Strong Current + Bridge + Boat Video

Posted on Soundings recently:

"The skipper of a Princess V57 thought the yacht could clear the stone-arched Richmond Bridge on London’s Thames River."

He should have turned it around and scraped the other side so at least it would be symmetrical.

I feel for the guy. Being a boatless for now, newbie I can't help but feel bad for the guy. I plan to get as much training and instruction as possible before putting myself in that kind of situation ... Going down river with the current ... gee seems pretty easy if I don't have to turn ... Danger low bridge ... Think ahead ... Stop ... Back up ... Look at all those people watching ... Just gotta get this thing turned ... Oops ... Didn't back up quite enough ya think? .... Ouch that hurt .... Now what? ...

Painful to watch.

My worst nightmare is to be fodder for the internet judges. The worst part is the comments from the video viewers. Haters of anyone with more money than them. No one knows the circumstances of the guy's training, physical condition, etc. poking fun at him is one thing and the stories he will have to tell in the pub ... but the haters because of the cost of the boat is something else. As hard as the video is to watch, the comments are much more disturbing.

Wow..

Did you see his audience?

keb said:

The worst part is the comments from the video viewers. Haters of anyone with more money than them. No one knows the circumstances of the guy's training, physical condition, etc. poking fun at him is one thing and the stories he will have to tell in the pub ... but the haters because of the cost of the boat is something else. As hard as the video is to watch, the comments are much more disturbing.

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Not sure if there is pure hate there (YouTube posters) or just the enjoyment of witnessing someone's total incompetence. Poor planning, judgment, critical thinking skills,
boat handling, etc... Positive side, only boat damage and a bruised ego. I've seen other boaters loose their lives at the hand of another boater. Personally, this kind of angers me, boating is not a "hobby"; the bigger the boat, the greater the responsibility to know what the hell you are doing.

BoomerangIII said:

Not sure if there is pure hate there (YouTube posters) or just the enjoyment of witnessing someone's total incompetence. Poor planning, judgment, critical thinking skills,
boat handling, etc... Positive side, only boat damage and a bruised ego. I've seen other boaters loose their lives at the hand of another boater. Personally, this kind of angers me, boating is not a "hobby"; the bigger the boat, the greater the responsibility to know what the hell you are doing.

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Then what is it for the average boater?

Sure there's responsibility involved...there is with just about every sport/hobby...but if not a hobby, then what is it?

psneeld said:

Then what is it for the average boater?

Sure there's responsibility involved...there is with just about every sport/hobby...but if not a hobby, then what is it?

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Okay....then. Let's agree it's not a hobby you can take lightly. Hard to kill someone playing guitar, painting a flower, golf (although I've come close) ummmm, not gonna split hairs. While we're at it, what's the average boater? A non-liveaboard?

Eventually, the boat cleared the bridge in style ... s##t happens!

Part 2 ...

BoomerangIII said:

Not sure if there is pure hate there (YouTube posters) or just the enjoyment of witnessing someone's total incompetence. Poor planning, judgment, critical thinking skills,
boat handling, etc... Positive side, only boat damage and a bruised ego. I've seen other boaters loose their lives at the hand of another boater. Personally, this kind of angers me, boating is not a "hobby"; the bigger the boat, the greater the responsibility to know what the hell you are doing.

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Of course. But no matter what, there are situations and combinations that are new, and only experience can teach you. It's a fine line some times that once crossed, it is amazing how fast the wheels can start coming off. I don't know what the guy in the video's total situation was, so I am certainly not going to throw stones. There but for fortune....

Like I heard for 20+ years.....reset the simulator and see how well the critic does in that situation....

I wonder if Galaxy Girl has seen this...............

psneeld said:

Like I heard for 20+ years.....reset the simulator and see how well the critic does in that situation....

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If you read my post, I shook off the video as well. What I was apparently too passionate about was the six to seven hundred boating fatalities every year. Many of which due to operator error. That's all. I've been to two, both were horrific and easily avoidable. That's why I feel boating is a tad more than a hobby. I see my error now, I'll wait until a boating fatality video is posted to comment as to not offend anyone.

PS George. Agreed with ya 100%

That is painful to watch...

BoomerangIII said:

If you read my post, I shook off the video as well. What I was apparently too passionate about was the six to seven hundred boating fatalities every year. Many of which due to operator error. That's all. I've been to two, both were horrific and easily avoidable. That's why I feel boating is a tad more than a hobby. I see my error now, I'll wait until a boating fatality video is posted to comment as to not offend anyone.

PS George. Agreed with ya 100%

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Boating fatality stats for 2012....
Total deaths - 651
Vessels over 26 feet - 47
Vessels over 40 feet - 11
Vessels over 65 feet - 0

injuries follow a similar curve as you go up....

Costa Concordia

Boating (esp sailing) is an endeavour which has a very steep learning curve. I suspect there are many who have (or had) an interest, but because of one or more embarassing or dangerous situations, either quit or rarely venture out of the slip. The video provides a "free" situational lesson which most would not have encountered otherwise.

Another interesting video of a near grounding.

http://youtu.be/44QjXCvFbI0

BoomerangIII said:

What I was apparently too passionate about was the six to seven hundred boating fatalities every year.

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Also some in the air, and many on the roads. Apparently 1/3 of US drivers do not use blinkers. Improving driver's education would save much more than seven hundred lives a year ... wanna try?

DinghyDog said:

The video provides a "free" situational lesson which most would not have encountered otherwise.

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That is how I took it. After unfortunate chain of events and possibly bad decisions, the captain got the boat out of predicament, and executed the passing perfectly on the second attempt.

Still trying to analyze how he eventually unglued the boat from that bridge in part two of the video. There was some good maneuver there (or good luck?).

Richard W said:

Also some in the air, and many on the roads. Apparently 1/3 of US drivers do not use blinkers. Improving driver's education would save much more than seven hundred lives a year ... wanna try?

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Okay, I'll bite. Do I wanna try what.

Improving driver's education ... more bang for your buck, so to speak.
BTW, not meant to start any flame war ... peace ...

Gotcha Richard. Totally agree. Some posters think I was angry at this video. Not the case; I brushed it off. Hell, none of us know what got him in that situation in the first place. I may have jumped the gun as well. Maybe he had an engine stall up river...who the hell knows. I was just thinking about what can and does happen on the water and the certain cavalier attitude some boaters have. My experience was responding to a 40' cruiser vs 16' alum. weekend fisher. First vessel for the 40' with absolutely no training. Throttled up, bow rise, didn't see the 16' with two brothers fishing. Don't mean to ramble just agreeing that it can turn ugly in a heartbeat, especially in a strong tide. Many great people on here with loads of great info. Nothing wrong with a respectable debate right?

Nothing wrong with a respectable debate right?

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A respectable debate? Then what the heck am I doing here?!

caltexflanc said:

A respectable debate? Then what the heck am I doing here?!

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Same question I asked my first two wives

I was only seconds from the same lesson with my own boat. Approaching a draw bridge in early AM on the ICW, I pulled the throttle back to resist the 1-2 knot or so current going under the bridge and nearly stalled. I couldn't get any throttle at all, other than an idle in gear. Each time I attempted, the single Yanmar sputtered and nearly stalled. Heading for the bridge now broadside, hit the bow thruster (thanks God it worked this time) and spun the bow away from the bridge. With the stern now going under the bridge, I pushed the throttle forward to idle ahead. She stayed there for maybe 10 seconds or so with the stern under the bridge and my mast maybe 4 or 5 ft. from hitting, and she finally made some headway against the current, creeping back south on the ICW to the same anchorage I left (Boca Raton) about 200 yards away. While anchoring, the throttle came back fully and I was OK again. I checked everything, pulled and changed the filters, checked lines, tank, everything, but couldn't find the cause.

If this guy had the same thing happen to his starboard engine, it would explain everything on the video. Truth is, I'd have looked like a complete idiot banging around under that draw, and I couldn't have done anything to make me look more in control.

Richard W said:

Also some in the air, and many on the roads. Apparently 1/3 of US drivers do not use blinkers. Improving driver's education would save much more than seven hundred lives a year ... wanna try?

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Only 1/3? Guilty as charged! I always use a signal to make a turn. But almost never to change lanes. In these parts, signaling a lane change isn't considered a polite indication of your intentions. It's considered a challenge to your manhood. 3 out of 4 drivers will speed up to prevent you from merging in front of them. I've seen more than one incredibly dangerous road rage jockeying for position incident. To be honest - I have to admit to a certain voyeuristic enjoyment of dropping back and watching those lunatics try to drive each other off the road.

Boomerang, I agree with you. It's a serious business and a simple point you were making.

And, it amazes me that some people either don't get that point, or, simply want to argue semantics just for the sake of arguing.

Which makes me wonder what their point is.