In my article in Issue 35 of Ocean Magazine titled “Fire In The Hold” I discussed the issue of piracy as a re-emerging phenomenon and whether private boat-owners should choose to arm themselves as a means of protection. Since this article, reports from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) indicate that the frequency of piracy incidents have not waned. In fact,…
A shipmasters’ obligation when rendering assistance on the high seas. A luxury cruise ship, ‘The Star Princess’ recently made a splash in international maritime news for all the wrong reasons. Immediately after the incident various organisations reported a fishing vessel had signalled the cruise ship and three bird watching passengers, who had informed the crew that they saw a fishing…
“It’s the ONLY thing,” said the Water Rat solemnly, as he leant forward for his stroke. “Believe me, my young friend, there is NOTHING–absolutey nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” (Kenneth Grahame 1859-1932) The romantic notion that Grahame conjures up in his novel ‘Wind In The Willows’ often forms the basis of the decision making…
It is a popular expectation and a folklore tradition on the high seas that the captain of a ship should always go down with it, risking their own life in order to ensure the safety and welfare of their passengers. But in the modern shipping world is this still the case? For family and friends who lost loved ones on…
Let’s face facts – owning a boat is an exercise in expense. There’s the ever-rising cost of fuel, the marina, storage or transportation fees, registration, insurance, and the seemingly endless upkeep and maintenance costs. As a lawyer, I often come across clients who’ve fallen into the trap of buying into the boating dream without fully appreciating the true costs associated…
Bedazzled by what are perceived as bargain basement prices, increasing numbers of private purchasers are turning online for new and second-hand vessels in the USA and other enticing countries as a result of a strong Aussie dollar. But along with this new found freedom of expanded marine markets has come a litany of consumer problems, as unsuspecting purchasers throw caution…
Stranded on the high seas, the bilge pumps are working at full capacity as the engine-room floods and all power is lost. Circumstances have it that you are able to do little more than don a lifejacket, transmit a mayday message and prepare your crew to abandon ship. Both you and your vessel are now at the mercy of the…
Its early morning at the bustling Port Hueneme in California and a crane operator is carefully unloading a 72-foot, 42-ton Sunseeker Predator yacht from the weather deck of a European cargo ship. Clearing a stack of shipping containers the luxury yacht hangs suspended in the air, some 30-metres off the ground. Suddenly and inexplicably the crane gives way and the…
One New Year’s Eve, having just finished my shipwright apprenticeship, I sat down with a flute of Champagne and drawing pad, sketching an artist’s impression of what I considered to be the latest in sailing craft design. Like many yachting aficionados at this time of year, I had spent the week religiously watching yet another nail-biting Sydney to Hobart yacht…
Insurance is often considered a necessary evil, an expense paid with little return in fair weather. But can the boat owner afford not to have the appropriate insurance especially in the face of escalating natural disasters. A few mariners in Queensland may be thanking their lucky stars as the state’s largest marine insurer responds quickly by treating all claims as…