BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada

Subject: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. cana
From: mg
Date: 26 Oct 15 - 01:27 PM

It flipped in good weather and last I heard have not decided what the cause was. At least five people have died. Off Tofino in B>C.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. cana
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 26 Oct 15 - 01:40 PM

My wife and I did one of those whale-watching trips out of Tofino BC back in July. We took the RIB rather than the conventional boat. It was hot, sunny, very little wind, but it's the Pacific Ocean out there - there were some very big waves once we got away from the bays and coves, and out to sea a little way. Fortunately we were dressed in survival suits with built-in buoyancy-aids, so we felt a little more secure than we otherwise might have done.

I'm an experienced sailor in Tall-Ships, but I was a tad nervous in that sea.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. cana
From: Rapparee
Date: 26 Oct 15 - 09:18 PM

Anytime you go down to the sea in ships there is the possibility of tragedy. The ocean -- any ocean --is unforgiving. So are the Great Lakes. So is any body of water larger than a rain drop.

Five Britons are drowned and an Australian man is missing. A survivor said that a sudden wave took the boat; the company said it happened so quickly a mayday couldn't be issued. Natives from Vancouver Island rushed to the scene to rescue the survivors.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 02:45 AM

"Anytime you go down to the sea in ships there is the possibility of tragedy. The ocean -- any ocean --is unforgiving. So are the Great Lakes. So is any body of water larger than a rain drop."

And that's the truth, Rap.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: Megan L
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 03:21 AM

My husbands cousin was drowned when a tide lump as it is called in Orkney (an unusually high rolling wave that can hit out of the blue) caught his boat side on, he was an experienced creel boat man but even the best can get caught out.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: Noreen
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 06:08 AM

It is reported they weren't wearing life jackets- presumably they should have been, given what is said above about unpredictable large waves?
Shocking.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: MartinRyan
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 10:42 AM

Some suggestion they were in an enclosed area rather than an open deck - hence access to lifejackets rather than constant wearing.

What's puzzling me is the attitude of the boat in the immediate aftermath - down by the stern. I can imagine a sudden swell rolling her over but find it hard to understand how the "stable" attitude once capsized, should be like that?

I was actually on Vancouver Island (beautiful place) in May and considered driving to Tofino with an eye to going whale watching...


Regards

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 01:26 PM

The weight of the engine(s) might well have produced the 'stern-down' attitude.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: GUEST,MartinRyan
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 03:02 PM

On a 60 ft ex-fishing boat? I dunno ...

Regards

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 04:40 PM

A capsized, flooded boat is intrinsically unstable, and it has reduced buoyancy. A heavy weight, such as an engine, astern together with trapped air forward could account for the unusual, stern-down, bows-up attitude.

Physics and marine engineering.

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 04:43 PM

Astern? Aft!

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 15 - 04:53 PM

The boat is described as "a 20-metre vessel with both open and closed decks. An awkward-looking craft, it was built for sightseeing, not for speed or rough seas."

Subject: RE: BS: whale watching boat tragedy in b.c. canada
From: ragdall
Date: 28 Oct 15 - 01:36 AM

This is a photo of the Leviathan II in better days:
https://shawglobalnews.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/dsc_5239.jpg?quality=70&strip=all&w=1200&h=800&crop=1

It's a large enough boat that people normally wouldn't wear life jackets but would be made aware of their location, should they be needed. The sudden and unexpected rolling of the boat, when hit on the side by a large wave, cast passengers into the sea without time to look for a flotation device. The fact that most of the passengers survived is largely due to the quick and caring response of people from the Ahousaht First Nation.