Prudent Speed in Low Visibility

[kloudie1]

So this guy was going a prudent speed in the fog.. and keeping a good lookout, just as the COLREGS state.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3686256-boat-traveling-40-50-mph-crashes-florida-restaurant
Maybe they were just hungry? Maybe he didn't have enough horsepower to be safe out there?

 

[woodster]

looks like they had enough HP to head off the fish if they tried to escape...simply amazing....

 

[SailorTom]

Just another case of too much HP for the IQ.

 

[uncledom]

Hmmm Another High performance vessel with a low performance helmsman.

 

[bawlmer]

Wonder if the Breathylized the captain. Curious to see the results.

 

[Maine Sail]

Would love to see an ignoramus like this do some jail time. Too bad that won't happen...

 

[Windborne]

What I don't get is why there has been no followup in the media. Sure I know the FWC is investigating but nothing in the media about who was driving, his credentials, his explanation. I did see where he (whoever he was) was cited for operating a vessel recklessly.

 

[njlarry]

Hmmm Another High performance vessel with a low performance helmsman.

Maybe he didn't see any no wake signs because he couldn't find the ON switch for his fancy radar or GPS while 1200 hp drowned out any sound of shore.
Lucky no kyaks were out in the shallow water.
Fools like this often kill innocent people. Hope the restaurant confiscates the boat.

 

[Tom]

prudent speed my a$$

t

 

[All U Get]

Google Ruskin boat, I got several hits. 31 year-old captain was cited. Restaurant had the roof section removed but intends to reopen soon. Missed people having dinner by close margins.

All U Get

 

[dparilla]

And he was a licensed captain...no further comment.

 

[Charles Erwin]

No further comment indeed?

Can you tell us who is the "licensing of captains agency" that passed out the diploma in this case?

Bet you $1 (all cash by the way) that the agency passing out the certificate is - shall we say - a bit less than main steam? And - if not then they really need to review their captain qualification paradigm/matrix.

Charles

 

[Joe]

What an A-hole! "I got lost in the fog so I slowed down to 45-50mph." There is simply no excuse... none.

 

[Benny17441]

Tell me why do you need 1,200 HP for? They guy operating the boat had six prior citations for various marine infractions with a couple being for speeding. Surprisingly he holds a USCG Captain's license. He is not the owner of the boat. Luckily no one got hurt, there was gentleman sitting there at the Kayak rental but he had just gotten up to make a phone call. The Cap still faces charges that could include 1 yr in Jail and some fines besides the damages and loss of business for the Restaurant. If the insurance is not adequate the owner will loose his stake in that boat.

 

[Chris Patterson]

A couple of years ago I took a navigation course at a local college here, (It was winter and I was bored), and hands down the stupidest guy in the class held the only C.G. License. I'm serious, this guy was a first class mouth breather if I've ever seen one outside of Walmart..

 

[centerline]

you cant blame the course directors for the idiots that hold captains license's... but the system itself. anyone who passes the course get a certificate.

contrary to popular belief, a captains license does NOT prove competency... it only proves you took the so called course to get it.
there are lots of operators/owners (some of them uneducated) who are responsible and very qualified, but do not hold a captains license, and then there are many very unqualified people who do hold a captains license. some of which who claim to be highly educated.... and they have the diplomas/documents attempting to prove it.

having the authority of a captains license doesnt make you a smarter or safer operator, it only allows you to carry passengers for hire... (or, as shown by the driver of the boat in the link, it allows you to endanger more lives all at once, legally)

it doesnt matter who you are, smarts are something that you either have or you dont, and if you have smarts, experience will hone and sharpen your skills, and if your not so smart, you are likely to be slow to catch on to what experience is trying to teach you.... and a slip of paper saying you have completed a course wont ever make it better, or make you a better person.

in my opinion, the very reason for requiring a captains license, should require limits on how may citations you can have before suspension, or possibly even lose it forever.
there should also be a stupidity level that when reached would be grounds for immediate revocation... and the guy who bounced into the restaurant after coming out of the fog at 50mph reached that level... way before he got to the building.

there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for that.

 

[Don Lucas]

So this guy was going a prudent speed in the fog.. and keeping a good lookout, just as the COLREGS state.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/3686256-boat-traveling-40-50-mph-crashes-florida-restaurant
Maybe they were just hungry? Maybe he didn't have enough horsepower to be safe out there?

If you ran all the way up on the beach in the fog, you WEREN"T going a prudent speed!

 

[rgranger]

:2cool::2cool::2cool::2cool::2cool::2cool::2cool:

Maybe he is from Colorado.....

 

[Sailm8]

I think the captain of the Costa Concordia had a captain's license too.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

It doesn't make any sense to me when people disparage the USCG license or the agency responsible for issuing the license when incidents like this occur. How is this incident related to the process of obtaining the license? This has nothing to do with stupidity or boating knowledge. It's a psychological issue.

As far as I know, there is no psychological component to obtaining the "6-PAK" license. I don't think it is difficult for many people to repress their impulse control disorder or other personality disorders while they are fulfilling the requirements of the licensing procedure. I'm sure that some people who do the "stupidest" things are among the most intelligent amongst us and can sometimes pass even the most stringent requirements with relative ease. It doesn't mean that the personality disorder won't surface at the wrong time.

This "captain" obviously had a total disregard for life and property while operating the vessel in challenging conditions. What makes him more arrogant, disrespectful, self-absorbed (you name the disorder) than another captain who would take normal precautions? It's not something that gets vetted during the licensing procedure.

Maybe it should be? I don't know ... that could be getting into some subjective areas which would be difficult to regulate, I think. I would guess that as licensing requirements become more stringent for the various grades, personality disorders get weeded out to some extent due to the stress of meeting the requirements - but never fully vetted. The case in point might be the Costa Concordia captain.

That's human nature ... we're filled with faults no matter what credentials we carry. Some of us more than others. I do agree that perhaps it is a good idea to revoke licenses, or prevent issuing a license, based on a history of violations.