"Joe" wrote in message
om...
"Donal" wrote in message
...
"
Well, .... common sense suggests to me that your radar cannot see
below
your bow.

Your an idiot Donal, I can see everything in front of my bow, that
why we usually mount radars at the top of the wheelhouse, true I might
not see something 10 foot in front of the bow but I will know it's
there because I saw it from a mile to 10 foot in front of the bow.


Do you place a lookout on the bow in restricted visibility?



Common sense also suggests that, in a river, boats could come out from
the
side, suddenly.


Ever hear 4 or 5 detroit diesels running at full speed? you can hear
them a mile away. Only problems I ever had were duck hunters that
pulled flat bottom boats up on the bank. Some times they get upset by
a wake. Most the locals and the guides know commerical boats run these
rivers and expect huge wakes. And find protected places to pull the
boats up.


So you rely on the fact that locals will recognise the sound of your
engines??




I sail near the Houston ship channel all the time. Several time I've
been fog bound, I did not have radar at the time. Just got out of the
channel and wated it out. But all the ships keep running at full speed
and send huge wakes out of the channel. I know if Im near the channel
these wake will come after the noise of the ship passing. It's one of
those common sence things.

Check out a coastal pilot for the Missippi delta area and you will
see that they have thick fog around 110 days a year on average. Is all
work suppose to stop?

No. The Coll Regs don't say that you have to *STOP*. However, they do say
that you should proceed at a safe speed. I cannot see that 25 kts could be
consifered a safe speed in fog.



How long do you think you would stay employed
for an oil company if you stopped every time fog blew in.

It depends on whether the oil company believed that it is acceptable to
observe the Coll Regs.


You stop for
24 hours to wait out fog you cost your customer 45,000 dollars to
100,000 dollars depending on the rig. And the
most expensive rigs are in the mississippi canyon area were the water
is 1400 foot deep. The companies knew my boat would do the job. That
whay I always worked the big money rigs like Bull Winkle.

Aaaahhhhh! Now, I understand. .... Coll Regs have a price????




Why in the hell do you think radars are put on boats? Is it just a
gadget to impress people like Bobspirt uses his?

Or is it a tool to help you complete a task?

Radar is a tool. However, Radar is only *one* tool.

Regards



Donal
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