Stryker Vs Barge

[Blacklab]

Rumor has it at $15,000 in damages including 55 ipilot Terrova.  We’ll know for sure no later than Tuesday I believe.

[Alchase]

Rumor has it at $15,000 in damages including 55 ipilot Terrova.  We’ll know for sure no later than Tuesday I believe.

Ouch 

[MeepDog]

Being in a decent sized boat might have saved your life. My little 14 foot valco has danced with a couple barges on the snake and it would be swamped taking an impact like that.

[birddogdad]

Who would be considered at fault in this instance?

Per the COLREGs, if blacklab was anchored AND flying the round black ball, likely the tug. But in many other situations, he would have been the stand-down vessel.

Radar is not that expensive guys, and if you choose to go out in foggy conditions on navigable waters where working men are operating tugs and barges to make a living without radar you are taking on a tremendous risk.

Blacklab, I'm sorry that you and your wife found yourself in this terrifying situation, but you should consider yourself very, very lucky nobody was seriously hurt or killed. 

If you continue to insist on going out in fog on navigable waters, I'd hope you add a radar to the repair/refit bill.  Even if you had right of way per the COLREGs, you still got away with one.  I'm reminded of a famous nautical poem:

"Here lies the body of Johnny O'Day
Who died Preserving His Right of Way.

He was Right, Dead Right, as he sailed along
But he's just as dead as if he'd been wrong."

 

Holy crap!
Glad no one was seriously hurt!

Sadly as Skillet said the downriver tug would have right of way. Even if he did not, it would take lots of proof and a lawsuit to prove otherwise. GPS data may help if you were not in the navigable channel.

Here I am being a keyboard non expert, but I dont think they have to be in the shipping channel.

You could be correct, I could not remember.........

If we had been anchored.  We would not be having this conversation

Scary thought 

My dad and I were fishing Sekiu for Silvers in a Olsen's rental boat. We were pretty far out and had a couple fish already in the boat when fog rolled in. All he had was an old compass. Sound in the fog can be misleading. We could hear the tankers passing, but could not tell where or how close until the fog started to lift, and a tanker was long side of us about 100 feet away. We never heard anything but the bow wave.
We were pretty quiet all the way back to port.

   Radar and AIS in the straits are pretty much needed for just such events.. there is a sep scheme on most charts that i run in if possible.. but you really are playing chicken without having everything transmitting..
made 2 runs to Neah and both were socked in.. run on instruments out to swiftsure and i was sandwiched between a pair of other fisherman in boats all the way out on radar (within .5 miles on radar each side.. really didnt like it).. once there, big ships were stacked waiting for it to lift (it seemed) also fishing fleet was all around moving  in and out of sight. no place to low ball your safety equipment for sure~ was the kind of morning that i was playing "captain" and absolutely NOT fishing but keeping us safe out there..

[blackpowderhunter]

glad you're ok.
Im beating a dead horse here but AIS and Radar should be on your black friday shopping list.
AIS and Radar have saved me a few times running from the juans back to everett..
Clear and sunny inside the islands, 100 ft vis in the strait.  Weather changes fast, safety is something ive learned has no budget on the water...