Rob wrote:
> On Sun, 09 Oct 2005 23:31:30 GMT, W Randolph Franklin
> wrote:
>
>
>>(Sorry to put actual facts in an usenet posting. I feel
>>strongly about this tragedy since I was only a few miles away
>>when it happened.)
>>
>>- The latest story in the Albany Times Union is that the ship
>>looked so unstable at the dock that 1-3 passengers refused to
>>board.
>>
>>- The NTSB load test reported by a previous poster was
>>actually aborted before the investigators could fully load the
>>boat because it was too unstable.
>>
>>- The many witnesses to the capsizing did not report seeing
>>any wake.
>>
>>- The boat seats were relatively high in the boat.
>>
>>- Usually the Ethan Allen had only a few customers, not fully
>>loaded.
>>
>>- A good websites for news is this:
>>
>> http://www.capitalnews9.com/content/top_stories/?SecID=1
>>
>>Also see the local TV stations, WTEN, WRGB, WNYT.
>>
>>
>
>
>
> Something doesn't quite make sense or this article needs to address
> more (maybe the other stories do). If I had to guess what the problem
> was, my thoughts would be.... either the boat exceeded it's maximum
> weight afloat, the load was not distributed properly or the boat was
> modified from it's original build. Also I'm a bit surprised at the
> person in charge didn't recognize a problem before it happened if he
> had a lot of experience with this boat's characteristics or behavior
> under this situation before.
>
> Anyway, thanks for the report.
It is interesting that they apparently do not expect passengers in a
tour boat to move to where they can see something. In most tourist
trips I have taken in boats planes and cars folks move from side to side
to see whatever is interesting. Apparently this is not a design or
certification consideration for tour boats.
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