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Random Quote: The road of life is full of flattened squirrels that couldn't make a decision.
actually cdogs "what if" question captured what I was pointing out. Sorry for not being more specific earlier. And try not to take everything so personally.
From the article, it looks as though he was running a commercial operation at the time. They werent just pals, they were paying pals.
Thus the rule of his needing a vhf and being required to monitor it, is the way the regs read. He was not a recreational boater as you are trying to argue for.
So on to your other part. What do I have against deaf people on the water. I dont have a problem with their being on the water. You seem to have inferred much more than I have said.
Snow Shovel, I wanted to post something to that regard but didn't. Thank you for doing so. I pictured a power hungry boarding officer talking to an academy brat on the radio and together they figured out how to mess with this guy. I wrote one citation the whole time I was in and 5th District told me I had to write that one.
Don't get me wrong. I terminated a bunch of boats, followed them to the dock. I have been known to chew some a$$ for things such as bowriding. Actually had a couple of mothers terribly upset at their husbands. But to terminate a deaf guy just for being deaf, I too wonder about the priorities these days.
However, as I said above, if he did something else wrong.......
Edit. Sea_Dad, I guess we were posting at the same time. If was a truly a commercial venture, well I guess he wasn't playing by the rules.
Amen, he should be allowed to boat with no restrictions. By himself, with his deaf friends, or anybody of his choosing. I would bet that he is safer and more qualified than half the respondents to this thread, myself included. I have three people with disabilities in my immediate family. One is a polio survivor who can't stand without crutches and braces on his legs and torso for over 50 years. He is a world traveler, a self-made millioniare, a pilot, a sailor, can backstroke for miles...and do just about anything you and I can do. Except jump, run, walk. Another brother in law is a quadraplegic for over 20 years. Lives alone, drives, spends about 3 hours each morning getting himself dressed to go to his CPA office. And I have a sister who can't read or write, but has held down a state job for 27 years.
That's why I'm not going to respond further to this post. So many things have been said that I just want to blow up on. Try spending one day in a wheelchair, or a few hours blindfolded, or go for a day without speaking, and think about your experience whenever you see someone misuse a handicap parking space to just "run into" the store, or leave their shopping cart in one 'cause they're to damn lazy to walk 50 feet on two good legs. We'll all be there soon enough.
Glacierbaze, I shoot with a paraplegic who served a tour in Nam just to have a car pull out in front of him on a motorcycle just 6 months after he got home. Want to see someone raise some hell? Just like you said, he will actually go across a parking lot and chew major ass when he sees someone with a handicapped tag jump out of their car and walk into the store. Those people ought to be cited.
how many people turn their VHF on only to hear so much babbling that they turn it off. what a waste of resources
people are still smuggling stuff past the coast guard but they apparently have so much free time they cite a deaf guy...c'mon, give him a break, he didn't seem to be operating recklessly which is a heck of a lot better than the "normal" boater in the eyes of the coasties.
i have at least 2 jetskiers jump my wake each time I leave port, never seen anything done
In my opinion, the fact that this a commercial operation, is extremely important. Not being able to hear a message over a VHF is one thing. Not being able to hear a MOB situation is quite another. If it isn't sighted immediately, the guy in the water is DEAD! The Captain of the commercial vessel is responsible for his passengers. A deaf commercial Captain should have a hearing person on board.
The fact that this was a commercial vessel is extremely important. Not being able to hear a VHF is one thing. Not being able to hear a MOB situation is another. If a MOB situation occurs, and the man in the water is not immediately sighted, he would probably be dead. A commercial captain is responsible for his passengers. Any deaf commercial captain should be required to have a hearing person on board.
Am I reading the same article as everybody else? Where in this article does it even allude to the fact that this guy was running a commercial business? It sates in the very first paragraph that he is a recreational fisherman.
BlueMarlin - I will to get more info for you on the deaf pilot. He used to date a friend of mine, I don't know him personally. All I do know is that he was not allowed to fly in and out of major airports. I'll see what else I can get.
Chessie: Sorry about that. I thought he was a commercial captain. In any event the fact that he is a captain makes him more responsible than a weekend warrior.
The USCG is not going to issue a captain's license to someone who is color blind! Good reasons for this...green lights vs red lights, color coded navigational aids, etc.
What's the problem here? Can this guy hear passing and crossing signals, hear obstruction warnings, backing signals? If his passengers get into a life threatening situation can he communicate needs and recieve instructions to assist his passengers?
Come on.....life is not always fair! All this guy needs is someone else's ears when he's on the water.
Now I suppose we're going to get braille navigation charts and some deaf dude is going to sue Uncle for $10,000,000 and get it!
Some things just don't jive here. This guy has been boating for 27 years, is president of the 80 member deaf anglers club established in 1973, and now they decide he can't safely captain his boat??
In 27 years he and any number of the clubs members must have had dealings with the Coast guard in the past. Has the CG simply not been enforcing their own regulations during this time? Or maybe their regulations are inconsistent (as mentioned earlier).
Either way I think this sucks. Seems pretty simple to look at this groups record on the water and if they statistically pose no increased risk then leave them the hell alone.
Well chessie I stand corrected.....but I will say this Id rather have that deaf guy boating than a deaf guy flying... 4000 hours experience flying mutliengine aircraft all over the world tells me this...
1) light gun signals SUCK
2) No istrument operations for sure'
3) the inability to communicate with ATC to me is crazy... even if flying proper VFR altitudes ect... its just crazy..
4) hell most controlled airports arnt going to want to deal with this guy...
5) i suspect deaf pilots are the result of what some one said above... a law suit
6) here is a crazy though .... a deaf pilot can get his lic in 40 hours like everyone else... 200 hours for a commercial certificate... but it takes 360 DAYS experience for someone to get a 6-pak lic... go figure
7) While it certainly is legal... flying without the ability to talk to Air Traffic control seems foolish.
8) the demonstrated ability tests they spoke of for stall and engine failure.... hum.... I would like to see that... believe me the stall warning horn is blaring long before you "feel" it...
Despite political correctness and human feeling a good deaf boater cant be as safe overall as one who has their hearing. That’s more than just an opinion, it’s a fact. Everyone who has spent any time boating can cite examples of how not being able to hear would affect him or her.
The really question is should a deaf person be allowed to operate a boat alone with no restrictions. We know young people are less safe than adults and in most areas are restricted in boat operation and people under the influence of alcohol also can’t operate a boat. You can however operate a pleasure boat in most areas with no training or certification.
Who is safer a non skilled, unprepared, hearing boater or a deaf boater with experience and the proper boat preparation and equipment.
I am reminded of one of the last scenes in the Blues Brothers when hundreds of Chicago's Finest are converging on Jake and Ellwood with tanks and helicopters saying only "Hut Hut Hut Hut Hut"
ADA is a very powerfull organization. This guy will be boating again very soon; right or wrong!! Hope he's a member of THE HULL TRUTH.
Some of you guys must have nightmares about being run over by a supertanker in the fog. This is not an issue with some of us because we don't run inlets in the fog.
I'm trying to think of an instance on the water when I really needed my hearing. Other than enjoying a good Buffet CD I can't think of one right off hand. Would anyone on this forum want the CG to suspend your boating priviledges if you lost your hearing? This guy owns a Parker 23 with autopilot, and has been boating for 27 years. I do believe if he was an endangerment to anyone, it would have showed up by now. Personally, I would be afraid to compare my boating skills with this guy.
Let me pose this question: Would you rather follow a guy out of a tricky inlet who is deaf and has 27 yrs experience or a guy that just bought his first boat (a Bayliner 175 no doubt)
Like some of the previous posts stated, we don't know the whole story of what happened out there, I just hope this dude is a good guy and a good boater, and is able to continue what he loves doing.
Basically what this is telling us is that if the CG Patrol "thinks" a law or rull MAY be broken they may pull you over. How would this work with the Police officer on the streets who sees you driving down the street and he thinks you are going to speed or run a stop sign, I dont think they can pull you over
I've got to reverse my first opinion on the subject.
1. I don't think this person should be banned from using his boat.
2. If he does run a charter business, he should inform all passengers of the risk involved by boating without a hearing person on board. He should make an attempt to have on board a device used to communicate with the coast guard or other vessels in case of an emergency.
If the CG imposes restrictions on this person then what is next, a hearing test for all boaters? Slight loss of hearing means you can't enjoy your boat anymore? I don't think so.
I am surprised that this hasn't hit the national press yet. There is no doubt in my mind that the coast guard will do a mia culpa...oh we didn't really mean that.
I am far more terrified of the that brand new bayliner owner; the rental boat operator; the drunk boater than I am of someone who's deaf. OK...he can't respond to my vocal Mayday, Pam, securite, but he can see my DSC location. He can send me and the CG a DSC if he has a problem..and the DSC record can say "deaf boater" so the CG has a hint that it might not be a true emergency, but still a problem. Nope, he can't do a radio check; He may be able to speak clearly enough to send information, should he need help.
I wish there was a way to ban people from doing things because they are just plain stupid. That isn't even protected by the constitution....let's lobby for some stupidity laws. We'll be alot safer than going after folks with disabilities that in most cases do some things better than us who have all our capablilities. I'm going to bet this guys even a better fisherman than I am....
The views and/or opinions stated by the author in this post are the views and opinions of the author
Coast Guard Cites Deaf Boater 
