Six POB, Five-Person Rating, and a Falling Glass
It is 1410 on a busy Saturday at a public ramp. You are skipper of a 5.5 m alloy runabout rated for a maximum of five people and 400 kg. Aboard are four adults weighing 80, 85, 75 and 90 kg; two children weighing 35 and 30 kg; and 60 kg of gear and fuel. The forecast is 15–20 knots south-westerly, gusting 25, with an ebbing tide and 0.8 m chop at the harbour entrance. One adult has already had two beers and says he is fine to handle lines. The children’s lifejackets are stowed in a locker, not worn. The ramp queue is impatient, and another boatie tells you she will be right. The engine starts easily. You have a chart, a charged handheld VHF and a phone. Your plan is a two-hour fishing trip. Decide what you will do before the boat leaves the trailer.
1. Calculate the load and person count against the rating. What is your go/no-go decision, and what specific changes would make the trip acceptable?
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The ratings are separate limits, and the lower one governs. Persons: 4 adults + 2 children = 6, which already exceeds the 5-person rating. Weight: adults 80 + 85 + 75 + 90 = 330 kg; children 35 + 30 = 65 kg; gear and fuel 60 kg; total 455 kg, which exceeds 400 kg by 55 kg. So the boat is overloaded and over the person limit before weather is considered. My decision is no-go as loaded. To make it acceptable I would leave at least one adult ashore and reduce gear so the boat is under both limits (for example, 5 persons and about 340 kg), check the forecast again, ensure a sober skipper and crew, and only launch if the 15–20 kt gusting 25 forecast is within my crew’s comfort. With two children and an ebbing-tide chop, postponing is a reasonable skipper decision.
2. Assume you reduce the load and launch. What lifejacket and pre-departure briefing actions will you take before clearing the ramp?
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Correctly sized lifejackets for every person, checked and adjusted before launch; on a 5.5 m open boat the default is to wear them while underway, and the children and non-swimmers should wear them from the ramp. Brief: who is skipper; kill-switch use; seating and handholds; no movement while underway; the man-overboard shout and throw-bag response; radio on Ch 16; weather and route; what to do if separated; and tell someone ashore the trip plan and return time. Confirm the engine tell-tale and fuel, and leave the ramp without blocking the queue. The point is not just legal compliance; in cold water a lifejacket buys time and keeps a shocked person afloat.
3. The adult who drank two beers insists on taking the helm off the trailer. How do you handle this and why?
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I would not hand over the helm. Alcohol slows reaction and judgement, and the skipper remains responsible for the boat and everyone aboard, including at a crowded ramp. The risk is a collision while launching or an early loss of control with children aboard. I would assign him a non-driving job such as holding lines or the trailer winch, or ask him to sit down, and have a sober person drive. If he insisted, I would not launch. The skipper’s authority is not a formality; it is the mechanism for resolving exactly this kind of pressure.