Scary!

[PCP]

"Navigating officers aboard a super fast catamaran ferry which was motoring at 37 knots in thick fog were 'continuously talking' and failed to notice a fishing boat on their radar, resulting in a fatal collision.
....
The vessel which sails between Poole and the Channel Isles, sliced the whelk fisher Les Marquises in two and its skipper died in the accident in the English Channel on March 28....

"In the wheelhouse almost continuous talking without any link with the watch-keeping, maintained an atmosphere not compatible with the necessary concentration to conduct a high speed craft in the fog," said the report. "This behaviour, as well as the visibility are the causal factors of the accident.

"When Condor Vitesse approached the Minquiers waters, both officers did not detect two vessel echoes ahead on starboard, the first was a ship that would be passing at a hundred metres on starboard, the second was Les Marquises."

Voice recordings from the bridge revealed the crew did not mention the radar blip that should have alerted them to the other vessel".

Too much chat and too many revs caused fatal collision | Sailing news | Yachting Monthly

[paulk]

Why wasn't the fisherman on the radio, calling them to be sure of what their intentions, and at least alerting them to his presence? We crossed paths with a high speed catamaran ferry this summer on a clear day. He responded immediately to our radio call and courteously passed astern of us. Watching the horizon appear between his hulls as his bows shifted to go aft of us was unsettling, but at least we knew what he was doing.

[weinie]

How do they know the ship appeared on the radar?

[BarryL]

Originally Posted by paulk

Why wasn't the fisherman on the radio, calling them to be sure of what their intentions, and at least alerting them to his presence? We crossed paths with a high speed catamaran ferry this summer on a clear day. He responded immediately to our radio call and courteously passed astern of us. Watching the horizon appear between his hulls as his bows shifted to go aft of us was unsettling, but at least we knew what he was doing.

Maybe because he could not see them in the thick fog and had no idea they were out there?

Barry

[PCP]

Originally Posted by weinie

How do they know the ship appeared on the radar?

Probably because there are some sort of device that permits the investigators to have a look at all data, as it was displayed to them.

Is not only the fishermen boat:


"both officers did not detect two vessel echoes ahead on starboard, the first was a ship that would be passing at a hundred metres on starboard, the second was Les Marquises".

A hundred meter for a ship in fog is nothing (the ship was probably bigger than that).

Knowing that professionals goes at almost at 40k in fog without paying too much attention while engaging in an animated trivial conversation and without looking properly at radar, to the point of not heard the alarm, is scary enough for me

Regards

Paulo

[Barquito]

Why wasn't the fisherman on the radio, calling them to be sure of what their intentions, and at least alerting them to his presence?

Sounds like the constant radio chatter might have been the problem.

[paulk]

Isn't there a protocol for "securité" broadcasts in France? It's a French word... It's also not like Ferry routes - even schedules - aren't known quantities, especially to professional mariners such as fishermen. Was he asleep on autopilot? We'll never know. The ferry guys were at fault, but lots of people seem to have contributed to this nasty accident.

[smurphny]

The fisherman probably had his hands full well.... FISHING, not expecting some chit chatting, inattentive morons to run him down! Hope they throw the book at them.

[jrd22]

Weinie- the fact that there were two vessels there means they would have shown up on radar. They were on the radar screen, no one was paying attention and a person died because of their inattention. 37 knots in thick fog is enough to throw the book at them as far as I'm concerned, how do you listen for a fog signal at that speed or expect to be able to avoid a collision with a small vessel? Scary indeed.

[PCP]

Originally Posted by jrd22

Weinie- the fact that there were two vessels there means they would have shown up on radar. They were on the radar screen, no one was paying attention and a person died because of their inattention. ...

That's even worse, they say that the radar alarm beeped and that the conversation was so animated that they didn't hear it or just dismissed it. Difficult to believe...and scary that could have happened with professionals.

Regards

Paulo