Safe Boating

[FisherMatt]

I didnt want to bury this in a related thread as i think its an important issue.

Recent incidents involving collisions of vessels over here in WA seems to have got the rec fishing / boating community all fired up, myslef included!!

I got to thinking, that, in particular, breamin' attracts plenty of new boaters, and that some of these newbies may not be aware of there obligations while operating a vessel.

Please note, i am not "taking sides" or anything similar in regards to the recent accident, simply making ppl aware that, even if u dont hold a skippers ticket, u are just as responsible if you operate a vessel.

I am simply posting this in the intrests of safer boating, if u think ive mad a bad call here, so be it.


The international regulations for the prevention of collisions at sea

These are legal binding responsibilities that you have as the operator of your vessel.


http://www.oz.net/~papillon/kbmanual/colregs.html

If u can sort through the legal jargon, theres quality info there guys.

Please, in the intrests of avoiding another terrible accident like the recent one, check it out, as it could well have been two rec vessels that collided.

Thanks

[Mitch]

I'll back that one, well worth a read for not only the newbies but the general small boating community. Even though you're in a small 'bream' boat, you are still the master of that vessel and as Matt mentioned, are responsible for the actions you undertake in the boat.

One example I'll bring up which will surely occur in the coming winter is navigating around areas like Barrack Square. It may be easy maneuvering a 4m boat in and around and thinking you pose no concern to anyone else but it's not the case. When you're the skipper of one of the larger ferries and you have a small boat right in where you have to come alongside, there is little to no room for error. You could in fact be classed as a danger to their operations. I've had concerns voiced to me by some of the ferry operators/skippers due to bream boats being in the confined spaces of the jetties, so make sure you're respectful and more importantly ALWAYS keep an eye out.

That covers the ferries issue. Might has right!. Bigger vessels have a lot more dificulty avoiding smaller ones due to size, mass, momentum, wind effect, visibility etc.

So - theres a rule that says small vessels must give way to larger ones who can't maneouver as easily.

I guess if you look at it logically the Barrack St Jettys are built to service the ferry industry and it's passengers. The fact bream live around it's pylons might be a bonus for bream anglers - but at the end of the day - I guess ferry operators might tolerate them as long as they keep well away from the place while ferrys are docking or departing.

In a collision situation - apportionment of blame can be influenced by the rules, including the might has right rule...so if for example damage is incurred, you might only get 50% or less of the damage to your vessel by your insurer for being "in the wrong" to that percentage under the dept of marine transport investigatiuon.

In a serious injury or death situation the rules will be the same but the goalposts may move somewhat and it may not be marine rules of the road that decided your fate but common law - like manslaughter, involuntary homicide or muder in the second degree etc etc.. all considerations for the boat operator.

Are the bream under the Ferry jettys worth the potential risk to angler and boat operator alike? Would it be smarter(safer) to fish elsewhwere?.

Maybe there is more merit to the compulsory testing / license for boat operators than many presently realise?.

Cheers!

[themaster]

G'day
Good idea to bring this topic up as the recent accident should be an eye opener for boat users so we can prevent it from happening again..! i remember when i did my TL3 i had used boats in the river frequently and i still didnt know alot of the laws and legislation side of things!! it actually helped alot!!


cheers