Girl, 15, died of 'abdominal injury' in Solent boat crash

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Bugger.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-53...

Really focus the mind on the risks, as well as the importance of keeping a good look out at high speeds.


Daniel

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I expect most are reasonable careful, atleast to start, but with all of these things (both amatur boat owner, and as professional) you soon become bored and or complacent. Sloppiness, external pressures, and unnecessary risk creep in, human nature.

As said, while I think it is worth sharing to highlight the risks, the MAIB report is where the real information will come.


Daniel

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Does it matter where the photo came from? Clearly about half the passengers would be able to see the driver face.

Moving on?

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Sadly, I can absolutely see that happening.

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essayer said:

Were the seats fitted with restraints?

Really very raire for these boats to have seat belts and or restraints. Typically you 'ride' the jockey seats, feet on the floor, arse off the seat, soaking the bumps up with your knees.

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Jaguar steve said:

Stick Legs said:

This is a commercial outfit. I refuse to use the term professional. They are operating a business that uses a major shipping channel to provide thrills to members of the public. It's like offering high speed pillion rides around the M25.....

As a Ship's Master, and former Marine Pilot I have seen too many near misses between highspeed privately owned craft and other boats, shipping or structures and this is the sad consequence that the skipper of this boat just ran out of luck.

I agree 100%.

Except the skipper didn't just run out of luck though - there's a voluntary code of practice in place for high speed craft operators to follow as well as the legal requirement under the ColRegs to maintain an adequate look out at all times.

He ignored both.

I think this is it.

Personally I am largely against mandatory licensing for private craft over 40hp, which is they system Europe has, simply because as I understand it, the regulations do no improve the safety or number of incidents/injury/death, although I remain open to evidence to the contrary and can understand that to many it appears a bit mad you need a driving licence for even a little run about car (all be it, basically and modern car can do a ton easy, as well as weight a ton. E=MV^2 anyone?) but can take out a 255 hp racing boat with no qualifications, but the facts suggest that basically people don't, and a a lot of the incidents are of a type a nature and on a craft which wouldn't be covered anyway.

However it does stagger me that you can have a commercial operation, routinely taking paying customers, to dance around in the wake of a commercial ferry! Going at that speed, next to something that large, with the visibility reduction that has, is asking for trouble to the point wherein a way at least it would only a bouy they hit, not another boat load of people. Equally, something that might be acceptable risk as a one off, if you do it every day, not only increases to occurance of the risk, but also increases it incidentally, as human nature means that complacency will creep in even with the most diligent of helm/crew, and the commercial aspect of want to please, wanting to give value for money, wanting to get that google review or facebook video to go viral.


Daniel

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MOTORVATOR said:

What on earth are you all on about?

The skipper was both qualified and insured as made mandatory by the Small Commercial Vessels COP as far as I can see.

Parallels where drawn with arrangements in France, where one of the major differences is that even the helm of a leisure craft needs to hold a certificate of compliance. This I object not directly relevant here, but us directly related.

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dangerousB said:

... comes with its own degree of risk and I'd want my passengers to be very well briefed on what those risks were before they agreed to getting involved.

And that is a huge part of the picture.

I compete in autotesting events, threshing a car around a carpark full of cones/markers/curbs against the clock. However I sign a declaration beforehand, the the place is also littered with 'motor sport is dangerous ' signs and everyone has a briefing.

When we do demonstration days at the NEC, taking passengers, (non-paying) members of the public out. Then they also get disclaimers and declarations, but we also dial the risks right back. It's not a race, it's not against the clock, the distance to the cones goes up five fold, the speed comes down to maybe 60%, and what we give is an experience of what what a race is like, a warm sighting lap, not a hot lap in a live race. However the risk is still there.

I am sure that is what this was, certainly should have been, and mistakes can still happen. But I am also sure that their WILL have been a disclaimer and some explanation of the risk.

The MAIB job will I expect include, as well as a fine tooth comb over the actions and risks taken by both the helm and operating company, but also the system implace for the briefings and disclosures in place.

These sort of 'live' experiences will always carry more risk than say a theme park ride. And even those can, and have, gone horribly wrong on occasion.

Crossing the road or passengering in a car in the public highway is dangerous af as well, so it's also about perspective!


Daniel

Daniel