Pre - Departure checks - NOT

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Roy

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I'm sitting on the boat sipping a G&T on Sunday night awaiting my son's arrival who is skippering the boat till Wednesday. Mark Knopfler music and sunshine -ahhhhh bliss!! And then..... I hear HELP, HELP, HELP. 20 feet away is a boat adrift and coming close to mine with the wind blowing her. Inside this little speed boat are 4 women and one guy. Sprinting round the pontoon I shout to them and get a line to them and tie them to the end of the finger.The boat that is, not them!! Turns out that they have borrowed the boat from a friend and when setting off, they dropped their lines and then tried to start her up!!!! No battery power, no go and definitely no sense. Nice lady, the skipper mind you. She said she had loads of experience on Windermere - doing what I aint sure but being in charge, I doubt it. Usual stuff ....... no mobile, no vhf, no lifejackets and not even a mooring line - they did have a metal boat hook with which they were prodding at the battery!? OUCH! Anyway, we got them jump started and off they sailed into the sunset, which reminds me to check and see if they ever made it back. This happens I know, and it makes me wonder why marinas do not demand some certificate of competence before anyone can use the facility, with squillions of quids worth of property floating around the place plus fuel pontoons etc etc. Although accidents can happen and near misses occur to the best of skilled people, not to have even the smallest of control systems, just never makes sense to me. Right?? or should we just accept this as one of boaty life's mysterys?? Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?
 
Boat qualifications dont keep idiots off the water either but even if marinas were to insist on a basic level of boat handling skill before use was permitted, it would surely reduce the risk of the above type of incident happening. I am not in favour of regulation either but regulation is different from competence being required to use a facility. For example, if I owned a marina I would be happier knowing that evryone using it had some level of skill for at least entering and leaving. If I had an idiot in the next berth to me I would try to educate him or have him or myself moved elsewhere. Anyway, our boating area is under scrutiny right now by the National Parks people and on the agenda is enforced insurance, compulsory training and a jet-bike ban or zoning law. We will see what develops. Best regards. Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?
 
The amazing thing is that people KNOW that if something goes wrong they could easily die, but they do it anyway. I'm not just referring to boats; how many people feel themselves nodding off behind the wheel of a car on the motorway and instead of stopping just open a window? I've done it, I'm not proud of it but it's true. Another striking thing about your tale is that five potentially sensible individuals were prepared to keep going with absolutely no guarantee of ever returning. Why didn't at least one of them have the sense to get out of the boat when you had it tied up and make their own way back to where they started? Until the human race can come to terms with its own mortality we are all going to have to put up with individuals risking their own, and others, lives.

<hr width=100% size=1>Of all the things I've lost - I miss my mind the most!
 
Yeah - I do agree with your views and Jinks's too. As I said - it must be one of boaty life's mysterys!?? Maybe a magic 'clever' pill is what we need to give em. Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?
 
Happens all the time Roy - and in every port in this (and probably every other) country.

I know its serious and possibly dangerous but that bit about casting off with no line and then attempting to start the engine makes me laugh...

<hr width=100% size=1>Madoc Yacht Club
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk>http://www.madocyachtclub.co.uk</A>
 
How exactly would they manage it?

Ask nicely if you are competent or not

Demand a demonstration

Only allow those with RYA tickets to enter

Seems to me much simpler to demand that everyone has 3rd party insurance - err like they do now.



<hr width=100% size=1>
 
As for insurance, as they borrowed the boat, I wonder if they would be covered? I expect if I let someone with little or no experience borrow my boat and they caused all sorts of damage, my insurance co would quite understandably say I'd not taken anything like reasonable care. Also, if it's like my home port, they would be in breach of the regs as only the registered skipper is authorised to move the boat within the confines.
Although none of us seem to want regulation, you would think it not unreasonable for marinas (being private it would not need to be a start to compulsory regulation) to want at least theory ticket, for the protection of their existing customers? We all know its not a cast iron guarantee, but it's a start.

<hr width=100% size=1>http://members.lycos.co.uk/boaty1965/index.htm
 
Theres not much guarantee in the local Asda car park, as my car will vouch for. I've got gouges down the side from folk putting on full lock on the way out. And they have driving licences. I presume!! I've even had damage done by marina staff. Nearly got chucked out from marina because I complained. I've no bits of paper. But I'bve seen YM's that I would not give a pedilow to drive. My next door neighbour is learning. Please can we have prayers for Mucky Farter!!!

<hr width=100% size=1> Flags Solly MFBR</font color=red>
Haydn
 
Your last 'para' seems to be what i had in mind - a sort of starter qualification - perhaps funded by the insurance companies?? Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?
 
Yeah Dave you arer spot on I know. Here was me trying to help them but avoid sounding like some harbour master....... also trying not to giggle at their sheer lack of basic knowledge and any regard for safety. Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?
 
Some or all of the above. how about the marinas and the insurers and the rya getting it together so that no one can get on the water without insurance which they can't get without a basic rya ticket and cant get a berth without showing the ticket. Simple, non punitive and good for everyone. Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?
 
I guess there is a loose comparison with car parks driving licences and so on but scrapes and bumps happen in motoring with little real damage or risk to life - I mean in car parks mind, not prangs on the open road of course. In a marina there is a much greater risk in some respects and the main difference is that people are allowed to drive boats in marinas without any experience, any training and in some cases any insurance. Imagine asda and tesco on a saturday afternoon with some uninsured and untrained drivers 'learning' in amongst the ranks of cars?? Like you say, we get our cars dinged anyway there Haydn. Anyway hope you are boating as I write, and enjoy your weekend. All the best. Roy

<hr width=100% size=1>What does this mean then?
 
When I started there was no training, it had not been invented. I stood in awe looking as my newly aquired National Ospray racing dinghy as it quaked in the light breeze. It had been aquired as it looked big enough to take the four of us plus large Retiever. The fact that the boom swept the whole deck with ony three inch, had not been apparent when we bought it. Still we learned and loved the boat, even though it was a bit hairy some times. To give you an idea of it's power. I used to race folk going backwards whilst they went forwards, I still won.../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Then I bought a P33 twin diesel, outdrives. My first go with it was out of the marina. Logic said. Starboard engine ahead, port astern. It backed gracefully out of it's berth.

I think all this newfangle training is a good money spinner. bit has little effect in reality.

A year or two ago in pool, I met up with a raggy. He was a TV presenter for Middlands TV. Y Master to boot. Nice bloke. I dragged him off five sandbanks. On the last one his telephone rang. It was his daughter. His engine was running hard in reverse whilst he walked leasurly down the deck saying. " yes dear, but I really do have to go" He was catching up fast as I reversed down the narrow cut. " Well dear, yes I now but" I managed to swerve into a gap between two boats as he swished past. Still tied to me!!!. Yacht Masters...GGggrrr..../forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> Flags Solly MFBR</font color=red>
Haydn
 
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