Originally Posted by G_Force

Eevn you give this oerator / Captain the benefit of the doubt that the area was not marked well, and maybe he didn't see the docks, etc., ....stil he is an A-hole, since he was made aware of what happed when he was chased down. If he had stopped after he was chased down, turned around, talked to the cops, etc. , then we wouildn't be having this discussion. Instead, what was his reaction......he kept fleeing the scene of a (potential) crime, and he flipped them the bird.

This captain / operator needs to have his Captains ticket pulled or suspended.

Originally Posted by phragle

EVERYONE makes mistakes..it's how you handle them that seperates the men from the boys..

Originally Posted by Dan Burger

Wow, I just read all the support posts and I must say the support on this is unbelievable. This is way more support than I recieved while chasing down this clown. I want you all to know I called 911 to only be passed over to the Coast Guard in MD which passed me over to DE Coast Guard and even someone else I forget who all I spoke to in the moment, the last person I talked to said and I quote"There is nothing we can do to him so just take his name off the back and report it to your local offcials." I will tell you that everyone I spoke to all they wanted to do was pass the buck to the next guy. I agree with the guy who wrote about if it was a power boater doing a 100 mph fly by they may of been interested. The only one that showed any support was the state tropper on land taking everyones reports of damages. I really hope they find and get this guy with something other than him writing a check. Did I forget to say the joker did have enough time to come out after we turned around to flick us the bird. I guess that is how he thinks of all in whom he comes into contact. All I think of is if we did not get a visual warning 15 seconds before it hit I am sure there would of been some serious injuries to alot of people even some deaths due to how we were all sitting on the rear of our boats seconds prior to the 7' wave that plowed the dock that morning. And I am not exagerating the size. My arms still are sore from being a human bumper for my boat just before my 1/2" rope snapped. Anyway thanks to all for such Great support and if I can do anything for you let me know. Dan

Originally Posted by mojomarine

Typically for insurance purposes this 108' Sunseeker would need to be run by a qualified 100/500 TON Master and a Mate with a similar ticket that would double up as a Deckhand/Interior Crew Member. If this vessel was on Charter (Which a lot of these vessels are) so the owner can make money off of his investments to cover operating expenses etc, the insurance company would most definitely require a Captain to run the vessel.

My other thought on this situation is the following: I have been on a lot of Yachts with owners/charterers that wish to go fast. Hell, they are footing the bill for fuel, dockage expenses, etc. One of the guests may have asked the Captain to "Open" it up not realizing where they were. This happens rarely, but if you are Chartering a High Performance Vessel as this one is, there is a certain "Want" to go fast. This could be the case. In Most instances since the Captain is expecting a "Gracious" tip at the end of the charter or a bump in pay by the owner, their wishes are his command. I realize this is no excuse for the events that transpired, but think about it......If your boss, the one paying your salary (In this case the Captain probably makes a $1,000 a foot running this vessel, do the math...) tells you to do something a little out of the ordinary, what are you going to say? Regardless of the wake restrictions, etc....

Charters on this type of vessel can be in excess of $50K per week not including Fuel, Marina Expense and Tip.

Just thought I would enlighten the forum as to the structure of how these vessels typically operate.

Originally Posted by Catmando

I have 100ton papers and I would NEVER take an action I knew to be against Maritime law. I don't care if it's the owner himself, I am the Captain and I say what goes and what doesn't go on the vessel. If he wants to replace me at the end of the voyage fine, but while I am the Captain I give the orders not the owner.

Originally Posted by offshoredrillin

OK, this means you have a 100 ton captains/pilot license? just want to make sure before I say anything else...

Originally Posted by Catmando

No, please go ahead, say what you want...I would love to see it.