Crews Letter #2008 07 Ferry Pilot and Water Fairy
Three short blasts of the
horn and 35 thousand registered lobbyists
Good morning Crew,
If you are preparing to sit for your Master’s License, as we are certain many of you are, the following case study will not be useful.
A sailing ship of 35 metres is approaching the entrance of a small harbor, Loutraki on Skopelos, under power, not sail. The Skiathos Express ferry sounds 3 short blasts. What does this mean?
a) International ColReg Rule 34 applies, three short blasts to mean “I am operating astern propulsion.”
b) Inland Waters Rule 34 applies, three short blasts to mean “I am operating astern propulsion.”
c) Greek Ferry Pilot Rule 1 applies, three short blasts to mean “Get out of my way.”
d) Greek Ferry Pilot Rule 1 applies, any signal or the absence of any signal to mean “Get out of my way.”
You guessed it. d) is the best answer.
Skiathos
Express was the overtaking vessel as defined in International ColReg 13 and thus obligated to stay out of the way of the
sailing ship. That rule does not
apply.
Ferries in
As mentioned in the case study, Loutraki is a small harbor. Both ships intended to enter and were traveling at a speed that allowed for maneuvering in a tight space. Size and momentum was not a determining factor.
The “bus driver” mindset was in control.
Septenber 2000, Ferry Disaster off
The Official Inquiry identified several causes that contributed to the ferry running up on Portes Rocks and sinking. It resulted in the death of 81 passengers and 0 crew. In buses and airplanes, the pilot is usually the first at the scene of the crash and the first to die. Ferry captains are not so strategically placed. Unlike the tradition of the sea, the ferry captain is not the last to leave the sinking ship. He is certainly not going down with his ship.
The captain was asleep in his stateroom. This would be acceptable if another officer had the watch.
The helmsman called the Captain several times and warned of the impending collision. Each time the Captain deferred to the First Mate, who had the watch duty.
The First Mate was in the bar attempting to arrange some mating of his own with one of the female passengers.
Most of the ship’s officers were in the bar watching a football match.
The helmsman was a junior officer. He was under direct orders not to override the auto pilot. He called the Captain, the First Mate and several other senior officers to tell of the impending collision. He sent messengers to the Captain’s quarters and the First Mate in the bar. They did not respond.
We can only guess that the three short blasts of the whistle prior to running up on Portes Rocks did not mean “I am operating astern propulsion.” in accordance with ColReg 34; but rather, “Get out of my way.” - Greek Ferry Pilot Rule 1.
Two years ago, we introduced you to a guy named Spiros in Skiathos. Spiros claims to be able to get you anything you want with the exception of illegal drugs and sex. He is still here and he is as good as ever.
This is August. August is Greek national holiday month.
Now, let’s talk about another Spiros in Skiathos. He is the new port, town quay, water fairy. This is a good quay with electricity and water. The electricity is free. There is no charge for docking.
The best we can tell, Spiros’ official position is to sell water. Unofficially, he tries to maintain some order; day boats at this end, charter boats out there, the largest area reserved for “cruiser boats”. The ‘out there’ for charter boats is a rundown pontoon with no electricity. In June two years ago and in July this year, that is how it worked. This is August.
Perception cruises the Aegean seven months a year; ergo, a cruiser boat.
We get positioned and start to back into one of four spaces on the quay.
Spiros water fairy waves us off and shouts, “Not here. You are not a ‘cruiser boat’!”
Phyl asks, “<expletive deleted> What do you mean?”
The reply, “You know what I mean! Go away!”
Actually, we did not know what he means. We docked there two years ago. We docked there last month. No problem.
After making another pass of the quay to see the ‘cruiser boats’ and thinking, “What do these boats have in common that Perception does not have?” Some answers became obvious:
They were large, diesel guzzling
powerboats. Diesel on the quay runs 0.05
to 0.08€ a litre more than in other
They have hired captains. Previously noticed, the hired captains on arrival hand the water fairy money. How much and how often is unknown.
Cruiser boats stay parked at the quay for most of August. When they leave for the day, their slot remains empty for their return.
It would be interesting to follow the money. 0.05 to 0.08 € per litre on 3,000 litres is 150€ ($240) to 240€ ($384). Yes, after 10 hours operation, these boats will need 3 to 4,000 litres of diesel. Does this corruption of public facilities for personal gain stop with the water fairy? Are city officials “on the take”? Or are they oblivious to what happens on the water front? Do the Port Police have any responsibility for managing water fairies? What is the VAT (Value Added Tax) for gratuities?
When we ask a Greek, the answer is a shrug and reply, “This
is
On a much larger scale, most Americans might answer, “This
is
Yes, there are 35,000 registered lobbyists in
Two candidates for a $400,000 a year, 4-year job have spent $1,500,000,000 already on a job that goes to the poles in November. This is August.
Keep a Tight Luff,
Phyl and Fred
* Some definitions:
ColReg –
Collision Regulations as formalized in the Convention on the
international Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972. They became effective on
Inland Waters – Some
different rules for inland waters and “Western Rivers” of the
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