Should the skipper be capable of doing everything on board?

Do you have friends MMSI numbers stored

  • Yes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • No

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Thinking about it

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Will not do it on principle

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
This a stupid argument and i have no intention of giving you the satisfaction of continuing it.

However I will object quite publicly to you sending me personal messages continuing this unnecessary tirade you have taken upon your self to deliver.

For those who care to learn what sort of objectionable person you are i reproduce the content of the PM:

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Old Chemists never die, they just fail to react

Jesus! What kind of "don't react" is that!!!

NO ONE "DECREED" anything about disabled, the subject of disabled hadn't even been raised until you erupted out of nowhere with it! Where did you invent that one from?

Fer Chrissakes chill and get a life!

And get a grip on dealing with facts and logic too! I sincerely hope no one lets you run a boat with that sort of volatile irrationale. Stay off the roads too, please.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear.


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If you're a singlehanded skipper then I think you might need to know everything.

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That a B IMO as the Skiper is also the Crew............................

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Yo no soy marinero
Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán
Soy capitán, soy capitán

Sorry, tried to vote but got stuck on defining "everything". How perfect for a pub discussion. But I'm with the rest, skipper should get home safe with everyone happy if poss and safe if not. Whatever that takes.
BTW, to save you a bablefish, it means "I'm not a sailor, I'm the captain!!!" Lyrics of La Bamba. Perfect for a singlehander. Altogether now, 2 ,3 4, Baaaa
 
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Definitely not A. No reason why a disabled person not physically able to do everything should not be skipper.

Shame on the 8 people so far who have decreed that a disabled person shall not skipper his own yacht.

[/ QUOTE ]And shame on you for effectively saying that an able bodied skipper can't take out a disabled crew.
 
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And shame on you for effectively saying that an able bodied skipper can't take out a disabled crew

[/ QUOTE ] Well I hope other people can follow the reasoning by which you read that into my statement. I cant!
 
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Is this forum turning into another Lounge?

[/ QUOTE ] Well arguably it was not the right forum for the original question. It hardly falls within the description "Share practical, hands-on information"
 
great quesion!

a good Skipper will know when some one on board has a fit
feels better and then/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

get a life Guys eg you have a Dr on board but the Skipper

know's best ???:D

Cheers Joe
 
I agree with Vic this is an absurd argument.

just a few comments though. Almost inevitably the owner is the captain. Or at least the person on board who is likely to be obliged to make good damage. Of course who is the captain becomes very critical in cases like an inquest into death or serious injury or damage.
The responsible person (captain) needs to be sorted out if there is any doubt before departure.

Regarding a comment about trusting the crew. If not what are they there for. What is the difference between a crew person and a passenger. well I don't take passengers. I don't have a commercial licence. So all people on my boat are crew. The degree that I trust them is variable from nil to fully. A captain needs to know the capabilities of the crew before he trusts them.

The whole subject is fairly obvious. maybe fun to argue in a pub if you like debates.........me I like sailing better. olewill
 
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I voted for B, because the question as worded does not require me (as skipper) to know how to do everything, and it does not specifiy the type of boat or the type of sailing. Both of those are directly relevant to the question.

I do need to know how to get boat and crew to safety - so navigation, boat handling, etc. But I do not need to know how to fix the heads because a bucket will do. I do not have to know how to fix the windlass because I can abandon an anchor, or use a rope and winch. I do not have to make souffle but I do need to ensure and be able to access sufficient emergency provisions for the crew and length of anticipated sail should the weather turn anti-cooking.

I may very much need to know those things to avoid getting badly ripped off when I am in port, or know how to work with crew/friends/employed workpeople to fix it, but that's not the same as doing everything.

Also for us - short-handed cruising, it is important to have specific areas of responsiblity and expertise. I can do very basic first aid, but Pip has done the courses and is much more knowledgeable. I enjoy navigation but Pip could get us to a port. I'm not good at engines and she's excellent at them. Works for us.

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Excellent, another well wordede and reasonable post. Hubby and I fall into the shared category, appears similar to your set-up. We can both get back to port, we can both handle the boat. He knows somethings that I don't and vice versa. That does not mean that either cannot survive and bring boat in safely.
It would appear that two schools are appearing - the singlehanded mentality and the crewed. Both have merits, but as another said the Master of a Ship cannot do all jobs on board, but he knows who can. Reminds of the AA TV advert - I don't know, but I know a man who does.
 
I think your question invites misunderstanding. "Everything" sounds like "life, the universe and everything"
I bet the Captain on Ark Royal cant do "everything" but he is undoubtedly responsible for everything and the buck stops with him certainly. There is a greater need for a wider knowledge on small boats. Many skipper/owners have not got a clue how diesel engines, electronics etc work though. I think the smaller the boat, the more he should know but for a comprehensive theory of "everything" try Steven Hawking..... and even that por sod can't DO everything.
 
Surely the important thing is that before setting off (whether round the buoys or the world) the skipper recognises everything that may need doing and ensures so far as possible that they are all "do-able" and when afloat also recognises everything that needs doing as it arises and ensures as far as possible that it is done.
 
Definitely A for most cruising couples and certainly for single handers.
In the event of a larger crew, then ok, you can have a good skill mix and manage that.

The disability drift is a red herring for most..

Now, if you take a cruising couple... what happens if the skipper is ill, lost, etc ?.. well the crew becomes skipper, the other 'alf usually.
So, to extend the argument.. they ALSO need to know as much as possible. but, as they are there for a backup, it is not always feasible to achieve this.

So, where are you sailing ?.. with HOW MANY people on board ?.. needs to be added to the equation.
Joe
 
______________________________________________________
Fishing boats have Skippers!
______________________________________________________

A forumite known as the Flipper
Says a cap'n of fishers a Skipper
but this has no bearing
and is a red herring
(which when smoked is a kipper not skipper)
 
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Many skipper/owners have not got a clue how diesel engines, electronics etc work though.

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There's a very valid point here. In my mind, the inabilty to repair a diesel engine or to sort out an electrical problem on board would be more of a disabilty than being deaf for example. When in N Spain (where the yachting infrastructure is poor) I was surprised how many Brit sailors had no idea of basic maintenance, having the boat prepared for the season either "by the Yard" or by a little man who did work for them. In one case this lead directly to an electrical fire which the crew were unable to repair without help.

Maybe the RYA YM course ought to include maintenance - but then that would reduce income from the diesel course wouldnt it.
 
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Many skipper/owners have not got a clue how diesel engines, electronics etc work though.

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Maybe the RYA YM course ought to include maintenance - but then that would reduce income from the diesel course wouldnt it.

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Equally though, the RYA YM may decide to sail the boat back and sail alongside (or row/paddle dependant upon wind) or if curcumstances such as wind and tide are wrong, anchor till they are better! That is already expected of a RYA YM - its just adapting to a situation and getting things sorted safely (like a skipper should).

A skipper does not have to be a mechanic but does need to know how to do everything onboard, this may not be fixing the engine but is certainly coping with the consequences. If a mechanic was onboard then that would be a easier way of getting back. I think the answer is still A however the exact wording may need tweeking.

The RYA YM already is required to know the basic checks, change a impeller, blead the fuel system, replace a fan belt etc.

As for an electrical problem, if the engine wont start then you can do as above. If the chartplotter/radar/ais/vhf dsc/log/depth etc fail, then they should still be able to cope. This may be using a leadline and following a 10m contour (dependant on where you are etc) and sail. Being able to fix them would be better but it is not the end all and be all.

Equally, not all skippers have to be RYA YMs.
 
I love being a single handed skipper occasionally -cause I know it all -- always make the right decisions -- never get lost -- and SWMBO is not there to wake me up out of my dream!!!!!!!
 
A skipper should have the knowledge to direct crew to the tasks on a boat. A skipper able bodied or not who does all the tasks themselves is a bad skipper.

As regards a disabled (dislike the word) person sailing single handed - simple we all make our own risk assessments and act accordingly and the same is true for able bodied so not sure of the difference.

Insurance companies and other bodies have rules based on the lowest common denomitator / lowest risk so they will make it more difficult for those with a health condition.



Iota
 
My gut reaction was A because that is how I sail my boat,but after some considered thought I actually voted B.

My reasoning is that the skippers responsibility is to conduct the passage in a safe and seamanlike manner, not to be a one man band. There may well be skills needed for a particular voyage that he/she does not have, or ther may be some task he/she cannot do, the responsibility then is to ensure there is some one who can fill in the blanks, and if needed there is redundancy in the crew so that if some one becomes unavailable their responsibilities/abilities can be covered by some one else.

The skippers key responsibility is the safety of the crew and the vessel, how he achieves that is his choice.
 
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