: The worst peacetime maritime disaster occurred here in the
: Philippines. Over 4,000 people died when an oil tanker and a
: ferry collided. The ferry, designed for 1,299 passengers, was
: overloaded with over 4,000 people. It also had cargo containers
: unsecured on deck. All this is illegal, of course, but laws here
: are merely suggestions.

: Both crews were drunk and were playing cards, watching TV and
: sleeping. Neither ship's radar was functioning, but who needs
: radar when there is no one on watch?

: Bob

Wow, that is truly sad- and frightening. I can personally verify that in the wheelhouse of the ferry boats and barges down here there are dominoes games and drinking going on. I posted a pic here before of the bar in the wheelhouse of the "Tug Life" barge. I think I also mentioned before on here about the time the captain grabbed my friend (a passenger) from his seat and said "Here, take the wheel for a minute" as another vessel was approaching and they were underway at speed. The captain ran down below to check out the smoke that was billowing from the engine room, which turned out just to be steam from a broken heat exchanger, but why not stop the boat while you figure that out? Also I personally watched a ferry boat captain texting at night all the way across Pilsbury Sound and he looked up with that "Oh sh--" look as he nearly plowed over the green can at the entrance to Red Hook, along with a poor couple in a dinghy.

In my travels when I have to take vessels in other countries I usually stay topdecks. I figure less chance of getting trapped down below when the thing decides to go turtle.

Anyway, I post all this stuff to remind us all that we are targets and we have to constantly be on the lookout. If a captain can't see an entire island I think it's safe to say he's not going to see a kayak! All that said, it's not the ferry boats that scare me most- it's the tourist who has never driven anything bigger than a 14' john boat on a lake, and for a few hundred bucks with NO checkride he can rent a 25' powerboat and take it in open seas. I had one drive right over the dive mooring once just as we were surfacing. Had I not grabbed my friend's ankle and stopped him he would have gotten a prop in the head. I have rented boats down here and all they do is show you how to turn it on and off, and give you a stern warning about the oil/temperature alarm. Whatever you do, don't run the boat if that alarm goes off because that will ruin the engine... now go run over and kill someone.