By email;
I have it on good authority that the Safety Board inquiry into the Queen of the North sinking will find no mechanical or safety problems with the BC Ferries ship, but rather reveal that nobody was present on the bridge at the time as the two officers of the watch (a male and a female) were... exploring each other. Apparently there are regular gaps in the log entries over a period of time as this had become a pattern of behaviour.
As questions continue to swirl around the Queen of the North sinking, the ferry union boss is dismissing as irrelevant a romantic relationship between two crew members on the bridge when the vessel crashed.B.C. Ferries management said the relationship did not break its rules.
Since the ferry sank, stories have persisted of an affair between the helmswoman and junior (fourth) officer. But there is no evidence that the relationship had anything to do with the sinking, said Jackie Miller, president of the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers' Union. No crew has said " 'we're concerned because these two people were having an affair," said Miller. "It has absolutely no bearing and if it had a bearing the TSB [Transportation Safety Board] certainly would have made comment about it by now."
[...]
B.C. Ferries stopped paying the second and fourth officers "months back" because they will not answer questions by the corporation about the last 14 minutes before crash, said [B.C. Ferries spokesman Mark] Stefanson.
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That rumour has been floating around out here for a while. It'll be interesting to see what the report actually says.
And it's the Victoria Times Colonist, BTW. Maybe the story will get picked up the Saskatoon Phoenix or the Regina Post! ;-)
Posted by: pheenster at October 25, 2006 2:59 AMTerrible.
My first job was freighters and I've a fair bit of sailing experience. One MUST, no excuses, have people on the bridge doing their jobs while a ship such as this is under way.
I think it is a criminal offence to not have the bridge staffed by a ticketed-by-Transport-Canada watch officer and helmsman/woman, (fairly sure of that).
Plus, if the couple were "busy" then it is the Captain's responsibility to fix that problem and to do so immediately.
Posted by: jw at October 25, 2006 4:52 AMThe newspaper is the Victoria Times Colonist.
If this is true then they should go to jail for a long long time.
They should also have a civil judgement registered against them and have their wages when released from prison garnished in perpetuity.
I have no sympathy at all if two officers who had a legal responsibility to be at their ship's bridge were instead having sex, which caused BC to lose its first ferry in history and a real, married lovebird couple doing nothing wrong to lose their lives.
Their cowardice in hiding behind their union (and I'm a proud union member) makes me despise them more.
I hope this is not true, but fear it is. If it is true, I hope they get, literally, the maximum possible sentence under the applicable laws for each charge they can receive.
Posted by: Christoph Dollis at October 25, 2006 5:15 AMthey may not have broken the 'rules' but they sure broke the back of the ship.
hide behind the union, how typical.
this is on the scale of a drunken bridge handler on the welland canal in the late 70s who wrecked the bridge at port robinson. split the town right in 2. property values on the side that didnt have the fire hall and quick access to hospital ie the east side plummeted quickly when it was obvious the neither the province not the seaway authority was going to replace it.
a ship smashed right into it. he was too drunk to properly respond to the oncoming ship and it hit the bridge as it was being raised too late.
gulp gulp gulp boinky boink whatever.
on and on, what unbelievable crassness and criminal disregard.
Posted by: qwerty at October 25, 2006 5:36 AMSomeone write a folk song.
Posted by: EBD at October 25, 2006 6:52 AMUh-huh. Now it begins.
I wouldn't be surprised if the two "officers" are the in the forefront--more to come--of the wave of entitled individuals, who've come through the educational system without significant consequences to insubordination and unfinished work.
This abdication of responsibility is probably the outcome of years of habitual sloughing off of accountability--and we're definitely going to see an increase in this kind of derelection of duty.
Welcome to the brave new world of shrug, whatever, and "I don't know." Sadly, we ain't seen nuthin' yet.
Posted by: 'been around the block at October 25, 2006 7:12 AMShe (the helmswoman) won't get charged because she's a woman. 98% of federal inmates are men; women are effectively above the law in Canada, and I have the data to prove that. She'll probably complain that she was being sexually harrassed and will sue the survivors for something or other....
Posted by: Bob at October 25, 2006 7:56 AMAre they still working on ferries? BC Ferries, where are these two?
Posted by: Shaken at October 25, 2006 8:03 AMAs George Castanza would say, "was that wrong"?
Posted by: Richard Ball at October 25, 2006 8:11 AMSo, they went from watching to participating in the submarine races..... ;-)
Posted by: Jim Pook at October 25, 2006 8:15 AMSounds a bit like SCTV's Das Boobs.
Posted by: Mississauga Matt at October 25, 2006 8:30 AMDid they smoke after sex? That would be the real crime, wouldn't it?
Posted by: George at October 25, 2006 8:37 AMSince there were deaths as a result of the bridge crew's actions, the matter is criminal. If they were not on the bridge when they were supposed to be, for whatever reason, including a quicky boinking session, then they are responsible for the deaths.
Posted by: Fred at October 25, 2006 8:38 AMLines for the song.
"The Saga of the Too Tight Passage"
way ho and thar she blows.
mate on top and captain below
way ho and thar she blows.
union wont admit to their woes.
of course we could switch it to " the ballad of paris stronach" and refer to the vote in the house as the too tight passage.
Posted by: cal2 at October 25, 2006 9:08 AM"...B.C. Ferries management said the relationship did not break its rules..."
"two people having an affair...it has absolutely no bearing..."
I guess the union's Collective Agreement doesn't include a "No Exploring Each Other While on the Job" policy.
Remember when people were getting sick on disneys BIG RED BOAT? yeah call it their BIG RED BARF BOAT and the ship sinking? IT CROSSED PATHS WITH THE TITANIC
Posted by: spurwing plover at October 25, 2006 9:58 AMThat wouldn't have happened on Captain Stubing's watch.
Seriously, unless their duties include the carnal knowledge of shipmates then they were not doing their duty and as a result people died, and a ship sank. Dereliction of duty is a crime and should be prosecuted as such. Whether they were friends, lovers or just two ships that passed in the night as it were, has nothing to do with it.
"Queen of The North"? "B.C. ferries"?
The humour of an unintended juxtaposition of tragedy with "gaity'!
Bet the poor captain's last name was Van-Dyke!
Posted by: John Palubiski at October 25, 2006 10:21 AMBC ferries has just lowered the employment qualifications for ships officers on the ferries.
Posted by: Alan at October 25, 2006 10:25 AMMaybe they were just out whale-watching. Unions have certainly done there part to improve conditions for workers over the years, but most would agree that they have out-lived there usefulness nowdays.
Posted by: missing link at October 25, 2006 11:14 AMAn unexplained 14 minutes before the crash - at least he wasn't a one minute man. Unfortunately, due to the ship's sinking, we will never know if he's a sixty minute man.
Posted by: John B at October 25, 2006 2:31 PMWell. I guess there's one relationship that will either sink or swim.
;)
Posted by: Joe Canuck at October 25, 2006 3:10 PMHey, EBD, you want a folk song?
There's one about the boy who fell in love with the ferryboat itself. For this post, just one verse...
I'ved loved you from that day you first took me for a ride,
It seemed a hopeless match then but now the future's wide
For if they'll marry fairies in BC, I would quip,
I'll take you as my spouse - a loving relation-ship.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are on long term disability for work related stress.
Posted by: mike at October 25, 2006 6:31 PMI wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are on long term disability for work related stress
Posted by: mike at October 25, 2006 6:33 PMIf true, this story puts new meaning to the phrase 'rocking the boat'. :)
Posted by: Joe Canuck at October 25, 2006 8:17 PMTHE LOVE BOAT SOON WILL BE MAKING ANOTHR RUN.THE LOVE BOAT PROMISES SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Posted by: spurwing plover at October 25, 2006 11:34 PM