LAriverratt

that's that kinda thinking that is suppose to be done all the time but it's always "someone else's responsibility" when layers get involved!! I know very little about offshore racing but unfortunately I do know how lawyers work and this lawyer seems to be doing his slimy azz "job" very well!!! sorry to any of you that are lawyers but I call em like I see em.
as a previous sponsor to different types of events, how do I make sure that I don't get caught up in this kinda BS circumstance but still sponsor the event???? oh wait...I'll need a lawyer for that huh????

HabanaJoe

Xtremeracing, I apologize for what I going to say in advance to you.

I agree with you that everyone should have enough sense to go past the minimium required safety gear - yes that is common sense, agreed.

But your remarks here plus later ones imply that you don't need rules to tell people what to do - this is why people with that mind set very sheldom grow their sports to a professional money making enterprise as in the UIM, NASCAR, CART or F1.

If you truely don't realize that many of the rules and safety protocol is there for protection of the sponsors and their brand image then you remain a "hobby" sport and not professional. Big corporate sponsors do not run to sports where death or injuries are acceptable again which you imply they are.

Even, in the NFL, they are constantly improving protective gear. Yes, people get hurt there every 10 minutes but there is a mitigation of the risk by having rules and safety gear and big sponsors want that, they demand that. The pro sports that have the best and biggest sponsors and rake in the BIG dollars are safe by design not because the particpants use "common sense".

I think you are missing that here and remarks/attitudes like yours are exactly what will get Joey's wife many millions of dollars, they were not "on their own", you paid money and signed a contract for a level of professional safety/resuce that they feel they did not get.

I apologize for singling you out and I believe you a good guy with good intentions and I know you're emotional about this as are many others but a lot of people in this sport have to do some soul searching and change the way things have been done to move forward.

ps I commend the extra efforts you take and maybe protocol such as yours needs to be adopted by everyone!

LAriverratt

i understand and agree with ya but I think personal responsibility is what he is talking about...would i trust that a safety inspector made sure all of my personal life saving equipment was on and working???? absolutely not!!!!

36Tango

From About.com:
Based on personal experience, an average open water certified diver using a standard aluminum 80-cubic-foot tank on a 40-foot dive will be able to stay down for about 45 minutes before surfacing with a small reserve of air.

That said, if on the surface (it takes less air consumption at the surface), the air would last much longer for an average diver. If a racer is "hyped up" and breathing fast, the bottle could be consumed faster, but it would still give at least 20-30 minutes.

I do not understand why, in a canopied boat, you would not be connected to air. Most are set up just to breath ambiant air, until you need it, and then a simple turn of the valve opens the flow from the scuba tank. This way, you are not consuming the scuba air the entire race/poker run. The risk in this would be that if you are knocked out, you would not be able to flip the valve. As part of the pre-race checklist while in the boat, you could flip the valve and you would know whether the tank valves had been opened.

I don't care as much about the rules as much as learning as much as I can about air systems/safety systems. We have a small canopied boat, and it is important to me to make it as safe as I can. I realize that there is still risk, the goal just has to be to mitigate that risk as much as possible.

Wahoo ATV

Having raced several canopy boats and using the Tiger full time like has been referenced here, it would be nearly impossible to not know if your air was on. You see it switches from outside air to bottled air automatically. You only need to take a deep breath to switch it over.

I have not raced SBI but Page did race OSS witch requires a pressure gage in the dash to monitor air pressure in the tank. Finally in OPA we were always checked for pressure to last both of us for at least 30 minutes.

I hope real answers are found which save lives and help the families some how cope with this.

BRUCE SEROFF

Well said...i would also further that by saying, as a tech advisor for SBI, you might want to refrain from commenting on a matter that is under invetigation.

mike tkach

iTrader: (3)

ma is not bringing this lawsuit,the family of joey is,ma is the lawyer his wife hired,ma is just doing what he is being paid to do,as any lawyer would do,pearsonally,i beleive she choose a lawyer who is well versed im this type of case,i dont understand how people can bad wrap ma for doing what he was hired to do!

HabanaJoe

Bruce - apologies, did not mean to imply anything by it more of an example in bad taste as I do not know the details, it was conjecture on my part, I'll refrain.

ps - I started with John C in 1990, still have my original OPT card! I understand what he was trying to do and it was keep the BIG boats running, bring in the movie stars, big names etc, it's just ashame that after all these years the sport is still splintered and a hobby at best.

BRUCE SEROFF

no need to apologize. my comment was directed toward Frank (xtremeracing)

Marginmn

iTrader: (1)

People are badmouthing M.A in part because he previously stated that this lawsuit was originated in order to make the sport safer- it was not about money. Now the letters he sent to sponsors have many people questioning the real motive of the lawsuit. As I state in my post, I make no judgement about anyone's motive. I do not feel that is my place. I do however agree with others that this action will have a chilling effect on future sponsorship of the sport.

I also feel that any law that allows sponsors to be sued for an event that they have no control over is ridiculous. Again, I am not bashing M.A for using that law to his clients advantage, but I do not support that law and wish it were not on the books.