Fatality after boat/PWC collision off Menai Bridge

[RichardS]

I thought it stood for Particularly Wearisome Character. Hence #9. ??

Laughing faces in a thread about a fatality. Really?

Richard

 

[Greg2]

Heard it on the news toady - very sad.
.

 

[BruceK]

There are speed limits. At Caernarfon, advisory at Plas Menai, Port Dinorwic, Menai Bridge and Beaumaris. However you cannot govern or legislate against stupid and this weekend we saw a helluva lot of stupid from trailer boats and PWC water skiing through anchorages. Screaming full chat through anchorages etc. We even had a 4.5 m rib doing flick flacks when the rider was ejected without killcord. It got so bad I took to ranting at a few. I bloody nearly decided to raise drives to one that finally anchored and swamp it with a rooster tail he was such a berk.

 

[25931]

I think the usual generic name for these horrid beasts is PWC, Personal Water Craft..

A ridiculous name for a ridiculous machine, whoever coined that needs lessons in English. My boat is a water craft and it is my personal possession. I maintain that the early "water scooter" made much more sense, even though the machine itself might not.

 

[northwind]

A ridiculous name for a ridiculous machine, whoever coined that needs lessons in English. My boat is a water craft and it is my personal possession. I maintain that the early "water scooter" made much more sense, even though the machine itself might not.

The biggest issue that still needs sorting is that in law they are not classed as a vessel, so fall outside of maritime law.

 

[Stemar]

Whatever you want to call it and I don't like them much either, seems to me that possession shouldn't carry a death sentence. My sympathies to to the casualty's family.

I am, of course, assuming that she was on the PWC, which isn't stated, but does seem more likely, just the same as a fatality in a collision between a car and a motor bike is far more likely to be the biker.

 

[Concerto]

A few years ago I sold a NOS Vincent marine engine to a chap who was a restoring an "Amanda Water Scooter" which is generally reckoned to be the first PWC.

Yesterday I was talking to some who knows the person who designed and built the first PCW called a Ski Jet. It had no steering as moving bodyweight was used to make it turn. They took it to a boat show and Kawaski bought an example to ship to Japan. They then improved the basic design and the rest is history.

 

[Sandy]

Yesterday I made the following post

I really don't understand the "taxing" and "red tape" argument.

Broadly speaking I support the training and certification of all water users, how you manage that is another matter.

PWC, JetSkies call them what you will are causing more and more of a menace to other water users. Be that buzzing round moorings or zooming passed swimmers at speed. I fear the day when a Corner's Court or a fatal accident inquiry in Scotland asks why was the rider of the PWC not trained and the impact that has on the water using community. Read any MAIB report and they do state the qualifications of those involved. I wonder is dulls sees those reports as red tape?

Give way no chance

Sad to see that an individual lost their life so soon afterwards. I await the MIAB report and the findings of the Corner with interest.

 

[dom]

What an awful tragedy; condolences to the family and loved ones, unbelievably sad.

I think we should await the official inquiry and in the meantime abstain from being drawn into assuming anything whatsoever about the presumed actions of the victim based upon generalisations surrounding generic jet ski behaviour. For that is the lowest common denominator populated by bigots, racists, and such like.

 

[rotrax]

Yesterday I was talking to some who knows the person who designed and built the first PCW called a Ski Jet. It had no steering as moving bodyweight was used to make it turn. They took it to a boat show and Kawaski bought an example to ship to Japan. They then improved the basic design and the rest is history.

Except that Phillip Vincent DID invent - and patent - the first PWC. As Jumble Duck correctly states.

It was designed to find a use for the very efficient two stroke lifeboat engine he had designed that was not required by the Goverment after the war.

He also built and demonstrated an early type of strimmer/brushcutter which used a steel circular saw like blade. The demo was going really well when the Ministry of Agriculture's representative's hat was cut in half when the blade flew off................................

I worked for Kawasaki Motors UK Ltd. for six years, '76 to 82. KMC - Kawasaki Motors Corporation of Santa Monica CA. took the idea from an American Clayton Jakobson and developed it into a commercial product.

From disscussions with John 'Cowboy' Cook, an early Jetski World Champion, the Jakobson prototype was pretty crap. Without the expertise of a major player such as KHI through their US subsideriary KMC it might not have caught on.

Kawasaki and Vincent both used a pump to keep the hull clear of water when throttled up.

As with many other things, Phillip Vincent was ahead of his time. Twenty years plus in front of Kawasaki.

It was obvious such an expensive toy would have a very limited market in just post war Britain.

Late seventies California however, absolutly right!

 

[Assassin]

Did you want to borrow a shotgun Bruce?

 

[Skylark]

What an awful tragedy; condolences to the family and loved ones, unbelievably sad.

That seems to be the only appropriate comment to make.

 

[TSB240]

My condolences to all involved with this tragedy.
The Strait was incredibly busy with many craft this weekend.
We decided to get out on Friday and were witness to another unreported near tragedy at Abermenai.
It should also be subject to Maib investigation. It involved a pretty large rib which had dumped its crew overboard. It continued to wildly circle at full throttle until the engine ran out of fuel in the vicinity of Belan Narrows.
Beaumaris LB had been tasked and thank god they didn't have to tackle it. They arrived a very short time later.
This could have still caused another casualty as 15 miles in the opposite direction a kayaker was airlifted to safety at Penmon. Luckily there was sufficient CG resource to prevent another tragedy.
I will be making my statement and providing my video for evidence.
The unworn and useless kill cord was photographed by the LB crew still attached to the Rib.
How many more lives have to be put at risk before a true dead man's handle is introduced for all planing craft?

 

[BruceK]

Did you want to borrow a shotgun Bruce?

I'd love a paintball gun. Seriously though there should be some sort of mandatory training for very small vessels to highlight to the owners they are not inconsequential toys and still bound to maritime law and ettiquette

 

[Davy_S]

I remember hiring a jet type ski, but it had an outboard motor, they had them at Malta, it was donkeys years ago and felt very unsafe, but i was invincible then! it was similar to this.

 

[TSB240]

Morning Bruce tis sad and condolences to all involved.
I'm afraid to say I joined up with the Conwy stinkies at Costa del Dinas this Saturday

We dodged a bullet of a 6m rib doing donuts on its own at Costa del Meani Aber on the previous night.

The rigging a cheese wire to one of our adjacent raggies didn't stop a wake boarder spilling our Gin and Tonics after the sun had gone over the yard arm.

I was told I should be in a marina with my floating caravan!

I'm thinking of reproofing the Brass Canon out of our yacht club. My admirable has a licence to fire one!
Steve.

 

[BruceK]

We accept pirates of all creeds Steve. "Told to go to a marina" Tell me it was that dunce in a blue rib. He was laughing at me until I ran the windlass up and invited him to come play some more after which he apologised and scampered off. Right tool.

 

[penberth3]

….The unworn and useless kill cord was photographed by the LB crew still attached to the Rib.
How many more lives have to be put at risk before a true dead man's handle is introduced for all planing craft?

Ideally, there would be a well publicised prosecution with a suitable penalty. If nobody's killed or injured I don't think there's any offence?

 

[Stork_III]

Ideally, there would be a well publicised prosecution with a suitable penalty. If nobody's killed or injured I don't think there's any offence?

Most river estuaries have speed limits, and occasionally miscreants are punished, sadly not often enough. Water bikers who flouted river speed limits ordered to pay £2,500

 

[penberth3]

Most river estuaries have speed limits, and occasionally miscreants are punished, sadly not often enough. Water bikers who flouted river speed limits ordered to pay £2,500

I was thinking about the (alleged) failure to use the kill cord.