Police charge Boat driver with Neg ,

[ssab1]

no fuel has very little to do with weather.if your on the water you always allow extra fuel in case weather sours(BASIC).never in my deep fishing days did anybody i fished with return to ramp less than 1/3 of fuel reserves(SAFETY ALLOWANCE).we`ve been caught in some pretty lousy weather when weather boys said good thats mother nature ,be prepared no 2nd chances.cheers

[Bosunsmate]

I tend to agree with Westie on this one, as a parent I am ever vigilant but how many times have we made an error in judgement, according to the channel 7 news tonight, the BOM had predicted strong winds for the timeframe this guy had planned to be out......I personally wonder what we are NOT being told....as we all know the media is a very exploitative and sensationalist source of information, chasing the almighty $$$.

IMHO you should ALWAYS respect Mother Nature (Hell Hath No Wrath Like A Woman Scorned) & her Sea Gods. After all they have the ability to destroy a nice flat sea with a quick puff of wind from their cheeks, besides since when have we as mere mortals had the ability to predict when they are going to get pissed off with us and turn our whole world upside down LITERALLY??

Just my 2 Bobs worth.

[ssab1]

dont expect,jail or large fine, most judges arent mugs unless he`s been done before,i personally think all this press he`s got is lesson enough.my final 2 bobs worth.. off me soap box. cheers

[Derek_Bullock]

unsafe operation of a ship, a maximum penalty of $37,500 or a year in jail

Now this doesnt sound like an error of judgement to me when those are the likely consequences.

The story makes him out to be a good bloke who does care about his kids but his actions certainly dont support that.

Full story below


Derek


COURIER MAIL

Rescued boat dad to face charges

Rosanne Barrett

05jan06

A MAN rescued with his two small sons from a swamped dinghy in Moreton Bay last week has been charged over the incident.

But Troy Winchester said yesterday he would never endanger the lives of his sons.

Mr Winchester has been charged with unsafe operation of a ship, an offence which has a maximum penalty of $37,500 or a year in jail.

Mr Winchester and his two sons - Ronin, 5, and Jesse, 2 - were rescued by the Water Police off Margate when 2m waves swamped his 4.5m tinnie early last Thursday morning.

The two boys were wet but unharmed and Mr Winchester said they had slept through the ordeal and had only been woken up by the noise of the rescue helicopter.

"I bloody love my kids," he said. "I would do anything for my kids. I'm very protective of my children."

Mr Winchester said he had been introducing the boys to the boatie's life.

"Just to get them (into boating) while they're young," he said.

"My father took me out on the boat when I was young. I'm a bit of a sea-dog, I don't want my kids to be a sea-dog if they don't want to, but I'll be there for them."

Mr Winchester said police charged him with negligence for running out of fuel and on the grounds the children had inappropriate life jackets and that conditions were too rough.

He said he had checked with the weather bureau before leaving Moreton Island, where he and the boys had been camping, for the mainland. The bureau had forecast winds of up to 15 knots in the morning, but when he was rescued, winds had reached 28 knots. He had run out of fuel attempting to push through the high waves.

Mr Winchester also said he had bought the lifejackets for the boys before Christmas and received incorrect advice from the store.

Mr Winchester said he planned to take the boys fishing on the Bay this weekend.

"I'm getting new life jackets, tight ones, and we're going out on the boat in Deception Bay," he said.

He is due to appear in Redcliffe Court on January 31.

[Navi]

well after tonight's news and being the father of 2 boys age 5 and 2 I think that this guy did not do to much wrong westie and Bosunsmate, have it right the guy is a trawler skipper and he had all the safety gear inc. epirb, I would not have taken my kids across the bay in that boat but I have taken them in water's closer to home..

cheers chris Aka Navi

[Steven78]

I was told the boat was only a 3.9m and only had a 9.5hp motor.
Just shows sometime you have to read the facts.
Personally I did see the forecast for last Thursday as I was going to go out and there was a wind warning out a few hours before so i stayed home.

Sometimes we take risk's this proves we should not.

I think this is a good news story as it could have been tragic.

[martini]

One thing to remember the skipper is in control of the boat and should ensure the safety of everyone on board. He or she is solely responsible.

When out on the water if it is to rough you turn back and if you cant turn back you go to where it is safe.
You should always be ready with Plan B.

You should also try to be self suficient and be ready for the unexpected and able to KEEP NOT GET yourself out of trouble.

You cant walk home!

Cheers Noel

[blaze]

how many people that are critical of this guy have themselfs been caught, I was and busted a 20 foot glass boat. what was I trying to do, get the people with me into the closest protected waters. Until the true story comes out I for one wont be crictcal of this guy. I have seen parents perform unbelievable tasks for the safety of their offspring and maybe this was one of those deeds (even though it may seem foolish in hindsight) hindsight, hindsight you know after the fact, he will probably do it different next time.
the most important thing is they are all safe
cheers
blaze

[thumps]

saw the news tonight

the kids appeared to be in pfd2's...not my idea of safe.

and he's taking them back out this weekend.....any ideas on the weather????

[Barrymundi]

Guilty by trial by media.

Being charged is one thing, guilty is another.

Al

[ssab1]

lets hope he doesnt plead "NOT GUILTY' ,trial by jury is bloody expensive,enough money wasted on foolishness or stupity,IF the facts are only 1/2 correct.(NO FUEL .OPEN BOAT+KIDS.DICKY WEATHER FORECAST.MORETON TO MAINLAND) FAIR GO MATE nothing responsible there .and yes I have been caught in 40knots weather incorrect forecast saw it coming couldnt out runit but had plenty of fuel BLOODY WET AND UNCOMFORTABLE .WITHOUT POWER I WOULDNT BE HERE..THAT night flares going off in the bay ,coastgaurd flat out CALLED PAN PAN from outside cape moreton , ; on my own till bulwer .pulled in close and cracked the rum and praised THE FUEL GODS. cheers

[Richo1]

I feel sorry for the bloke, at least he was trying to do something with his kids. So many parents these days sit at home or go out and let someone else worry about the kids, send them to day care, or just sit at home and drink beer while the kids walk the streets
He made a mistake and with any luck he will learn from it.
We come across clowns in boats everyday, but we have to remember we all started somewhere and we all have stories of how things didn't go to plan. The difference is maybe the police didn't rescue us and the media didn't get hold of it.

It was all blown out of proportion I reckon, as his boat was still afloat, they had lifejackets, it would have drifted ashore eventually if some else didn't stop to help him out.

Just hope for his sake his boys still want to go fishing with him in the future, it would crush me(if i had kids) if they refused to go fishing with me.

Regards

Richo

[fish2eat]

I agree with Westie that we have all broken the law at sometime, either inadvertantly or deliberately.....unfortunately it is only when things go WRONG and we crash or have to get rescued that the law steps in and lays the charges.

They have to lay charges to keep reminding the rest of us to have the correct safety gear on board. I suspect that he will just get a "slap on the wrist" fine from the magistrate as a fisrt time offence.

Incidentally, the gear that you are required to have in partially smooth water is a minimum.....anyone serious about safety on a bad weather day would go to a higher level than just the legal minimum.

[MADKEEN]

We have to remenber that it is important to spend good times with our young one as i have a 4 and 7 year old daughters that love boating and have been boating for 2-3 years now. But the first thing i did was buy two pfd1 with a cruch strap for each of them which at this age their wear all the time when on board. Our childern rely on thier parents for thier safety and wellbeing, so take the chases with your own life not your kids is what i say.
I have been boating in the bay for over thirty years and it is a unforgiving place for those who don't repect it. And in my opionon there is plenty of places along the coast to fish and camp with out risking such a body of water with such young ones on a boat and with only one adult on board.

my two cents worth

[PinHead]

Richo..you actually feel sorry for the bloke..with how he endangered those boys lives...they would be much safer away from him and sitting in front of a computer. He ran out of fuel...in Moreton Bay...that is endangerment in my books. How can anyone run out of fuel...sheer stupidity is the only answer and with 2 young boys on board...downright dangerous....and..no..I have never run out of fuel in a boat or a car.