Canadian Yachting June 2019 - 29

A D D EN D U M
A v e sse l o p e ra to r's re sp o n sib ilitie s a n d o b lig a tio n s a re p ro v id e d
th ro u g h th a t le g isla tio n a t S e c tio n s 1 3 1 (1 ) a n d 1 3 2 . F o r n e w e r
b o a te rs: n o te th is la w w ith its re g u la tio n s g o v e rn s p le a su re c ra ft
in c lu d in g a m o n g its c o v e ra g e "C o llisio n R e g u la tio n s."
"E v e ry q u a lifie d p e rso n w h o is th e m a ste r o f a v e sse l in a n y
w a te rs, o n re c e iv in g a sig n a l fro m a n y so u rc e th a t a p e rso n o r
v e sse l, is in d istre ss, sh a ll p ro c e e d w ith a ll sp e e d to re n d e r a ssista n c e a n d sh a ll, if p o ssib le , in fo rm th e p e rso n s in d istre ss o r th e
se n d e r o f th e sig n a l."
"T h e m a ste r o f a v e sse l in C a n a d ia n w a te rs a n d e v e ry q u a lifie d p e rso n w h o is th e m a ste r o f a v e sse l in a n y w a te rs sh a ll re n d e r a ssista n c e to e v e ry p e rso n w h o is fo u n d a t se a a n d in d a n g e r
o f b e in g lo st." T h is C a n a d ia n le g isla te d o b lig a tio n o n m a rin e rs
is a lso re q u ire d u n d e r ("S O L A S ") th e S a fe ty o f L ife a t S e a
C o n v e n tio n . T h e o b lig a tio n is re le a se d w h e n a n o th e r v e sse l o r
v e sse ls c o n firm re sp o n d in g o r w h e n a d v ise d th a t a ssista n c e is n o
lo n g e r n e e d e d .
'G o o d S a m a rita n ' p ro v isio n s a re a lso ty p ic a lly c re a te d b y
p ro v in c ia l a n d te rrito ria l g o v e rn m e n ts fo r th e p u rp o se s o f p ro te c tin g c itize n s w h ile p ro v id in g m e d ic a l se rv ic e s su c h a s first
a id ," a c c o rd in g to th e O ffic e o f B o a tin g S a fe ty fo r th e P ra irie a n d
N o rth e rn R e g io n .
S H IE L D F R O M L IA B IL IT Y
T h e re is a m e a su re o f im m u n ity fro m lia b ility fo r th o se w h o p ro v id e e m e rg e n c y a ssista n c e . F o r e xa m p le s: p ro v in c e s o f A lb e rta
(th e E m e rg e n c y M e d ic a l A id A c t); B ritish C o lu m b ia (G o o d
S a m a rita n A c t, R S B C 1 9 9 6 C h a p te r 1 7 2 S e c tio n 1 ,
w w w .b c la w s.c o m ; a n d O n ta rio (G o o d S a m a rita n A c t).
A ffirm a tiv e d u tie s to p ro v id e e m e rg e n c y a ssista n c e to a n o th e r w h o se life is in d a n g e r, o r o th e rw ise in c a p a c ita te d e ith e r p e rso n a lly o r c a llin g fo r a id , b y g iv in g n e c e ssa ry o r im m e d ia te a id ,
u n le ss in v o lv in g a d a n g e r to h im se lf o r h a s a n o th e r v a lid re a so n ,
n o te s th e p ro v in c e o f Q u e b e c .
A p e rso n v o lu n te e rin g a ssista n c e m u st e xe rc ise sk ill a n d
k n o w le d g e o f w h ic h h e o r sh e , o r g u e sts o r c re w , is c a p a b le . It is
c ritic a lly im p o rta n t in a n y 'G o o d S a m a rita n ' situ a tio n to k n o w
y o u r c ra ft's lim ita tio n s a n d h a n d lin g a s w e ll a s y o u r o w n c a p a b ilitie s, o r la c k th e re o f.
T O W IN G S C E N A R IO
W h a t a b o u t th ro w in g a to w ro p e to a d isa b le d c ra ft in th e a b se n c e
o f a n a c c id e n t o r c o llisio n ? F o r to w in g fo r in sta n c e , sp e c ia l c a re is
re q u ire d sin c e to w lin e s c a n g e t ta n g le d a ro u n d p ro p sh a fts, a n o th e r b o a t c o u ld h it th e lin e a t n ig h t p lu s th e re c a n o fte n b e c o n d itio n s o f re d u c e d visib ility in b a d w e a th e r, a t n ig h t o r in a re a s
sh a re d w ith h e a vy c o m m e rc ia l tra ffic . O n e h e lp fu l b o a te r sto p p e d
to to w a b o a t w ith e n g in e p ro b le m s a b o u t a h a lf m ile b a c k to sh o re
in a lig h t c h o p . O th e r b o a ts w e re sp e e d in g b y, a fe w in ve ry c lo se
p ro xim ity n o t e ve n slo w in g d o w n . T h is e n d e d su c c e ssfu lly, b u t lia b ility w a s a c o n c e rn if so m e th in g h a d g o n e w ro n g .
(In a fo llo w in g se a o n e e x p e rt su g g e sts rig g in g a d ro g u e to
th e to w to k e e p it fro m rid in g u p o n to y o u r ste rn if th e b o a ts

T h e C a n a d ia n P o w e r a n d S a il S q u a d ro n s n o t o n ly p ro v id e
fre e s a fe ty e q u ip m e n t c h e c k s b u t a ls o p ro v id e a w e a lth o f
in fo rm a tio n o n re c e n t a m e n d m e n ts to S m a ll V e s s e l a n d
tra d itio n a l b o a te r re g u la tio n s , fla re s a n d o th e r v is u a l d is tre s s
s ig n a l c a rria g e re q u ire m e n ts ( a n d th e ir e x p ira tio n ) ,
V H F R a d io C o u rs e s to c a ll fo r h e lp , a n d a t th e n a tio n a l h e a d q u a rte rs w e b s ite a t w w w .c p s -e c p .c a a lin k to th e p o p u la r
" J u s t A s k J o h n " a n d h is Y o u T u b e B o a tin g T ip s a t
w w w .y o u tu b e .c o m / C P S E C P
F o r th e 2 0 18 a m e n d m e n ts ( in c lu d in g S U P s ) y o u c a n a ls o
v ie w : w w w .g a z e tte .g c .c a

g e t o u t o f sy n c a n d w h ic h a lso c a n re d u c e th e te n d e n c y o f th e
to w to y a w .)
B O A T IN S U R A N C E IS S U E S
U n fo rtu n a te ly in to d a y 's w o rld m a n y b o a te rs a re c o n c e rn e d w ith
lia b ility, litig a tio n a n d in su ra n c e issu e s sh o u ld d a m a g e b e su sta in e d to e ith e r o r b o th b o a ts a n d /o r th e p a rtie s in v o lv e d . T h is is
a n im p o rta n t p o in t. N o rm a lly th e a id in g c ra ft's in su re r w o u ld
p a y fo r d a m a g e b u t n o te th a t so m e in su re rs a d v ise th e y m a y ta g
o n a 'lo ss su rc h a rg e ' to th e c o st o f th e p o lic y. If y o u h a v e n 't h a d
a re v ie w o f y o u r m a rin e in su ra n c e in so m e tim e , n o w is th e tim e .
C O N C L U S IO N A R Y N O T E S
A g a in , it is tru e th a t g e n e ra lly b o a te rs a re a ffo rd e d so m e m e a su re o f p ro te c tio n b u t w ith a c a v e a t so lo n g a s a c tio n s a re re a so n a b le a n d p ru d e n t, b u t so m e tim e s c o u rts m u st d e c id e in
a sse ssin g d a m a g e s. A s o n e ju d g e re m a rk e d in a n o ft q u o te d c a se ,
"A re sc u e a tte m p t m u st b e c o n sid e re d in th e lig h t o f th e c irc u m sta n c e th a t fa c e d th e re sc u e rs w h e n th e y a c te d a n d n o t w ith th e
w isd o m o f a n 'a rm c h a ir a d m ira l' a fte r th e fa c t."
A c a se c o m e s to m in d w h e re lia b ility d id a tta c h . A n e w a n d
in e x p e rie n c e d o p e ra to r o f a la rg e p o w e rb o a t e n c o u n te re d a
g ro u n d e d slig h tly sm a lle r c ra ft. B o th p a rtie s a g re e d o n a p u ll.
In th is in sta n c e it d id n o t g o w e ll w ith sig n ific a n t d a m a g e to
b o th b o a ts. T h in k h u ll in te g rity a n d ru n n in g e n g in e s in sh a llo w
w a te r. T h e h e lp e r h e re w a s n o t c a p a b le o f re n d e rin g p ru d e n t
a id a n d lo st in a la te r c o u rt c a se fo r d a m a g e s th e o w n e r o f th e
a ssiste d c ra ft file d . T h e c a se w a s sile n t o n w h y th e g ro u n d e d
b o a t's to w in g in su ra n c e p ro v id e r w a s u n a v a ila b le . (T o w in g
in su ra n c e is h ig h ly re c o m m e n d e d n o m a tte r y o u r b o a tin g
lo c a le a s m o st g ro u n d in g s a n d th e lik e a re b e tte r le ft to p ro fe ssio n a l to w in g se rv ic e s.)
T o d a y w e fe e l w e 're in 'c o m m u n ic a tio n s c e n tra l' w ith a ll o u r
h a ilin g d e v ic e s, b u t w e a lso k n o w th e re a re tim e s w h e n a fe llo w m a rin e r is n e a rb y o r e v e n o b se rv e s th e m ish a p . If y o u ta k e
o n th e ta sk , a c t re a so n a b ly a n d d o n 't p u t y o u r b o a t, y o u rse lf o r
y o u r g u e sts a t risk e sp e c ia lly if y o u a re a n e w e r b o a te r. P ro c e e d
w ith g re a t c a u tio n a n d y o u 're lik e ly to ste e r c le a r o f th e la w
a n d th e c o u rtro o m . *
Jo a n W en n er, J.D . is a lo n g tim e a n d w id ely p u b lish ed b o a tin g
sa fety w riter w ith a la w d eg ree. C o m m en ts o r in q u iries w elc o m e to :
jo a n _ w riter@ ya h o o .c o m

w w w .c a n a d ia n y a c h t in g .c a

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Canadian Yachting June 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting June 2019
