Powerboaters lost in thick fog rescued by French ‘pirates’
Tuesday 28th June 2011, 2:29PM BST.
A POWERBOAT lost in fog resulted in a search covering 400 square miles of sea.
Martyn Willey, who was in charge of the Sweet Able at the time, said a broken GPS was the cause of the large-scale search operation.
The crew had been taking part in a Guernsey Powerboat Association poker run – a competition in which vessels have to navigate point-to-point picking up cards and see who has the best hand at the end.
Harbour master Captain Peter Gill (pictured) said: ‘Instead of getting from Jersey to Guernsey, he ended up very close to Cap de la Hague.’
The first boat to answer the Sweet Able’s mayday call was Etoile de France – a 1930s schooner. ‘When we saw that pirate ship coming out of the fog I expected to see Captain Jack Sparrow with a parrot on his arm,’ Mr Willey said.
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So what happened to having a spare handheld GPS or even charts to plot where they were… surely having the basic saftey and navigation equipment should be required for these races??
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Yachtie, many boats have the safety and navigation equipment, it’s the skippers lack of ability to utilise them properly that is the problem.
If this chap had indeed done the RYA courses, a large part of that is compass work, and yet the skipper here seemed oblivious that he was heading 120 degrees in the wrong direction. How can he claim his navigation was not in error, how else did the boat get to where it was found?
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Vee, it is very easy to become completely disorientated very quickly in thick fog regardless of training. This could have happened to anyone. We should be glad that they were found and rescued safely. The skipper of this boat had done his Day Skipper Course as detailed in the full article which is all that is required of him. The skipper cannot be blamed. Thick fog around our islands is very dangerous and can roll in extremely quickly. In the Channel, it is inevitable that there will be problems and we are lucky to have such a skilled team of volunteers who go to rescue those in need.
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My Opinion. How can you say the skipper is not to blame, by the very fact of being skipper, you are responsible for the safety of your crew and vessel, and for getting them from A to B. By claiming it is not the skippers fault beggars belief. If the forecast weather looks to be unsafe, there is always the option of waiting it out in port. And yes, there was heavy fog banks forecast for the period in question. It is the overreliance on electonic aids to navigation that dullen the ability to use the magnetic compass, regardless of the fog, using the compass and a chart, Guernsey should have been safely made.
Is it beyond people to admit that they made an error but thankfully all is well in the end. After all, people learn from mistakes, either thier own or others. Always someone else to blame it seems! I like many others make mistakes when at sea, better to improve your skills and experience rather than point the finger of blame elsewhere.
Perhaps a higher level of training is required in future?
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I didn’t think GPS failures were supposed to occur in fog! Isn’t that the thinking behind the fog horn stand down, that they are not needed due to vessels having GPS?
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Vee, I take your point on board however we all know how changeable Guernsey waters can be and I think it unfair to blame a young skipper who is ‘learning the ropes’. I agree that training standards should be increased but I respect the skipper for admitting that he was lost before harm was done. Many would be too proud to call the coastguard. I think the skipper should be commended for handling the situation as he did. Maybe the situation was a mistake but hindsight is a wonderful thing. He did exactly as he should have done to ensure the safety of his crew and vessel once in the predicament and his reactions combined with the skilled work of the rescue team were a success. A true relief for the skipper and crews’ families I am sure.
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Vee
If you think useing just a compass to navigate around the Islands or between them in thick fog and running tides are going to get you to your destination or even keep you out of trouble then i wouldn`t want to be on your boat in such a situation :).
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My Opinion, I fully agree with you in that he should be ccommended for calling out the troops. I would never say anything agianst someone calling for help for you never know when you may find yourself in that position.
My only hope now is that others may learn something from this unfortunate skippers experience.
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