Guide boat down off Tofino

[richmake]

I noticed that too, last night. On the CBC news last night the video clips showed the hull numbers clearly to be BC (pleasure craft) numbers (non-commercial). I sure hope he wasn't guiding commercially (or did have his C numbers but just hadn't applied them to the boat yet) otherwise 'horribly catastrophic' just got worse.

If he was guiding and that vessel was not registered through TC blue decal program.
Every last thread of insurance he thought he had will be void.

Very very sad

 

[Bait&Sea]

Considering all the money we spend on catching fish, there is no excuse not to have one of these. We spend more on a downrigger.
https://www.amazon.ca/ACR-PLB-375-Personal-Locating-Beacon/dp/B005E1OU1A

Exactly. I always wear my PLB, its just one more tool that could mean surviving vs not, I chose this one because its waterproof and floats
https://www.acrartex.com/products/c...or-beacons/resqlinkplus/#sthash.tjKD7lHb.dpbs

 

[finaddict]

On my boat, I have all the required coast guard safety equipment plus the following;
Prevention;
2 - Networked Lowrance chartplotters,
AIS networked into chartplotters and safety perimeter warning alarms set at 5 km or 3 minutes
Radar networked into chartplotter for GPS output
PFD's for all

Communications;
2 DSC VHF radios (for redundancy)
MMSI programmed into both

Emergency:
6 person Viking life raft on auto inflate saltwater release system
exposure suits c/w flashing strobes
and this EPIRB:
https://www.acrartex.com/products/c...or-beacons/aqualink-plb/#sthash.gu5RuHDX.dpbs

There is no replacement for safety.

 

[chtucker]

Only because I want to honor those that have lost their lives-

Did the vessel ever make a VHF marine radio call on channel 16 or was their only communication on cellular? Is it possible that they lost all power to all their electronics? Obviously and EPIRB or Handheld VHF would have helped if that was the case.

 

[Birdsnest]

I am not willing to speculate on any causes of this accident but I will attest to an absolute and complete lack of marine transport enforcement.

Myself as a commercial operator see huge gaps in marine enforcement where local marine traffic is rarely checked for anything. I myself have been checked by the rcmp once in the 2o+ years I have been on the water and while I was a commercial operator at the time the check IMHO was not sufficient to that purpose. All due respect to our coast guard members for the experience and knowledge they poses however they seem only to operate as a rescue agency and are basically not very equipped politically to do more than rescues. I would like to see a coast guard here that operated more like they do in the USA were they seem far more empowered to carry out enforcement.

 

[Birdsnest]

Some go fund me pages for the families:

https://www.gofundme.com/in-support-of-mike-cutler-and-boys

https://www.gofundme.com/beckleyfamily

 

[chtucker]

Some go fund me pages for the families:

https://www.gofundme.com/in-support-of-mike-cutler-and-boys

https://www.gofundme.com/beckleyfamily

That ^ is the most important thing.

 

[Aridhol]

Condolences to the families and will certainly contribute what I can.
I lost a friend just last year and it's a tragedy no family should experience. No one expects to die doing the sport they love.

 

[fishin_magician]

I have had the unfortunate experience of having lost a fellow guide to a fishing related accident a long time ago.

This thread has taken a turn which does not focus on the sole cause of the accident....the safety equipment being discussed may have affected the outcome of the accident with saved lives but none of the safety equipment replaces or accounts for something which would have prevented the entire accident in the first place.....judgement, proper and applied good judgement.

I've talked to several career Coast Guard Search and Rescue front liners. They mostly recover bodies they told me...and if proper and reasonable judgment was applied in the first place...they would not have been there.

Transport Canada is going to going to investigate this accident. The one factor they are going to cite first as key to the accident was being in conditions they should not have been. Then they are going to talk about safety procedures and equipment....

It is tragic that they lost their lives. However, even with a fast response time, cold water shock may have claimed lives anyways. It's not August or September water temps.

 

[vanisland]

Looked up the dimensions of those aussiecats, it's 27' long with a beam of 8'2". That's extremely narrow beam especially for a cat. Can't image that could take much of a beam sea. From all the reports sounds like it was a phone call placed and not a vhf distress call. Unfortunate this could have been prevented with commom sense like fm said. Anchoring in close to 10' seas with 20knot winds is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[fishinforever]

Any update on what happened here?

 

[richmake]

Let's get an update please

 

[Pippen]

Let's get an update please

I'm taking a guess that not much will come out until Transport Canada releases their report.

 

[Aces]

I'm taking a guess that not much will come out until Transport Canada releases their report.

Yup

 

[Aces]

If he was guiding and that vessel was not registered through TC blue decal program.
Every last thread of insurance he thought he had will be void.

Very very sad

While i am part of the Blue Decal program myself, i can't say i agree with that statement. My underwriter gave me a discount for being on it but would have still insured me.

 

[banger17]

I am not willing to speculate on any causes of this accident but I will attest to an absolute and complete lack of marine transport enforcement.

Myself as a commercial operator see huge gaps in marine enforcement where local marine traffic is rarely checked for anything.

With condolences to all, this quote grabbed my interest -

do cops and the law always check every driver and car on the road and highways? No is the answer...

Stop blaming the government or proceses when chit goes sideways - look to the people who make the decisions in the moment and should be aware of the rules and safety scenarios and how those decisions might impact an outcome.

In the absence of information, the most ridiculous thing is to blame others...

 

[Charter Tofino]

I'll hold back comments on this specific incident but I agree with birdsnest. The amount of transport Canada enforcement and mandatory compliancy in most industries is head and shoulders above the sportfishing industry. Way too many guides that are operating illegally in our province. There are relatively few hoops to jump through in this industry.

 

[Aces]

I will echo the sentiment of Birdsnest and Kelly.
There is a need for more enforcement of the rules for commercial operators.

 

[trophywife]

of course we know that more enforcement is needed but it does not stop the lack of common sense... as in most tragedies, common sense could be missing as in this awful case it seems it was. A blue sticker on the window and a C on the side would have not changed this horrible outcome.

 

[profisher]

Maybe, maybe not. Did he have the proper radio to transmit his location, something he would have to have to get that sticker. Did he have all the required flares? Common sense can keep you from getting into trouble...having the decal and complying with TC rules will likely help save those who do get into trouble because they lack it.