Can I be pressured into sailing an unsafe boat?
QI recently signed up with a delivery agency as crew for a delivery trip, but on arrival I discovered that the boat to be delivered had a number of problems, of which I was not forewarned. These were significant enough to give me serious concerns about the safety of the vessel. I decided to leave the trip and not to take part.
The delivery continued without me, and the delivery agency sent me an invoice for my flights and the marina fees incurred by the boat while it was looking for more crew. I am not a professional but I do have experience, so do I not have the right to be concerned for my safety as well as that of the others on board?
I was troubled by the agency’s apparent lack of interest in my concerns, seemingly more worried by the costs. Mark Lindahl
APete Green, managing director of Halcyon Yachts International Yacht Delivery, replies: I am not sure which agency Mr Lindahl was sailing with, but I would recommend discussing the issue with them directly in the first instance. When we at Halcyon Yachts take on the delivery of a yacht, the owner signs a document to say that the vessel is seaworthy and ready for the intended passage. This readiness includes safety equipment all in date, the engine serviced with spares available, and running rigging and sails all in working order.
If we discover an issue that we are not happy with then we would immediately contact the owner and try and work towards a solution so that we could continue with the delivery. If we felt that the vessel was unsafe and a solution could not be implemented in a sensible time frame then we would cancel the delivery, for which the crews costs are all covered.
The ultimate decision to sail lies with the skipper. We would, however, also take a crew member’s concerns very seriously. If just one of the three crew felt unsafe then we would need a good explanation and we would investigate accordingly. Our skippers are all highly experienced and are all very safety conscious. A yacht delivery company certainly shouldn't be applying financial pressure onto either skipper or crew to do something they feel is unsafe.