What sould be done about cases like these?

jimi

jimi

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Coastguards condemned a sailor today who was found miles out of position after being texted by rescuers.
The 27ft open-decked boat Boy John sparked a major search when coastguards lost contact with its sole occupant somewhere in the North Sea yesterday.
He had set off poorly-equipped yesterday morning, according to Coastguards, from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, bound for Scrabster in Caithness more than 100 miles away.
A member of the public rang in to warn both radios on board were not working and the owner, who lives in Thurso, only had a mobile phone to communicate.
Aberdeen Coastguard said the vessel was previously known to them, and had no relevant charts, no flares and an anchor that was unattached to the boat.
Rescuers managed to contact the owner during the early part of the journey, but said he seemed “very confused” about his position.
Contact was then lost, sparking a major rescue effort involving four lifeboats, a helicopter and a total of eight rescue teams.
At one point coastguards sent the owner a text on his mobile phone asking him to dial 999.
He got in touch which allowed his rough position to be worked out.
The boat was eventually found early on Monday morning in Pentland Firth.
Aberdeen Coastguard said the occupant actually thought he was around 75 miles to the south west in the Dornoch Firth.
He has since been escorted into Orkney.
Matthew Mace, watch manager at Aberdeen Coastguard, said: “We are very relieved to have finally found the vessel in poor weather after what has been a difficult and protracted search for us given the intermittent nature of our contact with the vessel and the owner.
“We are very concerned that such a vessel, which could be better described as a pleasure vessel than a fishing vessel, has such poor quality equipment on board and which clearly has not been maintained.
“The owner also did not have a clue about where he was. This greatly concerns us that besides putting himself at risk, he could have been a hazard to other shipping and of course has put pressure on the marine rescue services in all its forms in order to maintain his safety cover.”
Mr Mace asked the owner to “reconsider” his seafaring activities, or “at least maintain his vessel and its life saving equipment and radio equipment to a standard expected by all responsible seafarers, and take suitable training in order to properly read a chart
 
Nothing.
In setting out unprepared at this time of year he is putting himself at risk. The danger he presents to other shipping, unless they are as dippy as he is, is minimal or nonexistent.

The greatest danger is imposed on the rescue services who choose to "maintain his safety cover". They can hardly charge him for their time, because if they had asked him beforehand, it sounds like he would have declined their services.

He is, of course, heading for a Darwin award and, distressing as that would be for his friends and family I don't believe the state has a duty to save him from his own stupidity, unless he is actually ill, and would thank them for it after suitable treatment.
 
[ QUOTE ]
and of course has put pressure on the marine rescue services in all its forms in order to maintain his safety cover

[/ QUOTE ]
another OTT coastguard rescue if you ask me..

Ok, the guy is obviously one sarnie short of a picnic .. but was his life in imminent danger? Did he need rescuing? He was "escorted" into harbour - which indicates that he was in control of the vessel and the vessel was not disabled in anyway ... the only thing I can see that was wrong was that the guy was 75miles out in where he thought he was ...

IMO this is the thin end of the wedge and if we allow this sort of thing to continue we'll find there will be draconian laws placed on the equipment we all must carry ... one less freedom!
 
Hmmm .. Pentland Firth in November in small boat when he thinks he's 75miles south, suspect imminent danger has arrived!
 
[ QUOTE ]
The 27ft open-decked boat Boy John sparked a major search when coastguards lost contact with its sole occupant somewhere in the North Sea yesterday.

[/ QUOTE ]Were the coastguards tracking him because they knew him, or do they track everybody? Is it a bit quite at the Aberdeen CG station at this time of year?
 
The report I read (The Herald, I think) said he was about 30m off the rocks, his engine had failed and the RNLI crew boarded him at the last minute. It quoted the CGas saying he was moments away from death.

What should be done? Difficult, but I think they should take his boat to Shetland and use it for the next Up Helly Aa celebration.
The coastguard can advise him, like he'd listen, but obviously they cannot enforce anything. I suppose once he registered himself somewhere as a fisherman, then they can enforce standards on him and the boat, if he survives long enough.
We can only hope that he catches a submarine in his net.

Alistair
 
[ QUOTE ]
The report I read (The Herald, I think) said he was about 30m off the rocks, his engine had failed and the RNLI crew boarded him at the last minute. It quoted the CGas saying he was moments away from death.

[/ QUOTE ]
OK - I'd accept it in that case as life was in immediate danger... but that's not what was written in the report Jimi quoted...
 
more detail here

http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news..._criticism.html

LUCKLESS fisherman Stanley Ross, who triggered a massive air and sea search after he got lost in the Pentland Firth at the weekend, says he is determined to weather the storm of criticism generated by the incident.

Skipper Ross's rescue, as his creel boat Boy John was in danger of being swept onto rocks on the uninhabited island of Swona, hit the headlines in yesterday's daily newspapers which branded him a "clueless" and "confused" sailor and claimed he had been "ill-equipped" and "reckless".

Mr Ross (36) maintained that the critics had been "a bit hard on me" and vowed to pursue his seafaring career – a decision which he stressed has the full support of his partner, Jenna Simpson (22), who is expecting their child in February.

The drama began early on Sunday morning after Mr Ross ran into a gale while on his way north from Peterhead. The Boy John, which was not equipped with navigational or radio communication aids, had been bound for Wick but, as the weather worsened, the skipper decided to turn south for Golspie.

However, the 31ft boat developed engine trouble and, in the darkness, ended up being swept north into the Pentland Firth.

Initially its exact position wasn't known, but he managed to get a message to his concerned partner at their home in Thorfinn Place, Thurso, via his mobile phone. Coastguards used it to obtain an approximate fix on the vessel by getting the fisherman to dial 999 – before the failing phone battery gave out.

As the Boy John drifted perilously near to the Swona rocks less than 30 yards offshore, and after he had been spotted by an air-sea rescue helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth, the Longhope lifeboat got a line on board in the early hours of Monday morning and took the vessel in tow for Longhope.

Back home in Thurso yesterday, Mr Ross paid tribute to the lifeboat coxswain Kevin Kirkpatrick and his crew and acknowledged that had they not arrived "in the nick of time" neither he nor his boat would have survived. He said the response by the emergency services had been "absolutely fantastic".

However, Aberdeen coastguards, who co-ordinated the search, were not so enthusiastic about the muddled mariner.

They said Mr Ross had reported that he was in the Dornoch Firth when in fact he was 75 miles off course in the treacherous waters of the Pentland Firth.

Coastguard Steve Quinn said: "He had no life-saving equipment on board that we are aware of, no radio equipment that was working, and no way of fixing his position once he was at sea. There was an anchor on board which was unattached. He was incredibly reckless."

Watch manager Matthew Mace described the Boy John "more of a pleasure vessel than a fishing boat" and echoed the concern about the lack of equipment on board.

Mr Mace added: "The skipper didn't have a clue where he was. It greatly concerns us that, besides putting himself at risk, he could have been a hazard to other shipping and, of course, put pressure on the marine rescue services."

Mr Mace suggested that Mr Ross should ensure that his vessel is properly equipped or think again about continuing his career at sea.

Mr Ross originally decided that the sea was the life for him after being paid off from the Thurso battery factory recently.

The skipper confirmed he will be returning to the sea once repairs to his boat – still at Longhope – have been carried out. He said the vessel had VHS radio when he set out but it had broken down earlier in the day. He went on: "I had two flares which I fired but they didn't attract any attention. I have a navigational aid but hadn't got round to installing it."

Mr Ross, who had a lifebelt but no lifejacket on board, accepted that he would have to tighten up on the equipment and safety aspects but stressed that he wasn't inexperienced, having worked as a crewman on his uncle's seine-netter prior to taking up a job at the battery factory.
 
There was another story about these parts this week that really highlighted the p***-poor quality of modern journalism. This should always be born in mind.
 
Brilliant write up ... bears No resemblance to the CG report.. and the reporter said:

[ QUOTE ]
He said the vessel had VHS radio when he set out but it had broken down earlier in the day.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never managed to find a combined video/radio unit, they usually come with TVs ... anyway he should replace it with a DVD/TV to make sure he's right up to date ...

Anyway - what was wrong with Betamax?! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I agree. There is no reason to suppose the report is too accurate. As far as I can see this guy did not ask for help probably accepted the risk he was taking and the fact that his plan was variable.

Who should set limits and based on what? I am sure the average member of the public would be shocked if they read a sensationalist article about many of our boats, trips and adventures.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I agree. There is no reason to suppose the report is too accurate. As far as I can see this guy did not ask for help probably accepted the risk he was taking and the fact that his plan was variable.

Who should set limits and based on what? I am sure the average member of the public would be shocked if they read a sensationalist article about many of our boats, trips and adventures.

[/ QUOTE ]


Oviously an extremely flexible plan .. quote from MCA report "The owner also did not have a clue about where he was."
 
[ QUOTE ]
...and vowed to pursue his seafaring career – a decision which he stressed has the full support of his partner, Jenna Simpson (22), who is expecting their child in February.


[/ QUOTE ] I wouldn't be surprised if Jenna isn't insisting he puts out to sea as soon as possible, perhaps with instructions to fish the Grand Banks. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
"Back home in Thurso yesterday, Mr Ross paid tribute to the lifeboat coxswain Kevin Kirkpatrick and his crew and acknowledged that had they not arrived "in the nick of time" neither he nor his boat would have survived. He said the response by the emergency services had been "absolutely fantastic"".

sounds like he definitely needed rescuing, so neither the press report, nor the CG report, seem OTT to me.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I agree. There is no reason to suppose the report is too accurate. As far as I can see this guy did not ask for help probably accepted the risk he was taking and the fact that his plan was variable.

[/ QUOTE ]

As far as I can see, there is no reason to suppose the reports are inaccurate.
Also, it seems that the call to his girlfriend WAS a call for help. The next one, 999, most certainly was.
Accepting a degree of risk is one thing, bobbing about in the Pentland Firth, thnking you're at Dornoch, 30 yards from being dashed to pieces, is another altogether.
I think.
 
"What should be done"

Well nothing I would say

The RNLI did their stuff - as they always do and no-one was hurt.

OK the chap would benefit from a bit of training but why make such a fuss about the incident.

It isn't that long ago that most yachts would have had a similar level of equipment, but now it seems that if we don't have 10 grands worth of electrickery we aren't safe.

You may say that he's a loony but why not, personally I like loonies, loonies make life fun. If everyone was sensible and never got into bother or explored the limits or took risks or simply just went and f***ing did it, the world would be an even more miserable place than it is. OK so the CG was put to some little trouble but what else would they be doing in early November? Isn't that the job they are paid to do?

So I say bravo and well done - only 30 miles out - thats nowt - Columbus has been famous for 500 years and he though Cuba was in China.
 
IMHO nothing.

The question should really be "what should be done about the rescue services rescuing people who dont want to be rescued?" A scenario that seems to be increasing in this age of Health and Safety addiction.

The classic case was a woman in west Wales who had been cut off by the tide. She was perfectly safe, not at risk, and knew she only had to wait until the tide went down again. The "Rescue Services" stood by for six hours pestering her to let them rescue her.

She refused, the tide dropped, and she finished her walk.

Dont get me wrong - i have every admiration for the RNLI etc. I just get bugged when I hear of 'forced' rescues like this one.

I also get bugged by people who 'use' the rescue services as a Marine 'get you home service' and expect them to turn out at the drop of a hat.
 
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