Post by Chips on May 5, 2008 8:55:46 GMT 9.5
Safety on the harbour is common sense
My sympathy goes to everyone touched by the tragic accident on Sydney Harbour. After spending my working life at sea, there were very few surprises when observing behaviour on the water, ranging from responsible to suicidal. My experience included 24 years piloting about 3500 commercial vessels in the harbour, from fishing craft to the largest ship to visit the port.
In response to various views (Letters, May 3-4), the first thing I would say is that the essential skill required to safely operate any craft is common sense. This provides awareness of possible dangers, courtesy to others that you would expect in return, an appreciation of simple rules and regulations, and, very importantly, respect for the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.
Long-standing regulations, in place worldwide, say what type of navigation lights should be displayed by all craft. Yes, against a background of city lights, they are frequently inadequate, but the enormously powerful working floodlights (that quite contrary to the regulations, frequently obscure navigation lights) used by fishing boats present an unnecessary hazard.
Speed restrictions are in place but are largely unenforced - and unenforceable 24 hours a day - in much of the harbour. Common sense dictates a safe speed under all circumstances.
Traffic lanes work in the very congested and previously dangerous English Channel, but require non-stop monitoring by sophisticated radar on either side of the waterway. That type of operation is unworkable within the confines of a busy harbour. Now that Sydney is no longer a working port, most of the traffic is ferries, recreational craft and working boats, criss-crossing in all directions.
There is a prominent navigation buoy to separate incoming and outgoing channels off the choke point of Bradleys Head. Yet, in the main, only commercial vessels seem to observe this.
Excluding exceptional circumstances, the maritime skills of a Captain Cook are not required to stay out of trouble when mucking about in boats.
If all boat operators used common sense, concentrated in a sober manner and stayed at a safe speed, correspondence such as this might not be necessary.
Barrie Peters Ettalong Beach
My sympathy goes to everyone touched by the tragic accident on Sydney Harbour. After spending my working life at sea, there were very few surprises when observing behaviour on the water, ranging from responsible to suicidal. My experience included 24 years piloting about 3500 commercial vessels in the harbour, from fishing craft to the largest ship to visit the port.
In response to various views (Letters, May 3-4), the first thing I would say is that the essential skill required to safely operate any craft is common sense. This provides awareness of possible dangers, courtesy to others that you would expect in return, an appreciation of simple rules and regulations, and, very importantly, respect for the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.
Long-standing regulations, in place worldwide, say what type of navigation lights should be displayed by all craft. Yes, against a background of city lights, they are frequently inadequate, but the enormously powerful working floodlights (that quite contrary to the regulations, frequently obscure navigation lights) used by fishing boats present an unnecessary hazard.
Speed restrictions are in place but are largely unenforced - and unenforceable 24 hours a day - in much of the harbour. Common sense dictates a safe speed under all circumstances.
Traffic lanes work in the very congested and previously dangerous English Channel, but require non-stop monitoring by sophisticated radar on either side of the waterway. That type of operation is unworkable within the confines of a busy harbour. Now that Sydney is no longer a working port, most of the traffic is ferries, recreational craft and working boats, criss-crossing in all directions.
There is a prominent navigation buoy to separate incoming and outgoing channels off the choke point of Bradleys Head. Yet, in the main, only commercial vessels seem to observe this.
Excluding exceptional circumstances, the maritime skills of a Captain Cook are not required to stay out of trouble when mucking about in boats.
If all boat operators used common sense, concentrated in a sober manner and stayed at a safe speed, correspondence such as this might not be necessary.
Barrie Peters Ettalong Beach