a couple of years.

What's up with you're story?

[ssullivan]

Well, I never really questioned his bio as I pasted it in. I suppose he could have been 14 in June 1989 when he started, then 15 in November 1989. If that were the case, he would then be 16 in 90, 17 in 91 and 18 in 92.

Probably works something like that?

[CaptainK]

That sounds better!!!

Yeah. How much work on your boat til your finished, and ready for more chartering?

Season starts here pretty soon in 2 months. I think?

[ssullivan]

I know, CaptK... I'm frazzled right now getting things together. I think we'll be ready on April 1st or so. For the most part, anyway.

I'll post up a link to all the photos of all the work sometime in April.

Then... the real season in the Hamptons starts in May-June. It's really a matter of priorities right now for us. We are struggling to get it all done mostly because of sourcing problems. Everyone I deal with tries to rip me off. The exception was Jackrabbit Marine. They sold me a used Iota 90 charger at full price, but when I mentioned it, they found out that the Iota factory burned down and there were issues there. They didn't sell me it intentionally, and their customer service was great in fixing the problem. I would highly suggest them as someone to buy electrical equipment through. Peter over there is a good guy.

Anyway.... back to the grindstone. I hope we are not busy in May, because I need some time to get back to "Island Time." Chartering sure isn't anything like regular sailing.

[Lodesman]

Wheels - nothing surprises me about that story. You'd be shocked to know how minimally qualified most pilots are. BC coastal pilots only require a 350-ton masters endorsement on a mate's ticket. This essentially is geared towards tug drivers, who then become pilots and with only small boat experience are responsible for navigating supertankers and the like through restricted waters - nice. Even better, the law limits the liability of pilots. I think that's standard world-wide, driven by IMO and marine insurance industry to limit their losses.

Rsn48 - I think you're referring to the collision between the ferry Spirit of Vancouver Island and the M/V Star Ruby, that happened Sept 2000. I don't believe that ever went to court as both persons aboard Star Ruby died. If you have information otherwise, I would be interested to hear it. The TCB has an excellent post mortem of the event here:
http://www.tsb.gc.ca/en/reports/mari...0/m00w0220.asp
They apportioned fault to both, but are not a court and therefore don't hand out judgments or assign liability. A marine lawyer's take on the situation is here:
http://www.williamsandcompany.ca/Art...tar%20Ruby.pdf
As I said before, if you get in a collision the blame is on you to some degree. Both TCB and the lawyer have levied a good deal of the blame on the master of the Star Ruby. They also blamed the ferry master, and as I did with the USCG incident they touch on the various rules that were infracted by both parties. The TCB site is excellent for dissecting "things that went wrong" - good reading for all.

Kevin

[rsn48]

This accident was much earlier and if you really want to know, I'll ask my good friend who is a Captain or First Officer (depending on which BC Ferry he is on) about when it roughly was.

[Alan Wheeler]

The thing is, the Pilot went on to cpt a Cook straight ferry. Peter Wederelleven served under the guy and can tell ya some scary stories. Mainly, Pete got to ignoring orders given during birthing the ships and just did what needed to be done himself.
By the way everyone, Pete is back in NZ. He and his partner came over this week. They are readying their boat for a big trip. We hopefully will be catching them up in the sounds again next weekend.

[BC Mike]

The one where the folks from Seattle got run over was near West Vancouver, and they got hit by a barge being towed by a tug boat. It was at night.
Michael

[rsn48]

The first accident I talked about happened in Howe Sound; the second one as stated, off of West Van. The one in West Van was the result of the guy not knowing what three vertical white lights on a tug meant. He was on a power boat going a long at a pretty good pace, the line between the tug and the barge severed his boat, the barge is what got them.

In the Navy, we were taught to not only avoid going between tugs and barges, but to be aware that some barges also tow a line behind them and to give the barge a very long lead before going around them. They are more likely to have this extra line on in open water rather than down the Straits of Georgia, or Howe Sound.

[Lodesman]

I took another look at the video and tried pausing it at places; it was a little too shaky and didn't have enough field of view to make a definitive case, but this is how it appears to me. At the start of the clip, the speedboat is on a converging course, but its bearing appears to be drawing right (increasing) which would indicate to the coasties that they will pass safely ahead of the speedboat. Around the time the narrator says the CG master is calling the speedboat, the speedboat is coming up on the beam of the cabin cruiser and initiates a lazy turn to stbd. The bearing change rate has now dropped to zero and the two vessels are on a collision course. With both vessels at high speed, the closing rate only allowed a few seconds to try to determine the situation, and not knowing what the speedboater's intentions were, and being too close to the cabin cruiser to make a safe alteration to stbd, the coastie did the only thing left, and that was a turn to port. This was too little, too late. It had been suggested that the coastie should have throttled back earlier, but would have been the wrong thing to do if the original interraction had the coastie passing well ahead of the speedboat. I'm changing my apportionment of blame to be 60% against the speedboater, as he is the one that turned into the path of the coastie. As I said before rule 17 required him to hold his course and speed until risk of collision had passed and he did not.

Kevin

[Alan Wheeler]

Yes I agree Kevin. I think there is a lot more to this than the video clearly show's. One thing I have learn't over the years, is that there is always two sides to a story and it would be good to hear and see just what a hearing concluded in this situation. Much of the story is being obscured by the limited view of the video footage. It is also very difficult to see angles of tracking of both boats. But I do agree with you Kevin, that I think courses are altering on both vessels and the speed of the CG vessel seems to be altering way in advance of the accident. It also seems the speedboat has truned into the CGboat, as int eh last few seconds before impact, the speed boat seemed to suddenly cover a lot of ground and that CG boat is turning on a dime really, yet the speedboats aft still goes almost under the bow????? That is really strange. I reckon the speedboat altered course. He was taking a path alongside that launch in the background. As you can see they were waving at the launch. As they moved away from the launch, they were altering course and coming across the bow of the CG boat.
Comments anyone????

[miriamlam]

Well, after watching that, the coast guard was in the wrong. but you know, my papa always said, "you can be right, but you can be DEAD right"
They both could have slowed down and avoided that crash.

[PA28235Pilot]

Guy's

I live in Milwaukee where this accident took place. The Coast Guard boat was really a CG Auxillary boat particpating in a rescue drill (not the real thing). A local TV crew was on board the crashing boat filming what they hoped was a routine exercise.

Bottom line, it wasn't a CG boat just an aux. (private boat), including the captain who was a volunteer (not a CG member) who normally does complimentary safety checks at the dock.

A poor job of seamanship all around!!!

Al