Cowes Yacht / Ferry crash

[Boat2016]

This is appalling ! Twice in as many weeks an out of control ferry ploughs into moored yachts in a fog-bound Cowes harbour. Extremely lucky no fatalities, there could so easily have been families sleeping peacefully on those yachts that are now lying on the bottom of the river Medina. We should all write to our MP; the MCA; Cowes Harbour Commission; the press and anyone else that may be able to help. It wouldn't take many of us to block the entry to the ferry terminals in both Cowes and Southampton until Red Funnel agree to stop all ferry services during times of reduced visibility. No point in waiting for MAIB report as they will not be investigating either of these events as there were no injuries. Something needs to be done before one of us is killed.

See here, not sure who told you they wouldn’t be investigating either event?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/...t-investigation-branch-current-investigations

 

[Seajet]

There was a comment earlier that the previous accident won't be investigated by MAIB as no injuries; no idea if that's true - it's not on that list - but this last one is.

 

[Halo]

Its a good job the yachts were there or the clown may have hit something harder and sunk

 

[Seajet]

How about if mines were laid along either side of the channel ? I bet they'd be a darn sight more careful then

 

[michael_w]

With Radar, in that close quarter situation, anything of use would be either in the radar shadow of the superstructure or in the noise clutter of the immediate vicinity of the aerial. The minimum range specification in Solas is 40 metres

Every cross channel ferry I've been on has a low level radar on the bows, which gets turned on for the final approach.

 

[Lightwave395]

Has anyone seen an AIS track showing the routing, that can be reproduced here?

It was all on Marinetraffic.com

 

[Boat2016]

There was a comment earlier that the previous accident won't be investigated by MAIB as no injuries; no idea if that's true - it's not on that list - but this last one is.

What about the second one on the list?

 

[prv]

See here, not sure who told you they wouldn’t be investigating either event?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/...t-investigation-branch-current-investigations

Thanks - that's been updated since this morning, when yesterday's accident had not yet appeared.

Good to see it will be investigated. I imagine the report will at least mention the earlier accident in Cowes.

Pete

 

[prv]

What about the second one on the list?

That's not the earlier accident in Cowes which Seajet is referring to; it's yet a third Red Funnel accident which happened in between the two and didn't get as much discussion here.

Pete

 

[prv]

Every cross channel ferry I've been on has a low level radar on the bows, which gets turned on for the final approach.

Red Falcon isn't a cross-Channel ferry and doesn't have auxiliary radars at the ends.

Not that this prevents her using the main radar(s) to navigate in the mouth of the river, of course.

EDIT: I've had a look at some pictures and while she doesn't have radars at bow and stern, it looks like Red Falcon does have auxiliary scanners below the masts, on the fore and aft faces of the central superstructure. This tends to support the notion that radar is the intended means of navigation in Cowes and Southampton in poor visibility.

(It also looks like the scanners are perfectly placed to irradiate any passengers standing on deck by the railing...)

Pete

 

[Boat2016]

Thanks - that's been updated since this morning, when yesterday's accident had not yet appeared.

Good to see it will be investigated. I imagine the report will at least mention the earlier accident in Cowes.

Pete

Will likely be a while before the report is published, often a year or more.

 

[Boat2016]

That's not the earlier accident in Cowes which Seajet is referring to; it's yet a third Red Funnel accident which happened in between the two and didn't get as much discussion here.

Pete

Yes you just jogged my memory, was told of one where the ferry caught up on some yachts and dragged them away.

 

[Boat2016]

Just seen this so looks like they are taking it seriously this time.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguard...rry-suspends-master-and-mate-after-collisions

 

[sailorman]

previously Red Funnel CEO was with Condor :disgust:

 

[Seajet]

previously Red Funnel CEO was with Condor :disgust:

Now that's interesting, and could explain a lot !

Does he get his wife or nephew to drive them ?

 

[sailorman]

Now that's interesting, and could explain a lot !

Does he get his wife or nephew to drive them ?

He is in fact a She

 

[Seajet]

I hope that's not the result of a previous accident ?

 

[alant]

Every cross channel ferry I've been on has a low level radar on the bows, which gets turned on for the final approach.

Probably fitted to check the doors are properly closed.

 

[{151760}]

I took the dog for a walk around Island Harbour Marina about 8am and would have said 50m of vis and zero wind. Blue sky could be seen above the fog so we delayed our start until 10am when the fog had burnt off in the sunshine. Got as far as the chain ferry about 1040 am before the harbour master stopped us and asked us to hold position whilst listening ch 69. The tug towed the ferry into the berth about 11am after which the harbour master opened the harbour again for traffic.

Pete

It was less than 50m here in Cowes, about 1/2 a mile from the water, though more than 5. It may well have been less actually on the water.

 

[Seajet]

Probably fitted to check the doors are properly closed.

speaking of which, as others have mentioned having people in their vehicles while still on the approach doesn't seem a good idea at all; smacks of a quick turnaround rather than safety and seamanship - and I'm not saying this was the skippers' idea.