Bad news from Galapagos, Aggressor 1 Liveaboard is out of service 06/13

[BDSC]

After the carib dancer mess and now this....

For those that may not have seen the other thread....

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/th...dancer-fleets-new-carib-dancer-lots-pics.html

 

[rhwestfall]

sheesh, it soulds like I have better/reliable & redundant equipment on my 25' recreational boat (though no radar).....

one word comes to mind: reckless

and the compensation: you have to try it again with them?????? or should it be :shocked2:. Better yet

 

[Scott from LongIsland]

Yes, it is just baffling to me that they would have such minimal equipment. A GPS is not an expensive device and as Wookie said, you can use a cell phone for this. Just amazing.

I am going on the T&C Aggressor on 7/13 and I am very curious to see how they address safety procedures. I will be sure to inquire if they do not.

 

[Doc]

...A GPS is not an expensive device and as Wookie said, you can use a cell phone for this. Just amazing.

If you have cell service in any specific remote location. But this is outside the realm of the true discussion here.

...I am going on the T&C Aggressor on 7/13 and I am very curious to see how they address safety procedures. I will be sure to inquire if they do not.

Therein lies the crux of the biscuit. How would you know what to ask?

Regulations are one thing, and they depend upon the "flag" of the ship. Procedures "over and above" are a different matter entirely.

Who among us (besides Wookie) would have the slightest clue as to regulations? And what could be provided beyond those minimums? Not many of us have enough maritime experience to ask a question, analyze a statement, or understand the impact of what is being said.

When you are shipboard on any vessel, when it come right down to it, your survival is on you.

Ask the Wook: When the SHTF, even the best trained crew might do things that will be re-judged as incorrect on Monday morning from the safety of an armchair.

I read the above posts with some restrained amusement. Things like: have a flashlight. No... wear the flashlight on a string around your neck as you sleep. Memorize, pre-plan and rehearse: If the "floor" (the downward surface) is carpet, turn left to exit. If you're standing on ceiling tiles, turn right... stuff like that.

Sleeping with a small flashlight around your neck isn't something that many would do.

It's all about knowing what you might have to cope with. Most of us do not get it.

Oh, btw- get a US Passport Card and GOES card as well. Also Xerox and miniaturize your passport data, laminate it. That's in a neck wallet hanging from my cabin door.

That's just for starters.

I have only been on one sinking vessel. Thank gods it was daylight. Once was enough for me to solidify my opinions.

 

[DandyDon]

I am no captain but I wonder about a few things here. If the crash was a result of a GPS failing...did they really only have one gps? No backup anything?

About the rudder damage...in a multi engine boat, couldn't they steer with just the engines temporarily?

If there were known issues why were they sailing at all? Especially at night.

That Gps & rudder rumor sounded like a weak claim from the beginning to me, but it seemed to have just been a rumor anyway. Has anyone seen comments from the company...?

 

[BDSC]

Has anyone seen comments from the company...?

If they stay true to form, they will post a glowing review of the trip.

 

[Wookie]

Ask the Wook: When the SHTF, even the best trained crew might do things that will be re-judged as incorrect on Monday morning from the safety of an armchair.

Yes, true. All mariners from IMO (International Maritime Organization) signatory countries have the option of attending school. The school is called Basic Safety Training, and it's 5 days long. Included are 2 days of shipboard firefighting, 1 day of Basic First Aid. 1/2 day of Social Responsibility (how not to call the rest of the crew "Mother****ers) and a day and a half of Personal Survival techniques, including use of lifejackets, survival suits, and liferafts. I send my crew to this school even though it isn't required. We also send deck officers (Captains) to Bridge Resource Management, including how to navigate when the GPS broke, and how not to set sail without minimum required safety equipment with passengers onboard (Hello?), and Proficiency in Survival Craft. These classes aren't required for coastwise voyages, but they are cheap compared to the lawsuits that follow when you sink your boat out from under a bunch of passengers.

You are right, Doc. The crew might not do exactly the right thing in an emergency, but I'll put my trained crew up against a pick up off the islands crew any day. It makes me sleep better knowing...

 

[Scared Silly]

At the time, they claimed GPS malfunction and a rudder breakage. Who knows?

They evidently did not have a malfunctioning GPS, a broken depth gauge, oh their Captain didnt sleep and of course Im sure he knew his way around these waters....

Listed above are several operational issues reported by passengers - though I think Roshenamin meant did not have a functioning GPS. But surprised the ship did not have a redundant system of some sort.

i thought we were on the Aggressor 2 which had always been around us, but not on this night. around 6am they caught up with us, we transferred onto her,

Now here is my other concern. The sister ship was some 3.5 hours behind. In most cases not a big deal. But it would seem to me that if one is having mechanical and/or electronic issues that perhaps just perhaps it would be prudent to travel in close proximity to the sister ship (i.e. behind) to insure that something does not happen like running aground.

I will admit I am Monday morning quarterbacking here. But I am just seeing issues that seem void of common sense not too mention commonly accepted procedures.

BTW I noticed that the first picture in post #24 and the one taken Homi in post #89 that one can clearly see that the undeployed life raft has been taken.

For giggles I noticed that sometime after 20 June the web pages for the Galapagos Aggressor changed from:

The Galapagos Aggressor I (16 pax) & II (14 pax) are sister ships and depart from Baltra every Thursday afternoon and are the perfect platform for a Galapgos diving holiday that you will remember for a lifetime.

to

The Galapagos Aggressor departs from Baltra every Thursday afternoon and are the perfect platform for a Galapagos diving holiday that you will remember for a lifetime.

 

[dmoore19]

Having been on only 1 live aboard and having limited experience in ocean going vessels I have a question.

Without volumes of knowledge regarding this, how exactly is someone with my experience be equipped to just know all this stuff? It makes sense to use common sense such as where are the life jackets, where are the life rafts, how do I get to them. As a paying customer my expectation would be that people like Wookie are going to do whatever is necessary to make sure my trip is safe. Otherwise I guess someone such as myself just has to rely on gut feelings and instinct.

Now the question. Without being an industry insider, how do you choose which boats are safe and how do you know which ones aren't? Right now all I have to go on is those colorful brochures that they send out or what can be seen on the internet.


Moderators feel free to move this if it detracts from the intent of the discussion in this thread.

 

[Wookie]

Having been on only 1 live aboard and having limited experience in ocean going vessels I have a question.

Without volumes of knowledge regarding this, how exactly is someone with my experience be equipped to just know all this stuff? It makes sense to use common sense such as where are the life jackets, where are the life rafts, how do I get to them. As a paying customer my expectation would be that people like Wookie are going to do whatever is necessary to make sure my trip is safe. Otherwise I guess someone such as myself just has to rely on gut feelings and instinct.

Now the question. Without being an industry insider, how do you choose which boats are safe and how do you know which ones aren't? Right now all I have to go on is those colorful brochures that they send out or what can be seen on the internet.


Moderators feel free to move this if it detracts from the intent of the discussion in this thread.

I have never heard of a liveaboard that doesn't have a safety briefing when you board. Some play a video, some do it live. I do it live so I can gauge the response of my guests (are they bored, tired, engaged, just wish I'd shut the heck up) and skip the parts they've heard before, or the bag fluffing procedures. Everyone gets potty training every time. In the briefing, guests are told that the wheelhouse is never off limits. Guests are always welcome to come see the (GPS, sounder, charts, radars, etc. etc.), and I make a joke that we really don't know how it all works, it just does.

I am lucky. I operate in a place where a new GPS is as easy as going to West Marine and getting one. If I need a new hydrostatic release, it comes via UPS the next day. Not all (or even many) boats can say that. Imagine trying to have your $10,000 liferafts serviced in Galapagos. You probably won't have spares, they will be gone for a month or more, Servicing in Fort Lauderdale costs $1800 per year, servicing in Ecuador must me on the order of $2-3,000 per year? Each? I would think that it might fall into the realm of "We haven't used them in the past 10 years, and it's cash out of my pocket. To hell with it".

The easy way to tell if a boat is properly maintained is to pick the one that has the owner on it. No owner wants his boat to sink, but the owner who lives on his boat really doesn't want it to sink. There are a number of these boats out there. They range from no-frills boats like the Spree to the luxury boats like Nautilus Explorer or N'aia.

To directly answer your question, a 4 hour boaters safety course like the one offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary or Power Squadron will give you a wealth of free knowledge that can't hurt. At least you will know what a wheelmark (IMO approval mark) is and the minimum requirements for life jackets and rafts and where to find the latest inspection reports.