Illes de Lerins Yacht Collision one dead

Riviera Radio is reporting that the skipper stated he was doing 15 kts in his statement after he was arrested.

As ever the factors leading up to the impact will be the key.
 
mcanderson said:
Riviera Radio is reporting that the skipper stated he was doing 15 kts in his statement after he was arrested.

As ever the factors leading up to the impact will be the key.
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15 knots is about right, probably bow up before the captain trimmed it down. Reduced visibility. Probably the only good thing you can say about the situation, because the Pershing can probably go a whole lot faster.
The damage, only on one side of the Pershing and just the tip of the Princess shows he was probably trying to last second manœuvre away.
I wonder if the Princess realized what was happening so were trying to raise the anchor, or they were just by coincidence leaving at that moment
 
It will also be interesting to see if it was the Captain at the helm. Captain obviously bears 100% responsibility for the vessel, but I find it hard to believe that anyone with the qualifications to skipper such a vessel could make such basic errors.

I wonder if the owner/boss decided to 'have a go at driving'?
 
Skipper has been in custody since the accident and at 92 ft , it’s probably just under the 24 M load line or what ever rule for none commercial ticket .Ferretti are good with nose cones and bathing platforms - not fitting when the official certified measurements are done .
If it’s under 24 M I could drive it on my French licence.
If it was the owner ( they have taken statements of all on board ) he would be sat in jail awaiting preliminary enquires too .
 
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When do you take the anchor ball down ?
Before upping or after ?

You see the Priny could have been manoeuvring all over the place , with the bow man heads down pointing and the helm only watching him for indications of where to go .

Pershing storms in @35 knots ( normal ) as he approaches the island he works out a gap , a safe gap , backs off little too late and the momentum is slowing it while the Priny lurches around finding the chain with out a ball up .
Pershings head will be down more than up as he adjusts his screens and notes the decreasing depth can be as low as 3-4 M even mid channel .
 
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Bouba said:
I wonder if the Princess realized what was happening so were trying to raise the anchor, or they were just by coincidence leaving at that moment
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My money is definitely on the latter.
If onboard the Princess they would have understood the risk, anyone in his right mind would have run for cover, possibly blasting the horn, if quickly reachable. But only as a second priority!
Staying at the bow in the hope to have enough time for weighing anchor with 80T or so of boat approaching fast would have been pure madness, imho.
 
Portofino said:
at 92 ft , it’s probably just under the 24 M load line or what ever rule for none commercial ticket
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Pretty sure she is - the nose cone is clearly visible in one of the pics previously linked.
Not that I'm so sure it really matters, mind. Schettino did have a helluva commercial ticket... :ambivalence:
 
If you can't see an 88ft gleaming white boat, a visible anchor ball is irrelevant.

Is there any information on whether the Pershing was entering or leaving? I thought they may have just lifted anchor and floored it.
 
Roberto said:
Statement from the skipper: he was doing 15kt instead of the authorized 5kt, he went on purpose near the other boat "to show his yacht performances" and unfortunately lost control.
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I was thinking it might be something like that. I also suspect that part of the reason for the collision was that the Princess was moving forward during the anchor raising process and that contributed to the misjudgement by the Pershing helmsman
 
Roberto said:
he went on purpose near the other boat "to show his yacht performances"
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that's a great definition of an aR5e then, isn't it?
What factor of his yacht performance was he showing off exactly? how to drop all glassware and scare everyone around?
Or was it to check the stabilisation of the other boat?

yachties are going to have a field day on that one...
 
vas said:
that's a great definition of an aR5e then, isn't it?
What factor of his yacht performance was he showing off exactly? how to drop all glassware and scare everyone around?
Or was it to check the stabilisation of the other boat?

yachties are going to have a field day on that one...
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More than just 4rse, it's indefensible. If he truly said that his defence lawyer is going to castigate him just as bad as the judge. (not advocating dishonesty just highlighting his sense of judgement)
 
Yes, the captain was very quick to take the blame. I wonder if it was the owner driving.........
 
vas said:
that's a great definition of an aR5e then, isn't it?
What factor of his yacht performance was he showing off exactly? how to drop all glassware and scare everyone around?
Or was it to check the stabilisation of the other boat?

yachties are going to have a field day on that one...
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yesterday morning coming down a very quiet Western Solent at a plodding 7 knots minding my own business I was passed within 200ft by a 50ft+ flybridge motorboat at circa 20-25knots, then 20 minutes later a second passed between me and a yacht insanely close, this time the boat was even larger. Each time their wake was ridiculous... Now I had assumed both skippers were complete ****ards, but now I understand they were in fact showing me "Their Yachts Performance".
 
jfm said:
Very tragic. Will be important for investigators to understand because so much about this is hard to explain: impact speed was high judging from pictures ; in that location anchored boats are generally clear of the "highway" for boats passing through the anchorage (that anchage is a thoroughfare, not a dead end cove/cul de sac); ime the speed limit there is usually observed; it was a cloudy night so no sunblindness; and the water was glossy smooth because literally 1-2 kts of wind (I was out, nearby, and it was very easy to see obstacles).

@lloydroberts, the "M" boat is Ma Tong, Alain Prost's new ferretti 920. Match was there a couple of days earlier.
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I'm rubbish at this spot the boat lark.;)
 
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