Duck boat tragedy "storm came out of nowhere" BS

[oosik]

I feel deep sorrow for those in the duck boat. It is a truly frightening experience to KNOW that the craft you currently are in, will not survive.

I had a very similar experience my first year in Alaska. Caught out in a violent storm on the Inside Passage about 20 miles south of Ketchikan. I finally realized that the boat I was in would not withstand the violence of the storm. I drove the boat right up onto the beach and waited out the storm on land. The next day the Coast Guard found me and helped drag the boat off the beach and back into the water. I DID check the weather report prior to departing Ketchikan and there was no storm warning for the coming 24 hour period.

That was the summer of 1960 and I'm pretty sure - storm prediction has improved in that amount of time.

 

[/pine]

I live on the water, and I ALWAYS know when storms are coming. They DO NOT come out of nowhere, they are easily tracked these days. It is not like decades ago.

There are some exceptions...what some call "freak storms" or "no name storms" can create the atmospheric conditions ( i.e.. extreme pressure differences etc.) that allow storm cells to intensify beyond predictable levels...

...I'm not defending the NWS...But I think they mostly do a great job...but weather is such a dynamic thing it can be at times somewhat unpredictable...

Until late last year all the satellite data that any and all WX sites, stations , bureaus etc., etc...had/have access to is the same gov. satellites...

Most major market TV affiliates have state of the art ground based WX monitoring hardware that is way better than most government funded WX monitoring stations (like airports etc.)...the local station observances and predictions should be heeded IMO...

 

[goeduck]

I feel deep sorrow for those in the duck boat. It is a truly frightening experience to KNOW that the craft you currently are in, will not survive.

I had a very similar experience my first year in Alaska. Caught out in a violent storm on the Inside Passage about 20 miles south of Ketchikan. I finally realized that the boat I was in would not withstand the violence of the storm. I drove the boat right up onto the beach and waited out the storm on land. The next day the Coast Guard found me and helped drag the boat off the beach and back into the water. I DID check the weather report prior to departing Ketchikan and there was no storm warning for the coming 24 hour period.

That was the summer of 1960 and I'm pretty sure - storm prediction has improved in that amount of time.

You did an excellent job and were quick to think to beach your boat. :thumbsup: On the duck boat, they are usually dealing with hours per trip, not the 24 hour window you had back in the day.

 

[ruffdog]

No one was allowed to get floatation devices.....told to stay seated. They knew the weather was going to be bad too. I think the ducks will be grounded.
"Ride the Ducks" Survivor Speaks Out About Terrifying Experience

 

[Sigarms]

I think after the lawsuits and the following laws that will be enacted after this "disaster", there will be no more commercial "duck rides".

Might of been posted...

 

[k0ua]

One of those that drown was the boat captian/driver. They said he had something like 16 years experience.

Captain survived. Driver is a causality.

 

[k0ua]

No one was allowed to get floatation devices.....told to stay seated. They knew the weather was going to be bad too. I think the ducks will be grounded.
"Ride the Ducks" Survivor Speaks Out About Terrifying Experience

Rutt-Roh. Gonna be he77 to pay for that move. And the fact that the water portion of the tour was started first instead of the land portion, means they knew that the storm was coming. Should have canceled the entire tour and refunded the money. Greed is what caused this accident.

 

[houstonscott]

Learn to swim, teach your kids to swim....

 

[ruffdog]

This is what happens when money takes priority over acting as a caring human being. With the way the weather was, the floatation devices should have at least been sitting in everyone's lap, 10min before it capsized. I agree with above^^ "Should have canceled the entire tour and refunded the money."

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I had it in my mind that these boats were built during WWII and converted for this purpose. Seems to me that something that hit the beach at Normandy might be a bit antiquated; I know I had reservations years ago when I heard about them.

Duck boat that sank at Table Rock was built in World War II | The Kansas City Star