Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
Many probably recall the tragedy that occurred in late February when three professional football players died after their 21-foot boat capsized in heavy seas during what should have been a routine fishing trip off the west coast of Florida. The mishap could have been avoided, but accounts of the incident given by the single survivor indicate that there were just too many mistakes made along the way; they ran 62-miles out in a 21-foot open boat, had no EPIRB, carried inadequate PFD's, and ventured out when severe weather was forecast. Surly those men had the best of intentions, but either they where so focused on fishing that they forgot to think about safety, or they just lacked the experience to know what kind of risk they'd be taking when they left the dock that morning. In any event, three out of four ended up dead - and the guy who owned the boat shouldn't have allowed it to happen.
I don't know the events that led up to the four friends deciding to go fishing that day. Maybe the boat owner had reservations about going but allowed his friends to talk him into it. Maybe he thought they could be home before the weather turned bad. Maybe he didn't think it was going to get that bad. I guess now it doesn't really matter, suffice to say that the owner was the one person who had the opportunity to say "we ain't going" but he failed to do so and lives were lost.
Of course, as long as man has been traveling by water bad decisions have sent boats and crews to the bottom of the sea, so this story is nothing new. But because it got so much press and happened not too long ago I would hope that Delmarva anglers keep the tragedy in mind as they go through the 2009 fishing season and not make poor decisions that could land them in trouble as well.
Whether it's a private boat, charter boat, head boat, or an ocean liner, every vessel has some kind of "skipper" in charge. This person might be the owner of the boat, a Coast Guard licensed captain, or just the one who rented the boat for the day and who has a little more experience than fellow crewmembers. It doesn't matter if he goes by "captain, admiral, master, dad" or "Uncle Joe". Neither does it matter if it's a month-long cruise to Bermuda or a half-hour trip across the bay - whoever accepts the role of being in charge must also accept the fact that the burden of keeping their crew and vessel out of harms way rests squarely and solely on their own shoulders, the "buck" stops with the skipper - period!
Through the course of a voyage a skipper will be required to make hundreds if not thousands of decisions; turn left, trim tabs up, anchor here, slow down, follow the channel, cross the shoal, close the hatch, check the engine, keep fishing for another hour, what channels to monitor on the VHF, how to much fuel and provisions to carry - the list is endless! But the most important decision a skipper will make is always whether or not to leave the dock, because quite literally the lives of his crew will ride on that choice.
Considerations must be made not only for weather but also the condition of the boat, available equipment, and the abilities of the crew. Skippers must take into account "what-if" the engine quits, someone gets hurt, the fog rolls in, or it gets dark before they get back, and there must be a plan for such things.
Experienced skippers come to know that their crew will usually be of little or no use when it comes to making critical decisions aboard the boat. Passengers will be happy to do whatever the captain requests, but since "he's in charge" they're usually quite willing to leave it up to him to do whatever he thinks is the proper action. I'm sure I'm not the only captain who, while dealing with the stress and worries associated with fog, rough weather, or mechanical problems, looked away from the helm to notice that the crew's only concern was whether or not they had enough mustard for their sandwiches. While it's nice to know that they have that kind of confidence in my skills as a mariner, I'll admit that it can be a lonely feeling when no one aboard has a care in the world but me.
Professional mariners get paid to assume that kind of burden, private boaters do not, but both share an equal and never ending responsibility to do everything in their power to keep their passengers and their vessels safe. Unfortunately, throughout history, skippers have too often bowed to the pressure of running the voyage "on schedule" and departed the dock when their better judgment told them to do otherwise. The bottom of virtually every ocean and waterway is littered the results of such decisions.
As Delmarva's 2009 fishing and boating season progresses, skippers of all sizes and types of boats will be tasked every day with making the decision to go or stay. In many, if not most cases the captain will affirm that the weather is good, the boat is "right," and there's no reason why they shouldn't shove-off and expect a wonderful time on the water. But there will also be times when boat or weather conditions won't be favorable and hard choices will have to be made. Unfortunately some skippers will put better judgment aside and "go" because they're involved in a fishing tournament, they have a charter booked and need the money, it’s the only day of the week they can fish, the owner of the boat wants his hired captain to take the trip, or any of a million other reasons. Whatever is the compelling motivation to go, there is NOTHING, not fame, fortune, or even the desires of an irate boss (or charter client) that should EVER compel a skipper to leave the dock if he has safety concerns.
A captain has got to keep mindful of the fact that most crews are going to be pretty much useless in the decision-making process because, just like passengers on an airliner they just want to complete the trip and walk away. They don't have to worry about repairing damage done from a rough trip or being held responsible if there are injuries or loss of life.
As I said, "the buck stops with the captain" and everyone (often blindly) relies on him to make the right decisions that will keep them safe. The right decision was not made in February when a skipper elected to take three of his friends 62-miles out in his 21-foot boat when bad weather was forecast. Hopefully skippers of all ages and levels of experience will learn from that tragedy and become better and safer mariners for it - no one will ever lose a boat or crewmember by erring on the side of caution!
Mark Sampson is an outdoor writer and Captain of the charter boat “Fish Finder”, docked at the Ocean City Fishing Center.
