Boating & safety offshore.

[Burley_Boy]

There is a post in Boating chat from Mat2020 chasing a cheap offshore vessel. This got me thinking to what we regard as a safe or reasonable offshore vessel. Is it the vessel itself, the skipper or the safety procedures that count?

I go out in a 20yr old 16" fibreglass cuddy which some would regard as foolish, while I see others in tinnies, are we fools?.
I rather consider everything I do a calculated risk so yes I could get into serious trouble but I do all I can to minimise the risks while enjoying life.
Some reccomend 18"+ boats as whats required yet rob dons a raincoat in a tinny and aims for NZ... ok so its a really good tinny but anyway ;)

I've been on a large ship that now resides on the bottom of the Baltic with 900dead and not long ago we lost a serious offshore vessel within swimming distance of the GC Seaway.
Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be on a bigger craft any day, but do we as skippers get a false sense of security in a bigger craft and end up at the limit anyway?

[basserman]

i would say the biggest thing on a boat for safty would have to be all the asfty gear and everyone on board knowing how to use it if and when the time might arise and apart from that the skipper has alot to do with it just as a good driver on the roads

main reson for alot of boating incedents would have to be a laps of conctration from the skipper
as for me i think 16foot and bigger is what you need for going out wide
i only have a 17footer and yet get out as wide as the big cruisers do doing the same things thay do too ;D

[mackmauler]

BB, some thought provoking stuff there, the age old does size really matter question.

you can look at it this way, when the big ship goes down and the crew start treading water anything will do, im sure nobody would pass up a 3rd hand fishinmishin brocolli box, personally signed by his mumma of course as there new ride.

in your case BB with a sound hull and reasonable weather your biggest threat will be splitting the hull open when you crash into a humpback or shipping container, how well does that thing float? how long will it take you to find that brocolli box or life jacket and epirb, ultimate flotation on my tub far exceeds just about anything else so im not to concerned.

we are lucky the waters quiet warm around here, if we copped tassies for a couple of yrs it would bring new meaning to natural selection.

[Burley_Boy]

I certainly know you've got floatation rob but its interesting to see what people venture out in. I'd consider your craft with all things considered definitely safer than mine but then again you'rs is always weighed down with fish. ;D

We've got nice warm water and its very busy down my neck of the woods with plenty of radio & mobile coverage but I have considered one of those inflatable vests as well as keeping the mobile in a waterproof cover. What you mentioned is certainly an issue to keep in mind particularly when I go solo.
Anybody come accross a shipping container?

By the way I carry a broccoli box onboard too 8)

(one of these days lets organise a M&G evening at his restaurant) :) But thats another topic.

[longtail]

about 15 years ago when i was a cadet with the then asr viccy point i remember hearing about a bloke outside who had hit a shipping container , well his boat went down and the stradbroke boys rescued him . that is the only time i have ever heard of this happening but near misses with whales are a common occurrence offshore , i personaly have had a whale breach right in front of me while doing 25 knots , pretty scary when that happens.
cheers
jas

[Fishinmishin]

Rob, don't knock the broccoli boxes. You seem to forget it saved your life that day you snuck my mamma [smiley=love.gif] out for a fish and she sunk you unsinkable rig :-[. You thought I wouldn't realise until I had to come out and save you :-/ even though you tried to convince me to leave you both to float romantically around. Lest we forget ;D.

[Volvo]

LMAO!!!, ide have ta say that would win the "Reply of the year award"..Stillpissinmeself luffin..

[dynamicspot]

doesent stop here heh

greg

[jimbo59]

Most people die on the roads when they lose control and hit the gutter which rolls the car and they die.I reckon alot of fish'os commin back into a bar with a smallish wave think its a piece of piddle.Fact is it can be alot easier to lose it in the smaller stuff.Look at sat in south passage only 1 metre but a trap for the unwary.

[adriancorrea]

And then you can just roll it in the bay aswell lol
Pissing myself @ fishinmishin
Well done Jay

Tight Lines
Adrian

[Burley_Boy]

Now if you stack it in a broccoli box I reckon you should be well protected by the padding it affords. But with your mama on board maybe you should consider outriggers.. :-/

[propdinger]

geez robs fish must of been heavy to keep the brocolli box in a semi level state with your muma on the other side ....lol

i would say local knowledge is a good thing and safety equipment just incase you get into striff and of course keep an eye on the weather at all times