Iain C
Well-Known Member
IanJ99, you completely miss my point. And as far as I'm concerned this has little to do with Solway Sailing now. This is about people who seem to think that MCA coding and having the correct setup to run a sailing school/charter operation is pointless bureaucracy.
Scenario 1...So let's just say we are in an unregulated world and you go to your local harbour and see every other yacht with a sign saying "boat trips-£50". Say there is then a tragedy where people get hurt or killed and it's all got very messy in court. Let's say there's a couple of incidents in a season. It's found out that defective safety kit and lack of experience by the skipper may have been contributory factors. Meanwhile, some bona fide sailing schools running coded boats and YM instructors go under as they can't compete any more. So the MCA say "right, we can't have this, all boats now need a liferaft and an EPIRB and two anchors and an annual inspection and there's now a legal alcohol limit for the skipper as well as a Day Skipper ticket or ICC". Leisure skippers taking their mates sailing who at the end of the weekend say "right chaps, by my reckoning it's a tenner on diesel, 15 on beer and 20 quid a head for the curry...is that OK" obviously all protest this saying "hang on a minute MCA, I'm working towards my DS, I only go between Portsmouth, Cowes and the Hamble, I'll have a pint on the way but stay sensible, I share the costs of the weekend jolly with my mates, I don't want all this and I certainly don't need a liferaft, where the hell is it going to go on my 19 footer?" MCA go "fair point...let's just keep this legislation stuff to the people who are running a business. They can up their game and do it properly, or not at all.
Scenario 2...Or, would you rather that we just have a completely unregulated system, where hundreds of owners flood the internet and quaysides with offers of paid-for sailing places, with no checks on whether they are competent, their boats are seaworthy, or if the "fees" customers pay are re-invested into safety kit that works and engines that start, or instead being just spent down the pub? Of course, that will be a very competitive market place...there will be price wars, competition, corners cut...and in the meantime the sailing schools look on and remember the good old days where paying punters knew what they were getting.
And if you do prefer scenario 2, can we also pitch up to Blackbushe Airport and see if a pilot would be prepared to fly me to Paris for £100 in a Cessna that's overdue a check? He's got no IMC rating, but hopefully we won't see any clouds. We could get there in an unlicensed taxi, get a tattoo when we get home from some backstreet bloke with a Dremel and a biro, and in the meantime whilst I'm away I'll get my new boiler installed by my electrician and get someone I know who is good with spreadsheets to sort out my tax return.
As stated preciously, this post is NOT about Solway Sailing, it's about people who think maritime law is unnecessary. People who, presumably, if it was their son/daughter/mother/friend who booked themselves a paid for in advance "boat trip" and died because their lifejacket didn't fire and they had no way of being recovered over the life lines by a totally unknown unqualified skipper would say "no great loss, they would have wanted it this way anyway. They never did like the nanny state anyway..."
So where do you stand then?
Scenario 1...So let's just say we are in an unregulated world and you go to your local harbour and see every other yacht with a sign saying "boat trips-£50". Say there is then a tragedy where people get hurt or killed and it's all got very messy in court. Let's say there's a couple of incidents in a season. It's found out that defective safety kit and lack of experience by the skipper may have been contributory factors. Meanwhile, some bona fide sailing schools running coded boats and YM instructors go under as they can't compete any more. So the MCA say "right, we can't have this, all boats now need a liferaft and an EPIRB and two anchors and an annual inspection and there's now a legal alcohol limit for the skipper as well as a Day Skipper ticket or ICC". Leisure skippers taking their mates sailing who at the end of the weekend say "right chaps, by my reckoning it's a tenner on diesel, 15 on beer and 20 quid a head for the curry...is that OK" obviously all protest this saying "hang on a minute MCA, I'm working towards my DS, I only go between Portsmouth, Cowes and the Hamble, I'll have a pint on the way but stay sensible, I share the costs of the weekend jolly with my mates, I don't want all this and I certainly don't need a liferaft, where the hell is it going to go on my 19 footer?" MCA go "fair point...let's just keep this legislation stuff to the people who are running a business. They can up their game and do it properly, or not at all.
Scenario 2...Or, would you rather that we just have a completely unregulated system, where hundreds of owners flood the internet and quaysides with offers of paid-for sailing places, with no checks on whether they are competent, their boats are seaworthy, or if the "fees" customers pay are re-invested into safety kit that works and engines that start, or instead being just spent down the pub? Of course, that will be a very competitive market place...there will be price wars, competition, corners cut...and in the meantime the sailing schools look on and remember the good old days where paying punters knew what they were getting.
And if you do prefer scenario 2, can we also pitch up to Blackbushe Airport and see if a pilot would be prepared to fly me to Paris for £100 in a Cessna that's overdue a check? He's got no IMC rating, but hopefully we won't see any clouds. We could get there in an unlicensed taxi, get a tattoo when we get home from some backstreet bloke with a Dremel and a biro, and in the meantime whilst I'm away I'll get my new boiler installed by my electrician and get someone I know who is good with spreadsheets to sort out my tax return.
As stated preciously, this post is NOT about Solway Sailing, it's about people who think maritime law is unnecessary. People who, presumably, if it was their son/daughter/mother/friend who booked themselves a paid for in advance "boat trip" and died because their lifejacket didn't fire and they had no way of being recovered over the life lines by a totally unknown unqualified skipper would say "no great loss, they would have wanted it this way anyway. They never did like the nanny state anyway..."
So where do you stand then?
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