Sydney Harbour fatal ferry crash

[Razgo-]

source: http://www.theage.com.au/national/sy...0518-bact.html

Sydney Harbour fatal ferry crash: boat was diverting to see Russell Crowe's home


I didn't see this one posted anywhere yet?

I saw it on the news this morning.

[Razgo-]

or was this old news brought up again? i only saw it this morning and thought it just happened last night.

i must be mistaken.

[Scott nthQld]

this was the big crash back in '07 that killed 4 ice skaters or something, and they are still trying to blame the ferry skipper. They were the ones out at night, under a bridge in the dark with no nav lights and everyone else is to blame, a tragedy yes but would have never happened if they followed the rules

[TheRealAndy]

Speaking of, when I left shorncliffe on Friday night there was some idiot leaving cabbage tree creek with no nav lights at all. I heard them accelerate out of cabbage tree creek, but could not see them. No moon out at that stage. Pisses me off cause I could have hit them, they want to risk their lives thats ok but they are risking the lives of everone out there.

[PinHead]

it is the start of the inquest..nothing is proven yet or any decision made.

[Razgo-]

ah ok, my bad. The way it came on the news i thought it was yet another one.

I'm actually terrified to go out at night with all these crashes you here about.

As a kid fishing out on boats at night i never even gave it a second thought. But now i think jeez you need eyes int he back of your head day or night and have one person always on lookout to to avoid a crash.

[joe 09]

You should sit in the pine river at night i think just about every second boat does not have nav lights

[Scott nthQld]

oh, I should clarify, by 'they', I mean the survivors onboard the cruiser are still trying to put it all back onto the ferry skipper

[sleepygreg]

I have mixed feelings on this one. I heard through the 'grapevine' that the cruiser had no nav lights on. Legally that puts them in the wrong....and rightly so. However, if anyone has been on Sydney harbour at night anywhere near the vicinity of the bridge, it is lit up like daylight and unless you are in a 12' unpainted tinnie, a ferry skipper should be able to spot you a mile away......a 30' cruiser should be spotted easily if they are keeping a good watch...and in the Harbour...anyone skippering a boat should have there eyes peeled as there is so much boat traffic. Been there, done that.

Greg

[Noelm]

OK, lets just think for a second, you are on a "cruiser" at night on Sydney Harbour, possibly the Skipper forgot to turn on the Nav lights (maybe) but do you reckon if you were on a cruiser, then it would be in total darkness, or would you have SOME lights/TV/deck lights or something on? there is also conjecture that the Ferry was operating outside the "ferry lanes" but this is all speculation and perhaps maybes, the Court will decide the outcome, until then we can just wait or speculate.

[FNQCairns]

We all know what it is like heading back in or anywhere with urban lighting in the background, the only savour at any one time is being able to look down on a boat with it's lights on and see it as below the inky waterline so therefore on the water and close.

Suspect that 2 boats with high helms, the ferry skipper if he could see white lighting, it was garbled with suburbia behind and the hull on the cruiser fitted in well with the inky black of below shore/edge line.

Anyone seen that well known study/example where they show on tape a group of people dancing then introduce a person in a bear suit, most people do not recognise the bear suited person until told.

Just like driving on the freeway, no one expects the traffic in front to be stopped and history shows even in daylight drivers will drive straight into the stopped cars often without braking. No matter how smart a person thinks they are they cannot outsmart the human condition that is until evolution decides to do it for them.

Driving a ferry on SH at night...you can keep that job!

cheers fnq

[Razgo-]

That reminds of when people just kept driving off the Tasmanian gateway bridge when it collapsed. they just couldn't believe there was a piece missing in the middle and just kept driving right off it.

[PaulMark]

ah ok, my bad. The way it came on the news i thought it was yet another one.

I'm actually terrified to go out at night with all these crashes you here about.

As a kid fishing out on boats at night i never even gave it a second thought. But now i think jeez you need eyes int he back of your head day or night and have one person always on lookout to to avoid a crash.

Its called ageing,Raz.When your younger you're bulletproof. Then something happens and you start thinking,Jeez,if i do that,this could happen.Its even worse when you've got kids.
Paulo

[Razgo-]

thats true, and i have 6 grand kids