how not to pass a ferry

[rtbates]

I have no idea what this helmsman was thinking, but it didn't workout http://www.compfused.com/directlink/1232/

[Neil Gordon]

I have no idea what this helmsman was thinking, but ...

I think I'll put my copy of the Navigation Rules on the bedside table. (Aside from the rules about who gets to go first, there's also a rule about having a dedicated lookout. I'll reread those first.)

[Will Wheatley]

I'm not possitive but the pessimist in me thinks I knows what he was thinking.

He was thinking how much money he was going to make from advertisers on his sure to be visited millions of times web-site.

He also was probably thinking about tht old rule of sailboats have the right of way. He figured this must be iron clad so he should be able to fenegle a new boat out of the insurance co.

So new boat and cash generator, Not a bad accident really.

Maybe I've lived in Washington DC too long and I see alterior motives behind everything but when nothing makes sense you have to figure what does.

Happy Sailoring ~~~~/)~~~~

[Steve Laume]

A few observations: He was operating as a power boat and steered into a larger vessel with limited maneuvering ability. He did have a bow watch. It seemed like a dog watch. Anybody that was going to deliberately crash his boat would not have taken his dog along. It could have been his buddies dog or his wifes dog and in that case this guy is scum. I'm thinking this is an old rotten wooden boat that still looks good but has major problems. That would add to the deliberate motive. My take is more that it was an unfortunate accident. Remember the dog. Maybe he misjudged the speed of the ferry (badly) and thought he could cut across and get tied up before happy hour ended. It could be the guy standing on the aft deck said to the helmsman " a bit more to starboard, no right, no the other right!". We have been there under similar conditions of lesser consequence. ("Okay now I am going to go forward and rig a preventer. Whatever you do, do not jibe the boat. You can steer as far off to the right as you want just don't turn left." Half way up to the mast, BANG!) The last scenario would be the wife is at the helm, she has just found out what kind of a low life b@$&d this guy really is and she has had it with him, and his boat, the dog too for that matter. YOU CARE MORE ABOUT THIS DAMMED BOAT THAN YOU DO ABOUT ME! CRUNCH!!!!
Whatever happened is was not a good day on the water, Steve.

[Sea Hunt]

Interesting video.

It reminded me of a saying someone told me a couple of years ago concerning navigation rules and who has the right of way and who must give way. I was taking beginner sailing lessons and I knew then that I wanted to start out with a small sailboat and gradually trade up to a bigger one.

Understanding my desire for a small sailboat, this person told that about "the supreme law of the sea". Regardless of what other rule(s) may say, "the law of gross tonnage" always applies. He who has the biggest boat has the right of way. In the video, regardless of what navigation rule(s) should apply, it seems clear that "the supreme law of the sea" was in effect.

[Neil Gordon]

He who has the biggest boat has the right of way.

Tonnage is something to stay aware of, for sure. In this case, it looks like the sailboat is wrong either way. I'm trying hard to construct a scenario where a turn to port would comply with the nav rules but haven't come up with one yet.

Maybe he was on autopilot and pushed the tack button thinking it would take him out of harm's way.

[Domenic]

That is a horrible ,sad , and frightening way to go. Looks like the person on the Bow must got knoched off and drowned. To me, it looks like the only person on the boat who could handel the boat got sick and became incapacitated. His passengers / guests did knot know what to do. My dad had a Heart Attack on our boat when I was about 15 yrs old. But, I was able to get the boat back to the marina. I made sure my two daughters know how start the engine , and I make them practice taking the boat in and out of the slip.

[mike feeney]

There seems to be current sweeping into the camerperson. Is it possible that the "ferry boat" is actually a bridge?

[Len]

You want current, a bridge and a boat interacting?The same site as above shows a boat pass under a bridge by sinking and emerging on the other side ,resurfacing and powering off !!http://www.compfused.com/directlink/698/

[Steve Laume]

I once witnessed a mishap that involved strong current and a bridge abutment. While not nearly as tragic as these videos it was rather amusing non the less. This was back in the late 60s or very early 70s when we were doing a lot of diving in Delaware. One of the places we used to dive was Indian River Inlet,which runs a current in excess of 5 knots. The trick was to catch it at slack tide and then dive the incoming tide for slightly better visibility. On an outgoing tide with a bit of a swell there would always be big standing waves so the Coast Guard would often station a 40 footer in the inlet just in case some poor boater swamped and go spit back out into the Atlantic. Well the tide had been running in pretty good by the time we finished our dive but the CG boat was still on station. I might add that on both sides of the stone jetties are some of the most beautiful sand beaches anywhere on the East Coast. These beaches are well adorn with equally beautiful people in the summer time. Now I am not saying this had any bearing on the situation but somehow the CG boys lost track of just where they were and wound up pinning that 44 footer hard on the bridge abutment. You could see it coming but they must have had their eyes on something else. They were stuck there for a while but managed to get off on their on account. I am pretty sure they had to explain some damage to the rub rail but it seemed like no real harm was done. Still it was a pretty embarrassing incident for professional crew in front of a very large crowd. Moral of the story, keep an eye on where you are going even if you are drifting sideways, Steve.

[Rollergirl]

http://www.woodenboat-ubb.com/ubb/ultim ... 6;t=005563

contained within:
http://www.sailinganarchy.com/forums/in ... 6&hl=ferry

Anyone can panic. I felt for them, and hope for luck in the future.

Bill

[Neil Gordon]

Anyone can panic.

Panic is best avoided by knowing the rules/methods/procedures and then practicing them.

(This is mostly a note to me, especially to have more crew overboard, etc. drills.)

[John D.]

My grandfather had cataracts, and could only see about 20 feet, and even that was fuzzy. One day, he was riding in the passenger seat, with my grandmother driving, when he noticed a truck coming at them head on, and said "DON'T YOU SEE THAT TRUCK?!" To that, my grandmother calmly replied: "I'm on my side of the street."