Spotting an inflatable in the channel

[Black Sheep]

Anyways....
Before Gary Fox derailed the discussion onto matters of politics and current affairs, there was an interesting interchange about the appropriate response to spotting an inflatable.

I quite liked Bristolfashion's analysis that your response will be determined by your perception of whether the inflatable is likely to be suspicious, and whether you think it is in difficulties or in distress.

While I fully agree that the risk to my own vessel needs to be taken into account, I'm somewhat shocked by some boaters' responses to the distress situation. It's always going to be a confused situation, and not always easy to see if there really is serious and imminent threat to life. But really? Not even stand off if it's inconvenient? Not even to throw a fender or a danbuoy if there's any chance whatsoever of your crew ever needing it? (in which case what's it doing onboard?).

Solas is quite clear that assistance should be given, where possible, to vessels in distress. "Where possible" doesn't mean "Where convenient".

 

[dom]

Solas is quite clear that assistance should be given, where possible, to vessels in distress. "Where possible" doesn't mean "Where convenient".

For clarity, nobody has disputed that.

However, at some point while attending such an incident a yacht might decide that adequate direct help was either not viable, or only possible to a limited extent.

This may seem like a harsh way to approach a situation but corralling and coordinating the right assets might ultimately be a much better course of action for the distressed migrants than trying to be a hero in an environment for which one is totally ill-equipped.

 

[Stemar]

Solas is quite clear that assistance should be given, where possible, to vessels in distress. "Where possible" doesn't mean "Where convenient".

Yes, but what does it have to say about putting oneself at risk? Personally, I'd take some risk to rescue people on distress, whether mariners or refugees but, with either, I'm going to do a risk assessment. I'm not going to risk being sunk myself in the first case or being thrown overboard in the second. I think the latter case is unlikely in the Channel, but in the Med? Not so sure.

 

[Black Sheep]

For clarity, nobody has disputed that. [assistance should be given, where possible, to vessels in distress. "Where possible" doesn't mean "Where convenient" ]

Well an earlier poster said: "...maybe toss some flotation devices, stay in touch with CG on 16, and IF my passage plan permitted, stand off until professional help arrived, ... I would only throw them something if there was zero chance of one of my crew needing it later, and if I had a tide to catch which affected the safety of my crew (eg tide for getting into Gravelines or Calais) I wouldn't even a/c or slow down.". That's pretty much saying he wouldn't do anything unless it were convenient.

However, at some point while attending such an incident a yacht might decide that adequate direct help was either not viable, or only possible to a limited extent.

Absolutely - no argument.

Yes, but what does it have to say about putting oneself at risk? Personally, I'd take some risk to rescue people on distress, whether mariners or refugees but, with either, I'm going to do a risk assessment. I'm not going to risk being sunk myself in the first case or being thrown overboard in the second. I think the latter case is unlikely in the Channel, but in the Med? Not so sure.

And essentially, that's what this thread is (could be) about. What help would it be possible to render, while maintaining your own vessel's safety within acceptable bounds? (given that we might all judge those bounds differently).

Some options for an inflatable that is clearly in distress (ie grave and imminent danger to life)
1) As already discussed, alert CG etc. This should be Mayday or Mayday Relay.
2) Do you have a lifering? A danbuoy? This is what you have them for! Over they go, but you might want to detach any line connecting them to your boat
3) Anything else that would offer flotation - fenders, spare life jackets and buoyancy aids
4) Do you have a liferaft? I know, it's an expensive bit of kit, and I don't know if your insurance would cover it, but if people really are in imminent danger of drowning and professional help isn't close, you might save lives.
You should be able to manage the above without too much danger of being boarded and overwhelmed.

Any other options? I suppose depending on the situation on the inflatable, you could float down a first aid kit, or a few water bottles on a long line.

 

[penberth3]

Yes, but what does it have to say about putting oneself at risk? Personally, I'd take some risk to rescue people on distress, whether mariners or refugees but, with either, I'm going to do a risk assessment. I'm not going to risk being sunk myself in the first case or being thrown overboard in the second. I think the latter case is unlikely in the Channel, but in the Med? Not so sure.

A fair summary, and I'm sure SOLAS says the same - if anyone's inclined to read it all. No obligation to put yourself/vessel/crew at risk.

 

[Juan Twothree]

Well an earlier poster said: "...maybe toss some flotation devices, stay in touch with CG on 16, and IF my passage plan permitted, stand off until professional help arrived, ... I would only throw them something if there was zero chance of one of my crew needing it later, and if I had a tide to catch which affected the safety of my crew (eg tide for getting into Gravelines or Calais) I wouldn't even a/c or slow down.". That's pretty much saying he wouldn't do anything unless it were convenient.

Although that's far more compassionate than the even earlier poster who said that he would point his boat directly at the people in the water, open the throttle, then go below until it was all over.

 

[dom]

Although that's far more compassionate than the even earlier poster who said that he would point his boat directly at the people in the water, open the throttle, then go below until it was all over.

Did somebody seriously post that?

 

[Juan Twothree]

Did somebody seriously post that?

They did indeed, although that post, and a few comments following it, were removed later the same day. Whether by the poster or the mods, I don't know.

 

[James L]

Personally I would call it in over the VHF, and if I thought they were in any danger would standby to render assistance.
If their Dinghy was sinking I would launch my dinghy, let them board that and tow them to safety.
If that wasn't going to be enough and they were in the water I would pick them up, realistically they only want to get to land, they criminals running the operation are unlikely to be putting themselves in that much risk. It makes a lot more sense for them to allow you to bring them to shore than to try to sieze your boat etc.
Any hardened criminals etc will be arriving at heathrow rather than dover....

 

[Gary Fox]

the RYA view on this is.
A small yacht is unlikely to be able to provide meaningful assistance to a boat carrying a significant number of migrants and it is quite possible that both the yacht and her crew would be put at risk were an attempt made to provide assistance. Moreover, even a small number of strangers on board a yacht might be capable of overwhelming the skipper and crew should they be minded to do so. In such circumstances, in our view SOLAS Chapter V does not require the skipper of a small yacht to intervene.
If a yacht does take migrants on board, it may encounter difficulties with the authorities in the port of arrival when seeking to disembark those migrants.
The suggested course of action should a yacht encounter migrants while underway is therefore to exercise caution, stand clear and inform the relevant search and rescue service. The reasons for not providing assistance should be noted in the log book.
In addition, passage plans should take into account whether the intended route passes through or close to known migrant routes and incorporate contingency plans accordingly.

^^ This level-headed advice is worth repeating.

I don't need to mention middle-eastern political issues, or mis-quote other peoples' posts, to state that my first responsibility is to my crew.

Assuming we are talking about the Dover Strait: Stopping in the channel might put my crew and vessel at extra risk, as might flinging flotation devices overboard.
(Maybe extras should be carried to allow for meeting drowning people at sea?)

I repeat that I would not stop or alter course if the safety of my crew might be compromised, and that could easily be the case in the Strait.
Missing a tide might cause potential danger, it wouldn't merely be a matter of my convenience; the situation is different to giving someone first aid on land, and consequently missing your intended train..

The scenario which some people are imagining, of arriving on scene at exactly the instant when your actions might have life-or-death consequences, is very improbable indeed.


If I was in a position to give help, bearing in mind the above, I would; but it's not especially likely. The radio call is the main thing.

 

[stranded]

“I would be interested to hear from anyone how much of their own equipment, which might be needed on the same passage for their own crew, they would throw to strangers, thus putting their own crew at risk?”

Based on never in 20 years having had to deploy life saving kit in anger, the fact that in the scenarios envisaged I would only be a few hours from safety, in moderate conditions at worst, and would not find it too difficult to revise onboard procedures to minimise the risk to my crew still further, and because I tend to regard my passage “plans” as more guidelines anyway which are continually reviewed as the plan meets reality, I cannot think why one would hesitate for more than a seconds thought to throw whatever equipment was necessary to save someone from death. Hmmm, maybe I’d hesitate a few seconds longer if the casualty was a fellow yottie who I knew thought I should leave him to drown rather than take any action which would inconvenience me or my crew in any way, but I’d probably relent even in the face of the slight but extant risk that he might attack me or steal my boat or drink my best scotch without permission.

 

[jordanbasset]

Taking the politics completely out of it out of it, if you saw a British yacht sinking and survivors get in a dinghy would you stop and render assistance, or at least stand by and observe while you waited for a rescue to arrive, or would you just report it on VHF and carry on as you did not want to miss your tide?
If the yacht sank too fast for a dinghy to be launched, would you throw them floatation devices or would you keep them on your yacht in case one of your own crew members needed it later?

Bringing it back to migrants, I would report it and stand by until rescue arrived and if necessary throw floatation devices to help. In many years of yachting I have never had to use a rescue floatation device in anger, only in training. The risk of it being needed in the few hours until rescue arrived seems to me to be vanishingly small against the very real and immediate risk of the person in the water drowning

 

[Forum Admin Team]

Thread closed. Several contributions removed.

Veering from the original topic by bringing in the whys and wherefores of migrants and refugees, and replying to those comments, is outside the remit of the YBW forum.

Please refrain from introducing those topics on the forum.