Captain (Carrying "paying Crew") Faces Investigation.

[Lighthouse]

Captain faces investigation.

("Paying crew")

The British coast guard has launched an investigation of Boguslaw (Bob) Norwid, the captain of the S.S. Columbia that was missing off the coast of Chile for seven weeks with two Canadian women aboard before it finally arrived in Coquimbo last Saturday.

Citing the Merchant Shipping Act and other international regulations such as the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention, Mark Clark of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency based in Southampton, England, said they are looking into allegations the S.S. Columbia did not have adequate means to call for help in case of distress.

Clearly the 13-metre vessel which was flagged in Britain was acting as a commercial charter, Clark said - it carried three passengers, who each paid $3,500 for what was supposed to be a 40-day trip, even if they were referred to as crew.

Full story - HERE

[Aquaria]

... "However, this is not the first time that the same yacht, with the same skipper, has 'gone missing'. In 2002 the SS Columbia waited out a storm in calm Pacific waters en route from Vancouver to Mexico to avoid stormy weather, while a frantic search was conducted. Sail-World Cruising hopes that this story will have the same ending" (source)

It luckily had the same ending.

Hopefully the British Coast Guard will get this man off the water but I fear that he just changes the flag and continues!

Uwe

SY Aquaria

[JeanneP]

Quoting Josée Jade Chabot in the article, "And then I thought why did I pay $3,500 to be treated like this. If I wanted to go join the military I would have."

NOW do I get to say "I told you so"? Not that I did to these poor people, but by now any visitor to this site knows how I feel about this issue. Humph! I hope he gets his comeuppance, and more people take notice.

[Lighthouse]

The Polish-born Frenchmam seems to make his own rules, sometimes at the expense of his unwitting customers.

Full story - HERE

[lang]

Thanks for keeping us updated. Could any government bodies put a charge on him that would give him jailtime, such that the public can be safe from him?

[idpnd]

Originally Posted by lang' date='07 May 2010 - 04:12 AM

Thanks for keeping us updated. Could any government bodies put a charge on him that would give him jailtime, such that the public can be safe from him?

His yacht was struck off the register in the UK. We don't tend to stick non-violent criminals in prison willy-nilly in Europe.

[Yttrill]

Originally Posted by idpnd' date='09 May 2010 - 02:50 AM

His yacht was struck off the register in the UK. We don't tend to stick non-violent criminals in prison willy-nilly in Europe.

Heck no, yah just send em to Oztralia

[idpnd]

Heck no, yah just send em to Oztralia [img]public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif[/img]

Could be worse, free trip away from rainy island