February 22, 2010
In the waning days of January, Eng. Pawel "Pav" Kwiatowske of M/Y Charisma, the 153-foot (47m) Feadship, disappeared. He was last seen leaving Willy T's bar in the yacht's tender. His crew mates reported him missing the next morning.
We don't know what happened to Mr. Kwiatowske, whose body was found a few days later washed ashore at St. Johns. His captain and crew mates could not talk before deadline because of a police investigation. (Click here for the police statements.)
Yet the incident raises questions about safety procedures and standing orders for crew ashore, so we talked about them at this month's From the Bridge captains luncheon
."If he was at Willy T's, he was drinking, and I have zero alcohol on the boat," one captain said. "He was coming back to the boat drunk. I have gotten very serious about that."
As always, individual comments are not attributed to any one person in particular so as to encourage frank and open discussion.
"I wouldn't let him just take the tender," another captain said. "Someone could run them [crew], they'd have a radio, and when they need to be picked up, we'd go pick them up."
"The tender stays with the boat," said a third. "It's a piece of safety equipment. We can't go rescue them if they have the tender."
There was a bit of discussion here on this point. Captains on smaller vessels were adamant that the tender not be tied to a dock someplace away from the yacht, but several captains with experience on larger vessels noted that a 150-foot megayacht such as Charisma would likely have several tenders. Allowing the crew to take the RIB for an evening ashore is not unusual."
But it's required that they have a designated driver," one captain said.
One point that seemed incongruous was that the crew of Charisma did not learn of their crew member's absence until the next morning, so we talked about curfews and standing orders for off-duty shore leave.
For those captains who preferred not to have a tender ashore, they said there is a prescribed pick up time. If the off-duty crew member was not at the pick-up point at the agreed upon time, he was on his own for the night.
"We'll do a tender run, and there's a prescribed time for pick up," one captain said. "If they're not there, they stay ashore."
"People on the boat have a right to go to sleep and not worry about it," another captain said
."You have to find your own way home," said a third. "Today, with cell phones and radios, hopefully, he'll contact you."
"We don't have a curfew," said a captain. "You tend to know your crew. Those who stay out, those who come back. You do get that call at 4 in the morning, but generally, there's no curfew. If they are not on deck at the time their shift starts, we start investigation procedures."
"There are significant differences between the owner and charter and being off charter," another captain said. "If we're off charter and you are not back, you treat them like adults and let it go."
Even on smaller vessels, with limited crew and one tender, arrangements can be made to drive off-duty crew ashore.
"Someone is on anchor watch anyway," a captain said. "If it's close, and conditions are good, I have allowed that. It takes 3-4 minutes."
Emotions in the room changed a little when someone brought up women on their crew.
"If it's guys going ashore, I'll cut them a little slack," one captain said. "If it's the girls, I'm very paranoid. I want them to call us."
"Females are far more liable to be accosted," said another.
This prompted a discussion about safety ashore, especially in some of the remote places yachts travel.
"If the stew needs to provision, two people go ashore in the tender to help: one to carry bags, the other one to stay in the tender," a captain said.
"My stews never go ashore alone," another captain said.
"It's tough on crew," said a third. "They've been busting their a-- for six or seven weeks and now they've finally got time off and they can't go out."
"I've been known to motor two hours to where I believe its a safer environment before letting the crew ashore," a captain said. "I do not allow the girls to go out alone, ever. I prefer the guys not to go either, but I worry about them a little less."
The captains shared some stories they have heard in the islands this winter, including cases where crew members have been taken to ATMs and forced to withdraw money, sometimes violently.
Regardless of the gender, though, the rules for gong ashore appear to be universal, at least among this group of captains. At a certain, predetermined time, the boat is locked up for the night. If the crew member going ashore is not back on board by that time, they have to make their own arrangements for transportation back to the boat or to sleep.
"I have three rules: no girls ashore alone; the boat is locked at midnight; don't come to work drunk."
The standing orders also might include rules about crew staying together ashore, no crew uniforms or anything with the boat name ashore, no camera, no jewelry."
Look as poor as you can look," one captain said. "Try to fit in."
"As captain, you find out about ports before you let crew ashore," one captain said.
"You have to use your judgment on the dangers, perceived or known. Then you balance the need for security with the need to vent."You have to approach each case individually," he said. "The rules change, port to port."
"That's where experience comes in," another captain said. "A captain who has been around knows when something's not right."
These captains agreed that it was important to warn female members of the crew to never go ashore alone and to "watch how much you drink.""
You have to be careful," one captain said. "it's happening more and more. They're catching on that stews are going shopping for the boat and that they have money on them.
""The bottom line is, female or male, you get drunk and you are walking alone on some back street, you will get robbed," one captain said. "It's happening in Antibes, Antigua, everywhere."
Even at anchor."Guys come out at night, stealing tenders, coming aboard and taking fishing gear, a captain said. "It's vital to have a proper anchor watch, 24 hours a day, for weather and for security. The youngsters don't understand how important that is. It's everybody's safety at stake."
"Problems arise when you have inconsistent enforcement," one captain said. "You have to be consistent as a manager. These are the rules. You have to train them to follow them, for their own safety and fr the well-being of the boat."
"Still, it only goes so far," another said. "Anything can happen."
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