North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

I like thier answer of if someone falls overboard you should keep driving and notify marine rescue on you way home
Someone has a sense of humor or no sense at all

Shortly after the incident, I was told by someone who should know, that fibreglass boats DON’T show up on radar. I was concerned because I have a glass boat. I took the bloke at his word
For the past 2 weeks I have been aboard a 24m vessel travelling up the Kimberly coast and I mentioned this to the skipper.
He told me that this is rubbish. He showed me how small 6m glass boats showed up from a great distance. Everything showed up!!!! Even things as small as a 12” crab pot float showed up. The larger pearl floats lit up like a beacon
As he said, it all shows up BUT YOU HAVE TO BE LOOKING AT THE SCREEN

Depends on the radar nomad.

A lot of variables there nomad. Weather is a big one. In flat seas we use the radar to find bird flocks over tuna schools. In choppy seas how ever the clutter and gain need to be dialed out and there is a lot that gets missed or inconsistant readings instead of solid echos.some fibre boats have radar reflectors put on them as do the pearl farms. They use one on each corner of the lease. I doubt very much that you could pick up a crab pot float especially if it was choppy but technology has come a long way so i could be wrong but i doubt it.

fair enough - that makes sense. we were in glass off in flat bays when he showed me. they were big shiny floats not the ordinary crab pot floats
the boat is only 10 years old so its probably top of the line.

boat not found ... http://www.news.com.au/national/norther ... d5760a9531

Good ol NT News , Facts wrong again !!!! The above story states the collision was with
a 4.5 mt Qinnie . I rang em this arvo and the didn't have a clue .
Then they want me to email them the correct facts , Great reporting ,,, THINK NOT.!!!

Fibreglass boats hold great natural bouyancy midwater while sinking.... Could be anywhere with our tides..

Miss by an inch, miss by a mile.

UPDATE,,,,
It has been a shambles with the first investigation , BUT finally we have the right investigators on the case

I've had many contacts and emails about this and I can't comment too much about it till it is settled in court .
So thanks for your kind comments and concern for the family and I'm just so glad we had a great Christmas together .....Cheers

Hope it works out for everyone Jeff

Ditto, must be a real headache Jeff, hope it is sorted soon.

Nomads right about no useful reflected signal from fibreglass skid boats. The only useful signal that you'll get back is from metallic reflecting sufaces above the waterline. On a skid boat (even 8m) there's not much that can reflect radar signals. But there is way to partially remedy that. If anybody who has a fibreglass boat wants info, pm me.

12 years of driving a radar equipped rescue vessel hammered that home to me. The ASR I was with constructed little radar reflectors made of 2 x 300mm square bits of aluminium with slots that slotted together to form a 3 dimensional cube so it didn't matter what angle a radar signal hit it, it was reflected back. We told boatowners to carry these on board (the square bits of aluminium were carried as a "flat-pack" for easy storage). Skid boat owners were advised to quickly assemble these reflectors (took less than 10 seconds) and attach them to vessel if they decided to anchor (particularly at night) near a port or if broken down and a search was under way.

Those reflectors sure made them easy to see when we were looking for them particularly at night.

But the thing that stands out about the Jane Virgo's photograph is the huge visibility obstruction at the bow. An extra long ramp means that its much higher than normal when raised and there is no way in the world that the Jane Virgo would see anything ahead of it at water level either by eye or by radar.

The radar is mounted back down towards the stern above the bridge. Draw a straight line from the top of the bridge to the top of the raised loading ramp. The line keeps going up and there is no way that the bridge operator can see anything in front for an arc that would be km wide and wider as you go further out.

How that vessel was ever passed for survey is a mystery due to unsafe restricted forward visibility.

What's likely (and we don't know this) is that the loading ramp extension was made AFTER the original survey and then not re-surveyed following the modification. I guess that info should come to light during the investigation. However, these surveys are scheduled at regular intervals so if it had been resurveyed with that visibility obstruction then the Shipping Inspector who signed the survey off is the person who has some questions to answer as well as the crew.

The Jane Virgo would simply not see any light (or vessel by day) that was within the zero radar/eye visibility arc directly in front of the boat no matter how high above the water.

Its not a coronial inquest so the investigating body would probably be NT Transport or equivalent so NT Transport would be leaving itself wide open to possible litigation if the action of a NT Transport Shipping Inspector should be considered a significant contributing factor.

That barge was (and still is) a maritime collision waiting to happen again (if that loading ramp isn't modified).

Gday All
Its been a while but this case is FINALLY going to court tomorrow for Plea or Mention ,,, still not sure what outcome we can expect .
Unfortunately one of the victims has passed on(RIP) before our stuffed legal system could deal with this .So hopefully more info soon

It's likely that this will take some considerable time especially if they plead not guilty - I'd personally prefer that plea.

Whichever plea is entered it will be based on the lawyers best advice and based on the lesser possible financial punishment - the best outcome for the perpetrator.

Hopefully a full investigation and something good comes from this (learning & recommendations) rather than just a monetary fine (guilty plea), a sacking or two and then carry on as if nothing happened.

Either way I wish the best outcome for the survivors Jeff.