Own risk assessment in tunnels

I DO NOT have the statistics but suspect that the number of deaths in tunnels, since the massive number of souls lost in constructing the tunnels, must be in the single figures area writes John Howard.

Of course there is, quite rightly, the view that one death is one too many, but I feel that every boater (hirer and owner alike) should be mature enough to 'risk assess' their own crew when approaching a tunnel.

Someone to stop the boat

For my part, since the most recent spate of reports on deaths in tunnels, I always insist that my wife joins me on the stern whilst navigating through a tunnel more than about a hundred yards in length. This ensures that in the event of one of us falling overboard, for whatever reason, there is still someone aboard to stop the boat and either attempt a rescue or direct a third party to the appropriate section of tunnel.

I recently helped a friend, who was not in great shape, to move a boat up the Nene and with the depth and flow on the river I ensured that I had my life jacket on whenever I was on deck.

John Sergeant on roof

I'm not sure legislation is the answer (particularly as CaRT seem so inept at producing same), but so long as we don't get too many bloody idiots like John Sergeant, who seem to think it a great hoot to sit on the roof of a boat (along with another supposedly experienced boater—and possibly a cameraman too!) whilst travelling through the Blisworth Tunnel, we ought to be able to rely on the general boating population to use their own judgement in these circumstances.

With regard to Gailey Marine, I hope that there wasn't a financial motivation in issuing everyone a life jacket. Or perhaps it was another one of those CaRT regional 'interpretations' of the rules, that we seem to come across from time to time. It would be good to find out where Gailey heard of this rule, in order that it might be challenged appropriately.

In this case I go along with Richard Parry's ethic of Education instead of Legislation. I knew I would agree with him on something!

Addendum.

Just to reassure John Howard—there was no financial motivation in Gailey providing the life jackets, as no charge was made for them. As there were only two of us on the boat, keeping the rest of the crew in the cabin while traversing the tunnel was not an issue!

Peter Foster