Incident in the Whitsundays

[Jim Cate]

Noted the following story in the ABC news this morning. Would sure like to know more of the details, and why this particular event was sanctioned so severely... the hundreds of charter boats there have long been involved in groundings and worse and usually with little note.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-...mage/103404016

Curious!

Jim

[SailingHarmonie]

If you read the article closely, you’ll find this:

Aldred was charged with operating in breach of the vessel's certificate of operation, assuming the role of master without the proper qualifications, and for failing to take reasonable care for the safety of persons affected by his acts or omissions and being reckless in doing so..

He got caught because he grounded, but that was not what he was actually charged with.

I’m not very familiar with how things work down under, but running a charter without a qualified skipper, and a boat not legal for the use will get the book thrown at you in the USA. You’d get a similar fine.

The grounding bit was a minor contribution to his legal troubles, but is played up by the local environmental activists to gin up interest and donations. I’d bet the whole source for the article was a news release from some organization with a name like “Friends of the Reef”.

[Jim Cate]

I’m not very familiar with how things work down under, but running a charter without a qualified skipper, and a boat not legal for the use will get the book thrown at you in the USA. You’d get a similar fine.

I agree with this for sure. Yet the flavour of the clip was the environmental damage part, with photos of lush coral growth and the implication that it was such growth that the yacht damaged. Perhaps it really was, but from my time in that area it seems unlikely.

Anyhow, sure made sailing look like an environmentally damaging sport.

Jim

[skipperpete]

I worked in this area and heartily endorse this guy being fined, over the years there have been numerous incidents of completely unqualified skippers (and owners doing a bit of chartering as a side hustle) and apart from AMSA, there are a lot of working commercial masters who see these illegal operators and report them. Not only are the skippers lacking qualifications, usually the boats they own are not actually in survey for commercial work so the seaworthiness and safety requirements are not met either and they’re definitely not insured if there’s an un qualified person operating an un surveyed vessel . This grounding happened in one of the most sensitive marine environments in the whitsundays so I completely understand AMSA’s response.

[Apollo19.5]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

I agree with this for sure. Yet the flavour of the clip was the environmental damage part, with photos of lush coral growth and the implication that it was such growth that the yacht damaged. Perhaps it really was, but from my time in that area it seems unlikely.

Anyhow, sure made sailing look like an environmentally damaging sport.

Jim

Jim


Look who's article it was. Explains the environmental beat up. I have no issues with the fine though for what he was charged for.

[RaymondR]

Poor defence lawyer.

Obviously did not bring to the courts attention that the offender was the right "identity" and was only "subsistence chartering".

[Rustic Charm]

A commercial vessel and operator breaching conditions.

Wouldn’t have had an issue if he was recreational.