| |
Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Re: US Coast Guard response re ethanol safety issu
Posted By: Walter Kaprielian In Response To: Re: US Coast Guard response re ethanol safety issu (Capt. Bruce Sweet)
Date: Sunday, 21 May 2006, at 9:12 p.m.
I am on my 7th issue of my Captain's License. Been operating some sort of power boat for close to 50 years. In that time on the water I have found very few operators with the knowledge and capabilities of this particular group. On the other hand, if you've got the bucks, they'll hand you the keys to a boat without ever even asking you if you know how to run it.
It's not guys like us that are going to blow ourselves up or broach coming in a bad inlet on a half dead engine, it's one of them and their innocent passengers I worry about. They haven't the slightest idea there is a marine fuel ethanol problem. No one's even bothered to warn them...and I argue that that IS a Coast Guard responsibility. All it takes is one tragedy and it'll be "The Blame Game".
15-20 years ago a 43' sportsfisherman loaded with electronic equipment, running from Montauk to it's home base in Connecticut was having electrical problems at dusk and was chasing a tug waving for help and claimed the tug was waving him away. They were...because the tug was towing a huge unlighted barge that crushed the boat, killed his wife, 2 daughters and a whole other family of guests. He was the only survivor and proceeded to sue the tugboat company.
At the inquiry, the owner/captain of the destroyed vessel could not answer questions like
"were your boat's rudders in front or behind your propellers". His electrical problem could have been solved if he knew to flip his battery switch from 1 to 2 or "both".These are people who have other people's lives in their hands. Under the best of conditions many don't know what they're doing...or what to do if something goes wrong...so now we sell them fuel that effects the performance of what they're operating? Not at least warning them about possible problems related to the age of their boat and it's components is pure and simple negligence in my opinion. Forewarned is forearmed...even if it's informing a boating idiot.
Most of us at some point in our marine careers have rescued someone at risk to ourselves and our boats. At those times we ask no questions of competance and do what we have to do. Anything that can be done to avoid a rescue situation SHOULD be done. If it's not the Coast Guard's responsibility to make boaters aware of potential ethanol fuel problems, whose is it? If it's the insurance companies, we're ALL in trouble. Walter
| |
Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board is maintained by Patrick McCrary with WebBBS 5.12.