Originally Posted by ranga7
Nah mate only one the surface IMO this a quazi government boat and it looks like the wrong hull even, for this kind of work but a good one to do a quick chicken out turn around in, assuming the skipper holds the real world competence in such things is stretching the official accreditation boundary quite far, all one needs is paperwork today and bingo ticky boxes filled up and good to go, in the past i have been fairly frightened in government boats but too low in the pecking order to do anything about it...serious catch 22 if one has spent a little time in small boats over their history.
Small boats, with government and government like employees are a dangerous mix.
FNQCairns,
Yeah, I know where your coming from and some uni supervisors are only academics. I've seen some people at uni get behind a helm and think they know it all only to find out through school of hard knocks that they dont and they come undone.
Vessel design does have a bearing. That's my two bob
7 on board, would have to be max load?
Was the vessel in survey? I'd guess she would have had to have been....
Personally I reckon she looks like a great hull.........wonder what will happen to her now...were the motors ripped off during the incident or stripped after salvage? Damn shame, but eh everyone is ok that's the main thing.
Vessel design has absolutely no bearing on this occurrence.
It was not an accident as accidents are generally not avoidable.
This 'happening' was totally avoidable.
As for boat design the skipper should have known the limitations of the boat in question and known not to 'test' it's capabilities in such extreme conditions.
As for the hull it should have been a very sea-worthy boat. It's a Fisher and many people dream of owning one.
By the sounds NO boat should have been out.
When it all boils down the skipper had no business been there doing what he was doing in the conditions that were prevailing risking the lives of all on-board.
He's just lucky no-one was hurt.
What course would the Uni be conducting where students have to be taught the kind of stuff like crossing bars in extreme conditions??
If they do need to learn these skills then it would probably be more beneficial to get someone like Bill Corten to be the instructor.
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
I think they have an environmental sciences course which has a fair bit of marine science units. They could even have a marine science degree. I have a mate that did something like that and know of others that have gone on to work at fisheries and that trout hatchery down at Jindabyne after studying at SCU.
I have seen this boat on & off the trailer many times,
was a beautiful machine with a great hull !!!!!
I think that it's ultimate downfall was the idiot behind the wheel, why go & play on a bar that no-one else is game to tackle, even the pros.
All due respect to Bill Corten,
but if he rushed in on Ballina bar without due local knowledge, he could well be in the news too.....
The locals all know how careful we have to be with her,
it's usually the visitors or the know-it-alls that come unstuck.
I have been told that this boat could be hired by anyone with a coxwains ticket.
just my humble opinion,
Muzz
Finga,
I have not seen the boat in question, I was speaking in general terms and not in specific terms.
Deepfried, yeah your correct on that one.
onerabbit, I agree with you about the local knowledge and crossings.
Peter
Yeah some people gain their accreditation on 35 foot boats...although legal they have no place driving a 6m boat in anything but quite fine conditions...the skills needed are actually much finer than this when other soles are on board.
Seen some most incompetent/inexperienced skippers quite well qualified, anyway who know what this individual was capable of we only now know what he was not capable of under accredited regulation....we will never see that statistic though
Far better option if ever attempting a bar commercially is a small boat hull that will drain over the transom and has proper buoyant stability when swamped. IMO as a government boat this boat even if in the 6m area makes only a good government/quazi whatever estuary/bay boat.
It was actually lent or leased??? to the Tafe by the Uni. When it went over it was the Tafe guy training people for their Coxswains Cert!!!! The Uni were not involved other than leasing the boat.
FNQ
The boat itself is a 5.8m Fisher (old school one) with twin 115 4 strokes. It was a very nice boat that would handle that bar on a reasonable day. It was NOT a reasonable day.
Cheers Jason
it was interesting to hear on the news yesterday that the TAFE had cleared the driver has he followed due procedure and guidelines. i guess he has teh relevant qualifications, except for the common sense one. are they for real. how could they clear him. its simple really. it was dangerous conditions and he shouldnt have attempted it.
The TAFE said they will now wait for the workcover and maritine report before proceding any further. i hope those departments have enough common sense to throw the book at him.
What day of the week is it?
Guidelines eh.
I wonder if somewhere in the guidelines it says....if it's too rough or unsavoury then go and read another book about fatalities on bars.
Probably not.
Bondy....boat design has very little or no bearing on any occurrence.
On that bar on a good day we take dad's 13' out.
There is no reason to think his boat will not handle the conditions as it's like a sheet of glass.
On a bad day the jet rescue boat or the trawlers won't go out. Why?? They're not stupid.
What's the difference?? The skippers knowledge to determine the suitability of the hull for the prevailing conditions AND the possible conditions of the bar until after they have returned to port.
I wonder what the skipper was saying when she went over??
Now kiddies...this is what you don't do....hang-on and swim like hell
And I agree with you about local knowledge Onerabbit.
I have been down and watched the Evans Classic when the bar is a bit howdy doody and it's only the visitors who attempt it and come unstuck.
The Evans bar is now where as long and wide as Ballina but by golly it can give you a scare really, really quickly if you don't know what to watch out for ie big swells coming from around the point and number in the sets and where the sandbank is this week
I intend on living for-ever....so far so good
heard a web fisher boat sunk again today on the bar
Yeh i am looking at it now its upside down off Shelly Beach at the moment. Looks like they have thrown an anchor on it to stop it drifting around. Not sure if went over on the bar or not though. I was meant to go out with a local pro today and he pulled the pin because of conditions.
Everyone OK?
The boat in question was skippered by a friend and clubmate who in my opinion was very experienced with the ballina bar and knew the bar and his boats capabilities well. All on board are okay. Steve.
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