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Old 08-11-2017, 01:00 AM   #1
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Portland Spirit Captain Has License Suspended

Captain Has License Suspended for Failing to Avoid a Collision While Navigating Through Crowd – gCaptain
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Old 08-11-2017, 12:38 PM   #2
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"Well what about the Rule of Tonnage? They should have gotten out of my way!"
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Old 08-11-2017, 12:57 PM   #3
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Quoted from the gcaptain article... "The Red Bull event organizers were also issued a warning for underestimating the crowd size and blocking the waterway, and the Coast Guard shut down the event early at about 3 p.m. in the afternoon."

While the captain should have taken measures to prevent a collision, he should not be 100% at fault.
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Old 08-11-2017, 02:12 PM   #4
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While the captain should have taken measures to prevent a collision, he should not be 100% at fault.

Just from looking at the video, I would say that he is 100% at fault for the collisions.

However, I would hope that there were a lot of other citations given to those boaters for impeding navigation, BUI, failure to comply with a LEO, etc...
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Old 08-11-2017, 02:15 PM   #5
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"Well what about the Rule of Tonnage? They should have gotten out of my way!"
Well what about not blocking the channel?
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Old 08-11-2017, 02:40 PM   #6
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Captain is certainly responsible for avoiding a collision in that situation.

I'm annoyed that the USCG wasn't sited for either failing to have closed the channel for the event or maintain the navigable channel during the event. Certainly enough alcohol fueled boaters to keep 100 LEOs busy. Another reminder for people with common sense to avoid boating during those types of events.

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Old 08-11-2017, 08:09 PM   #7
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Just from looking at the video, I would say that he is 100% at fault for the collisions.

However, I would hope that there were a lot of other citations given to those boaters for impeding navigation, BUI, failure to comply with a LEO, etc...
I won't argue about how the captain should receive most of the blame for the collisions. I am just intrigued by the coast guard boat that is standing by whilst the collisions are taking place. I hope the coastie was at least on his vhf assisting the captain.

RE other citations being given out, I sure hope the captain was not the only one reprimanded.
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Old 08-11-2017, 08:31 PM   #8
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I`ve seen a Red Bull display of strange machine futile flight forays off a tower to advertise their drug products. Icarus established it was rubbish, long ago. Boring beyond belief after the first competitors attempt and fail, no matter how high the participants were on caffeine. I`m sure the "ship" had no right to mow through the spectators but the Captain, facing his accustomed channel blocked by morons, gets some sympathy.
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Old 08-11-2017, 09:04 PM   #9
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Total USCG Failure !
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Old 08-11-2017, 11:50 PM   #10
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I just watched 3 or 4 videos of that situation. In one of them...the cameraman says the USCG has been warning people to clear the channel for 2 hours.....

I'm sure the USCG didn't site themselves for not clearing the channel....but that might have been warranted. Certainly they share some of the blame.
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Old 08-12-2017, 12:59 AM   #11
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Well what about not blocking the channel?
Ummmm, Salty, I was joking when I said that. One of the problems with the internet is you cannot post facial expressions and voice inflection when making jokes. Sorry if I misled you or any one else.
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:06 AM   #12
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Ummmm, Salty, I was joking when I said that. One of the problems with the internet is you cannot post facial expressions and voice inflection when making jokes. Sorry if I misled you or any one else.
I got ya. My bad. Though in all honesty, I don't know what that capt was thinking.
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Old 08-12-2017, 05:25 AM   #13
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A really sad display of selfish non-cooperation. Just how hard would it have been for those small boats to temporarily clear the channel they were blocking??
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Old 08-12-2017, 05:50 AM   #14
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If true that the Spirit is prohibited from turning around in the channel, and the event was much larger than anticipated by EVERYONE, and you really couldn't see from the departure point of the Spirit...... then like diving a car through packs of small barnyard animals....go slow and hope they are smart evough to get out of the way....

Guess the average boater isn't as smart as small barnyard animals.

Either way, just looks like trying to tow a vessel through a NJ Intracoastal stretch on opening day flounder season....
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Old 08-12-2017, 08:03 AM   #15
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Lots of blame to go around here, it seems to me. It would be interesting to know what special-event rules the local CG office had issued prior to the event. If the organizers had been talking to local LEOs, the latter should have known to bring in the local USCG district. Commercial operators like the Spirit should have been in the conversation, too.

Apparently the Spirit captain felt that he had a right to keep to his schedule, just like any other day. That assumption is often a good way to get in trouble. A boater should be mindful that nothing about a nautical schedule should treated as if it's sacred.

Recreational boaters can sometimes be like manure. When they are spread out in the right places, good things can result. But when you get them all tightly packed together in one spot, the effect can be combustible.
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Old 08-12-2017, 08:54 AM   #16
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Lots of blame to go around here, it seems to me. It would be interesting to know what special-event rules the local CG office had issued prior to the event. If the organizers had been talking to local LEOs, the latter should have known to bring in the local USCG district. Commercial operators like the Spirit should have been in the conversation, too.

Apparently the Spirit captain felt that he had a right to keep to his schedule, just like any other day. That assumption is often a good way to get in trouble. A boater should be mindful that nothing about a nautical schedule should treated as if it's sacred.

Recreational boaters can sometimes be like manure. When they are spread out in the right places, good things can result. But when you get them all tightly packed together in one spot, the effect can be combustible.
As well as result in a big stink?
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Old 08-12-2017, 12:13 PM   #17
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Some of the recreational boats are anchored or moored. Doesn't that trump the "rule of tonnage". It seems colliding with a boat at anchor in broad daylight is solely the responsibility of the captain of the moving vessel.

In my area at high attendance events (e.g. 4th of July) the local authorities drop buoys in the river to mark a transit channel separate from the places where you can loiter/anchor/raft up. Then they spend the day cruising the channel to make sure it is kept clear.

In the video, there is a CG boat clearly visible in front of the Spirit. They could have either cleared a channel in advance of the ship or told the Spirit captain to do something else. Looks like the CG just sat there and watched.

On the other hand, I bet that one of the attractions on that particular Spirit cruise was the opportunity to cruise by the Red Bull event for people who did not have alternate access to a boat or didn't want the hassle of bringing their own boat to such an event and fighting the crowds. This probably had something to do with the Spirit captain's decision to do what he did.
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Old 08-12-2017, 12:56 PM   #18
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I'm not a fan of "big crowd" events, and I went to my last concert years ago.

When going to a big crowd area, one can often position themselves to be on the sideline, or out of the way and not get messed up in the thick of things.

We have a 4th of July fireworks event that has several coves to hide in and still get a great view. Most boaters just crowd together.

There's NO way I'd get even close to that Portland event.

As for the captain, clearly guilty as charged.

And as much as I like the CG, they were a complete failure at this event and should also be held accountable.

As for the boaters, perhaps some could be charged with obstruction, but at anchor, I doubt they could be charged for BWI (at least they can't in FL).
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Old 08-12-2017, 02:02 PM   #19
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In hindsight, it appears that the USCG and/or the local LEOs could have done things differently to avoid the problem. I would bet that in the future, things will be done differently.

On the video that I watched, there was both a USCG and a LEO boat there trying to clear the channel. It is a bit of "too little too late".

While it is easy to say that the USCG boat should have cleared the channel, I think that would have been easier said than done. On the one hand you have a military crew with the full weight of the Federal government behind them. They are armed and they are trained. OTOH, you have 2-3 18-20 year old kids faced with scores of boats with hundreds of drunken fools. What are they going to do?

Years ago a kid I knew that was the youngest brother of a friend of mine enlisted in the USCG. He loved it and did a full career. He did make the comment one time that the level of responsibility was sobering. At 22 he found himself as senior guardsman in a boat with the rest of the crew being kids right out of high school. They were trained, but they were still kids. On certain hoardings at sea, the protocol was that the crew have weapons drawn. His concern was always that none of his crew do anything stupid.

Anyway, lessoned learned hopefully on all sides with no one getting hurt in the process.
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Old 08-12-2017, 08:22 PM   #20
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In hindsight, it appears that the USCG and/or the local LEOs could have done things differently to avoid the problem. I would bet that in the future, things will be done differently.

On the video that I watched, there was both a USCG and a LEO boat there trying to clear the channel. It is a bit of "too little too late".

While it is easy to say that the USCG boat should have cleared the channel, I think that would have been easier said than done. On the one hand you have a military crew with the full weight of the Federal government behind them. They are armed and they are trained. OTOH, you have 2-3 18-20 year old kids faced with scores of boats with hundreds of drunken fools. What are they going to do?

Years ago a kid I knew that was the youngest brother of a friend of mine enlisted in the USCG. He loved it and did a full career. He did make the comment one time that the level of responsibility was sobering. At 22 he found himself as senior guardsman in a boat with the rest of the crew being kids right out of high school. They were trained, but they were still kids. On certain hoardings at sea, the protocol was that the crew have weapons drawn. His concern was always that none of his crew do anything stupid.

Anyway, lessoned learned hopefully on all sides with no one getting hurt in the process.
Wow, I'd be scared shitless if I were boarded with a 22 year old captain and a bunch of HS students with guns drawn! That would be a recipe for disaster.
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