See below, Port Captains instructions to Ski boat clubs in Durban.
Chris Tyrrell [Transnet NPA DBN]
Hi there, nothing has changed, people tend to panic before understanding the correct procedure to be followed with regards to their craft inspections.
1.) Like always the clubs safety officer inspects the craft on an annual basis, he then indicates on the registration form how many persons are permitted to be carried during the day and during the night. This is often not shown on the form so the incorrect information is transferred onto the disc and the skippers are being fined by the water wing at night because their disk says 0 persons by night.
2.) If you look at the bottom of the bay registration form on the left hand side which I pointed out at many DPCC meetings, it reads I have examined the person and he/she is fit to handle a pleasure craft, his/her eyesight has been tested. (Is this being done), if so then there should be no problem filling in the bay registration form.
3.) With some Durban Ski Boat Club members, they have no night rating to launch from the surf but want to use their boats at night in the port. Once again the clubs safety officer must check that the boat is night rated, all round White Light, life jackets and a life ring, (most skippers say that they are exempt from all the rules but this is not so in the port).
4.) The skippers eyesight must be checked, how can someone be on the bay at night who cannot see anything.
5.) The pilots have near misses every night when bringing ships in and say they cannot see the small craft, their lights are inadequate and they are not obeying the rule of the road.
6.) It is just a matter of time before we have a fatality and I would like to bring one of the pilots to the next meeting to tell the members so that they can see that I am not making this up.
Regards
