Concordia captain "fell" into life raft!

[Medskipper]

Has this captain no pride? The man clearly made a massive error of judgement and ever since has been trying his best to avoid being blamed! He now claims he accidentally fell in the raft and could not get out, yeah right! The first thing any skipper learns when he has his boat is that what is beneath the water is for more dangerous than what is above it! There are many small outcrops of rocks around the med, what on earth was the man thinking?

 

[pappaecho]

Dont be so cynical.
I have fallen several times into rubber dinghies and liferafts. It can happen to the worst of us

 

[John100156]

Cynical?

What was he doing in such close proximity to it anyway, was he climbing down to it and then fell? Did it have a roof? When I did my RYA Sea Survival it was hard enough for me to get into a liferaft, let alone fall into it. I realise it was a huge ship and they would be much larger rafts. Or was he just fortunate, happened to be passing, lost his grip, fell and there was a liferaft suitably angled to receive him.

It is a tragedy for certain, my sympathy goes of course to all of those that have lost loved ones. At this stage, I also have some sympathy for the Captain, but that may change when the full facts are known. It's so easy to judge without knowing the facts, but it does sound just a little bit fishy to me.... I hope for his sake it was some form of seismic event on the seabed. Time will tell.

 

[Hurricane]

When I did my RYA Sea Survival it was hard enough for me to get into a liferaft, let alone fall into it.

You do yourself an injustice, John
It was the most elegant thing I've seen in ages.

 

[Portland Billy]

Shock

It seems to me the Master was responsible for a grave error of judgement and when he realised the enormity of what he'd done he went into a state of deep shock, and coherent thinking and actions went out of the window.

I run a fleet of twenty seismic survey vessels and the general standard of training for officers today is pretty abysmal - I wonder what to what standard the Italians train their masters, and how rigourously Costa Cruises evaluates their officers.
We run a fairly stringent evaluation process regardless of the number of bits of paper an prospective officer produces. Certificates of 'Competency' are just a joke from more issuing countries than you'd believe - despite STCW verification.

 

[wazza]

Dont be so cynical.
I have fallen several times into rubber dinghies and liferafts. It can happen to the worst of us

Yes but that's after being at the local on your way back to your boat, I'm sure

 

[boatmike]

It seems to me the Master was responsible for a grave error of judgement and when he realised the enormity of what he'd done he went into a state of deep shock, and coherent thinking and actions went out of the window.

I run a fleet of twenty seismic survey vessels and the general standard of training for officers today is pretty abysmal - I wonder what to what standard the Italians train their masters, and how rigourously Costa Cruises evaluates their officers.
We run a fairly stringent evaluation process regardless of the number of bits of paper an prospective officer produces. Certificates of 'Competency' are just a joke from more issuing countries than you'd believe - despite STCW verification.

Having some experience myself I think you are pulling your punches here Billy. I remember that famous quote from Noel Coward. " I always prefer to sail on Italian ships because in case of disaster there is none of that nonsense about women and children first!"

 

[Medskipper]

It seems to me the Master was responsible for a grave error of judgement and when he realised the enormity of what he'd done he went into a state of deep shock, and coherent thinking and actions went out of the window.

I run a fleet of twenty seismic survey vessels and the general standard of training for officers today is pretty abysmal - I wonder what to what standard the Italians train their masters, and how rigourously Costa Cruises evaluates their officers.
We run a fairly stringent evaluation process regardless of the number of bits of paper an prospective officer produces. Certificates of 'Competency' are just a joke from more issuing countries than you'd believe - despite STCW verification.

Portland Billy, if that truly is the case it is absoluately shocking! So many Brits along with many other nations go cruising these days. The captains have so many lives in their hands! surely something must be done to address this situation? I just hope to god that the aviation industry is not going the same way?

I hear on the news this morning that crew members returning home are saying the Captain was in his liferaft BEFORE the abandon ship command was given! incredible, 100 years ago this man would have been shot for cowardice!

Medskipper

 

[kid's inheritance]

At the moment, there is a court case where a expectant mum was raped , stabbed in the abdomen (killing the unborn child) and died slowly.
Yet someone who was foolish and the cowardly (allegedly so far but looks likely) is villified .
We live in a strange world where malice aforethought is treated many times less censurious in Joe Publics' eyes than a man who made a mistake and , likelihood , panicked
Rob

 

[Balearick]

Has this captain no pride?

He's really getting it in the neck in Italy...

 

[John100156]

You do yourself an injustice, John
It was the most elegant thing I've seen in ages.

Sorry Mike was that at a typo? We may have a difference of opinion here, was that elegant or elephant.... Not a very pleasant sight.

Great fun though, I thoroughly enjoyed that sea survival course and to do it with friends made it all the more enjoyable. An event such as this certainly focuses your mind, you never know when that training could come in useful.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

Christian Science Monitor has got quite heavily into his - this one was particularly interesting to me

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2012/0118/Top-4-deceptions-by-ship-s-captain