[QUOTE=smackdaddy;130802]Yeah - and he’s pissed. I linked to this thread from the other forum because I never want to be someone who talks about someone behind their back. He read what I’ve written here and thinks I’ve misrepresented the situation and his attitude about it.
I don’t. But he does.
You’ve read the other thread - so you can make the judgement on whether I’ve been fair or not. I’ll leave it to you.
At the end of the day - again - all I really care about is that we are compiling accurate information on this subject. AMVER participants are putting a lot on the line to help us recreational sailors when things go pear-shaped. We’re playing…often with very little training. You’re working…and have trained your asses off to do so…and you’re simply adhering to the time-honored commitment of never turning your back on a distressed sailor - risking a lot to pull us aboard.
We thank you for that commitment. Seriously.[/QUOTE]
With regards to the lifeboats; ship’s crew do not trust them.
The boats are designed for only one thing; meeting SOLAS requirements. In fact one recommended procedure for meeting the requirements to operate the boats is to lower the lifeboat to the water without a crew, then put the crew into the lifeboat from a boat which has been hired. Then after the release, operation and hook-up, take the crew back out of the lifeboat before it is hoisted aboard.
The boats can be launched with a trained crew with acceptable risk in good sea conditions but if there is much of a sea or swell running most captains in this type of situation will opt for a ship rescue.