Small boat exploded in Auck.

[Fusion 0]

Go BB

[John B 106]

The boat that blew up exploded because of an lpg leak, which then turned into a fuel fire.

[Steve Pope 243]

Babe, A problem I have with dive flags is that if you are approaching from either a downwind or upwind position the flag is not visible as it is seen end on and does not become apparent until you are a lot closer. If the dive indicator was configured more like an anchor shape it would be visible from any point of approach, of course it wouldn't be a flag anymore but would definitely be safer, though perhaps a pain to stow.

[Fogg 427]

Yeah if you want a sobering read on the whole issue of diver and flag visibility then go here:

 

http://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/Publications-and-forms/Accidents-and-investigations/Accident-and-investigation-reports.asp#recreational_vessels

 

and look for:

 

8 January 2004, report number 04 1063: Waiatea struck a diver surfacing, killing him instantly, off Kawau Island

 

One of the boats mentioned (as a witness) is a good friend of mine and since seeing this horrible accident they've been paranoid about ensuring good visibility of their dive flag.... which is something they've passed on to me. But I still get nervous when I can hear engines as I'm surfacing esp as I'm free-diving so I wouldn't easily have the option to pause for a few seconds and wait for anything close to pass by...

[Bimini Babe 0]

Yep I can appreciate dive flag vis could be a problem, but these vessels blatantly ignore the 5 knots within 50m of another vessel rule, regardless of dive flag! With a dive flag I believe the 5 knots zone extends to 200m. So I could perhaps understand a vessel that charged through within 200m at 5+ knots if they failed to see the flag. But failing to see an anchored 30 foot yacht within 50m of you as you charge through without slowing down would indicate that the skipper should probably have gone to Specsavers. Or simply has a blatant disregard for other water users.

 

Also, the area in question where I've seen this happen numerous times is a known scallop bed. Any local vessel would have a pretty fair idea what any anchored vessel there would be doing.

[Fogg 427]

BB, suggest you adopt the old camera trick i.e. as he goes past take a vid clip and/or pics and send them to your harbourmaster friend. That should work.

[Guest]

BB, suggest you adopt the old camera trick i.e. as he goes past take a vid clip and/or pics and send them to your harbourmaster friend. That should work.

 

Or do what we did at new years. Get on the VHF and name and shame them to all who is listening. It had a very good effect at getting boats to slow down

[Bimini Babe 0]

Haha, nice one. I like the video idea. And if the Harbourmaster doesn't do anything, perhaps YouTube name & shame would do the trick.

[Fogg 427]

That's been done before a few years ago someone posted a shot of one of the privately owned volunteer Auckland Coastguard vessels speeding past them too close up the ditch and posted it here and on Youtube. The evidence was damning, it showed him speeding past in his 12m launch with a Coastguard banner in clear view and confirmed not to be responding to an incident.The Harbourmaster got hold of it a few days later and apparently "had words" with the skipper.

 

Can't remember who shot the film tho.

[Clipper 346]

It was Knot Me?

[Steve Pope 243]

Had a similar experience with the Hawk last year in B.o.I. It went past well in excess of 5k about 30m off the port beam, they then cut across my stern almost taking out my fishing line. They appeared to get upset with my various gesticulations, slowed down and started to turn back, then saw me winding in said fishing line and apparently realised that I had good reason to be giving them various hand gestures, turned back on course and took off at the same high speed. 5knots, 50m, "yeah right" Video would have been good!

[Guest]

That's been done before a few years ago someone posted a shot of one of the privately owned volunteer Auckland Coastguard vessels speeding past them too close up the ditch and posted it here and on Youtube. The evidence was damning, it showed him speeding past in his 12m launch with a Coastguard banner in clear view and confirmed not to be responding to an incident.The Harbourmaster got hold of it a few days later and apparently "had words" with the skipper.

 

Can't remember who shot the film tho.

Yeap Clipper nailed it, that serial sh*t stirrer called Me

 

Damning it was and by 9am Monday morning I'd had the Police and the HM office on the phone asking who had got CG so excited they were all sitting next door loading guns and sharpening knives. Both suspected I did or knew who did for some reason

 

It did surprise me a lot how fast that vid got seen and commented on by people in power and on the or at least one of the boats in it. Went up Sunday night and by 9am the next morning it was all on.

 

That did turn into a low level biffo with the boss of CG, which sadly wasn't the intent nor was it to have a crack at CG but they took it that way. But we worked it thru, they checked records which show all their boats doing what where and the gent on that boat was asked to be a tad more careful.

 

The only reason that specific boat was in that vid, along with a other offending non-CG boats, was due to previous incidents of silliness that pissed me off, which was explained to CG mangement. The boat involved is driven by a keen as volunteer who dose do bloody good work for them and all of us but it was grouply agreed even CG's do have limits and shouldn't be seen busting the rules unless it is emergency related, in which case I don't give a rats if they go thru Westhaven at 100kts.

 

In hindsight I shouldn't have had the CG boat in that vid and just sent that bit direct to CG. It all got a bit too public, something I don't think I should have let it do. But at the time the blood was boiling so up the vid went. A pissed off KM can get a bit loose.

 

But the HM is more than happy to get vids or photos of boats busting the Regs. In an ideal world they would also like the exact time, place and any other relevant info. If you can get the dodgy boat doing a distance between 2 identifiable marks/landmarks/whatever just behind the boat they can then use that to work out a likely speed, which gives them more info should it be a real baddie. If it is possible to get a vid/photo of the driver all the better. They can't really do much bar write a 'pull your head in please' letter unless they can identify the driver in which case if it is bad enough they can chuck an infringement notice at them which often comes with a fine of some sort, knot that large but enough to make them think twice next time.

[Fogg 427]

KM, you're right I didn't want to dredge up the past by naming names but I know the boat you filmed and the skipper/driver. And yes he was (maybe still is) a great CG volunteer who led some of the CG classes I attended when I was in the service a few years ago. And I had big respect for him and donating his time and the use of his vessel for such a good cause.

 

So yeah, with hindsight maybe the best option if you film an offender would be to quietly send it through the 'proper' channels and then resort to Youtube later if no joy.

 

But it was a great clip and at the time it gave great satisfaction to every yachtie who had ever been pissed off by an inconsiderate mobo to think that someone had finally been called to account. Shame it couldn't have been a full-on twat rather than a normally decent bloke who was very unlucky to have been caught being a bit careless at the wrong time (who hasn't been)?