Hydrofoil Containerships. What could possibly go wrong?

[GILow]

Originally Posted by wingssail

OK, Mr GILow, My experience with commercial ship crew, the wheelhouse bunch, not the deckhands, is that they are pretty professional.

Um... what's with the "OK Mr"?

As for my own experience, it's mixed.

Just late last year, I tried hailing a boat, by name, multiple times as I was coming out of the harbour here in Adelaide and he was coming in from about eight miles out, due West, just where I was heading. Some bulk breaker hauling wheat I think. Tried four or five times because he kept changing his heading and I had no idea what he was doing, but he was bearing down on me in the middle of each arc. I was asking him which way he wanted ME to turn to stay out of HIS way.

In the end I hailed the pilot boat on the way out to meet some other boat, who promptly got on the radio and instructed the idiot to change his course to avoid ME. The pilot had heard the whole thing and knew the turnip was ignoring me. Gave the ship a real tongue lashing. It was kinda funny watching this giant monster have to turn about and get out of the way of my little sailing boat. But so pointless.

A few months before that, on my way back from Kangaroo Island, I was watching a container ship coming up from about 10 miles astern. My radar reckoned we were going to get very close so I hailed the boat by name. The captain responded instantly and assured me that he had already seen me and had altered course 10 degrees to starboard. (Something that became apparent over the next few minutes on my radar.) We ended up having a pleasant chat about how well my radar reflector worked because he assumed I was a steel boat from the echo he was getting.

My point is, I will assume nothing. I reckon the majority of these guys are on the ball, but it only takes one who isn't paying attention, or simply assumes I can get out of the way in time, to sink me and only leave a minor scratch on his bow.

And there are plenty of documented collisions and inquiries each year to attest to the inattention or incompetence of at a least a few of these boats. They at least get to face the inquiry. Depending on your view of the afterlife, I may or may not get the same opportunity.