@@bikebrains You should stop and think of the mishaps that have happened with yourself before commenting and sounding like a jackass. Everyone has had shit happen to them that they could've avoided but the important thing is to learn from them! Just like this comment of yours, you opened your mouth and now everyone knows how much of a piece of shit you are and if you would've just kept your mouth shut then people would still have some respect for you! Learn the lesson and next time you wanna speak just shut the fuck up and have a good day!! ;)
@@bikebrains i would have attempted the docking too. The way he explained it sounded like a good plan. I would definitely have it out with my spotter for not catching the fender getting tangled though, in a nice constructive way. Sounds to me everything else would have been ok had that fender not gotten tangled. Good thing it's a minor set back and only superficial damage. On the other hand the dockmaster/harbormaster/marina should take responsibility as well, maybe split 50/50 the repair bill. The fact that there was a fundamental fault in the way the other boat was docked crooked should be brought to attention, if they let it slip and don't correct it will only become a bad habit that will go on and could potentially lead to future incidents. The dockmasters role is completely useless in a marina if he doesn't take responsibility for accidents that happen on the premises due to improper docking procedures (ultimately something they should have spotted, looks like someone was paying more attention to the ladies than the lines if you know what i mean), i don't care what
I've been skippering boats for 15 years and this would have never happened to me... because 50 meters before the slip I would have feinted from hyperventilation stress of having to dock there.
30Irwin Hahahaha you just made me laugh so freaking hard lol! I have a 33ft Searay No bow truster so even a little boat it gets tricky but I like to believe I’m really good at it but I would love to handle something that big
I've been a Yachtie all my life. Mainly single hander. But small. 42 ft and 34 ft for last 23 yrs. Prior to that as a kid. was Deckie in North Sea Trawlers 110 to 130ft steel. and setline boats. 45 fo 55 ft. Timber (in '50s) we used to bump turn and end for end on fenders and springs mainly. These blokes would die. HE was totally for blame for the actual damage. SHould NEVER had gone in with cross line over his track for any reason. At those angles. Though. Primarily the original blame is Hbr Master slackness. Leaving line in place in the first place. This bloke KNOWS, HE mada a mistake. admits to it. BUT also knows he should have stood up to H/M. He's asking for permission here. Full respect to him. But Don't do it again. Smack. Smack.
Hes being a pushover, he need to get angry, get negative. Not only good things happens to overly positive people, a nega person would get upset and demand that groundline removed, resulting in no damage.
After watching this it is clear to me why the Owner has kept you on as Master and will continue to keep you on. You are a true professional with first concern for your crew. Well done Sir.
So professional that he berthed with a groundline fouling his entry when he should as a responsible skipper have waited until it had been dropped for his entry. Happens all the time and even in this case it is admitted that the vessel to port dropped his stbd. line as is customary. As for the fender issue if there are sufficient crew they should have been lifted when it/they was were seen to be an issue. I'm glad I'm out of it. Crew before the days of having to have to tickets and courses (STCW) and when a skipper could chose his deck crew and when people were observant and had gumption I barely had to instruct crew.
I am on the water for 38 years now and there are some lessons I've learned: 1.) There are two kinds of sea men: the ones that have already faced such things and the ones who are just waiting for it. 2.) Even if I can only put the blame on me: Never take this personally. Mistakes happen where humans work! 3.) If a crash happened and noone got hurt, the rest is only details on paper. The fact that you show an incident like this tells me you are a friend of "learning culture". And with a little humor I always say "I can't wait for others to do all the mistakes. I have to make some myself..." Good Job, Tristan. Shit happens. If you like it or not...
Huge respect to Tristan for sharing this painful lesson learned with everyone on TH-cam. Most would not. Yes, it was preventable, as are nearly all accidents. Tristan clearly understands that and clearly states so, more than once. He also takes full responsibility. Anyone with any experience on the water knows that even best laid plans, highly capable equipment, experienced and trained people, competent and decisive leadership, and time-tested, practiced procedure cannot prevent every possible incident. All of the above did prevent serious damage to both vessels that contacted (and to the port side vessel that very easily could have been) and any injury to any person. This shows the value of all of the above. Moreover, Tristan's courage and integrity demonstrated in showing us all the details of this incident may prevent others from suffering a similar mishap in the future. This sort of selflessness clearly separates him and his crew from the often narcissistic hoardes on TH-cam. I would hire Tristan to work for me, and just as easily would sign up to work for him. Bravo, Mr. Mortlock.
Only if you are teaching Introduction to Bad Judgement. 2.47 The width of the mooring space can be judged by the length of the small boat at the entry to the berth. Clearly, there is not enough space. The mooring should never have been attempted. Total incompetence.
@@bikebrains I disagree. Both the harbormaster and Cpt Tristan agreed the was enough space, the real issue i believe is the inability to spot the tangling of the fender. The yacht is docked, so there is actually room, a bit tight, yeah maybe
@@Sokeresa I agree with Sokeresa.... This is the only real issue here. The tangling of the starboard side fenders could and should have easily been avoided by lifting them over the ground line on time or additional fenders should have been lowered. Poor judgement and too slow reacting starboard side crew.
We admire your honest character and integrity as captain, even when faced with unpleasant circumstances. With docking spaces critical, the harbor master should insist that his crew strive for precise alignments which, in this event, looked less than desirable, leaving you to squeeze into what was left. It isn't just an event, but how one handles it afterward. You have our admiration and respect, as does your owner.
Men, i am the captain of my 34 ft boat for 3 years now and every time i try to dock i alway get nervous, i can’t imagine how stressful and dificult is goin to be docking that beast every day I respect you, you are a excelent captain! Keep doing what you do!
I was thinking the same thing, boats packed in that close just looks like a multi-million dollar trailer park.I cant believe that spots so tight that the fenders rubbing on both sides is an acceptable thing. No way to keep them clean enough that with hundreds of pounds of pressure, or constant rubbing from even small wave action isnt going to damage the paint at least a bit.
Too Many big and otherwise boats. Too little coastline. Go elsewhere. Berth is allocated by Harbourmaster. You COULD pay more for larger. bu most won't.
As other have said, I am surprised that crashes do not happen more often. The marinas are to tight. To expect that you should park $10m yachts inches from each other is ridiculous.
As with what Alan said, happy you are all safe. I had over 20 years as captain and crew on yachts and can confirm it is like controlling ice sliding on ice, you can only prepare for it and hope each time you get away with it.. you handled yourself well and we all second-guess but as you say we learn.. I'm 65 and am learning more now than ever.. you are an experienced captain, now with even more experience, so don't doubt yourself. Well done sir.
I always say "If I had done my job, it wouldn't have mattered that they didn't do theirs." Respect Tristan, you made a mistake, you owned up, and you learned
As the prior owner of the Broward 75' Motor Yacht Bottom Line for some 22 years with the same Captain and Spouse Mate for the entire time, I felt your pain! You get GOLD stars from yours truly for being so open and candid about the accident...AND...what a great relationship you have with your owner who "gets it". As the old expression goes, "crap happens"...he understands, plus...no one got hurt which was the most important thing just as YOU said! No one likes "yard time" and you'll have a bit for the repairs...no big deal! You're a FIRST CLASS CAPTAIN...sail on and put the matter under "lessons learned" as I know YOU will! Bill Mahoney
Glad everyone is OK...But as a Former Boat owner, That Harbormaster should Lighten up on the Packing job....TOO Close to each other...If I was a RICH man PAYING that Much to have a Slip, I would want a LITTLE More room!!!
I think the Captain's pride was hurt more than the boat. This is called "learning by doing". Keep on the good videos, Captain Mortlock, and thanks for sharing.
Great video and lots to learn from it. We own a 53 foot Spencer ketch and a 28 foot aluminum crew boat. Thank you for being so candid and honest it is very refreshing. I can tell you I am not skilled enough and never will be to attempt captaining a vessel that size. You and your crew and owner are amazing and first class.
Love how you’re man enough to take responsibility. A true Captain! I really believe that the marina needs to do a better job keeping the boats straightened out better and pay attention to detail. A total freak accident. Hope the owners are understanding of the situation
Openness and honesty (next to all the other reasons) is why I subscribed. Not posting it would not have done you justice. Great channel, great captain, great bosses response! Cannot wait to see you hit the 100k. 👍
Most impressive is your introspection. That is what prevents this type of thing from happening again. Like so many others, I've watched you for some time and there is no doubt that the owner of AWOL is fortunate to have a true professional captain as you. Thanks for everything to give to your audience!
I am going to look at this from the unemotional perspective of a marine insurance investigator and in no way I am trying to criticize Tristan or any of Awol's great crew, who I admire a lot . Thanks to Tristan, we have the luxury of a well detailed video account of what happened. First of all, this is a Marina that provides a dockage service to very expensive yachts. The docking space is clearly too tight and that is why they use a docking master to oversee every docking operation. It is clear from the video that the port side grounding line for the boat on the starboard side was improperly anchored to the same chain as the grounding line to be used by Awol. Both the tight space situation and the wrong location of the grounding line are the responsibility of the harbourmaster. The tight space is something that the Awol owner has to accept on a, take it or leave it basis, because of the Marina space situation in the Med, so that relieves the Marina from that liability. The wrong placement of the grounding line was in clear view of the harbourmaster and he should have stopped the docking operation until the situation was solved. Therefore, there is some responsibility here from the Marina. But, Tristan, or his crew member, also had a clear view of the grounding line on his starboard side while he was reversing and he also probably got a warning from his crewmember on a foot by foot basis, and that is why he tried to kind of zig zag the boat into the dock. Sorry to say but this was a miscalculation by Tristan because even with the help of the bow and stern thrusters you have to consider your boat's length and the width, because boats are rigid and they don't bend or curve like a snake. So, I say, that for the next time, considering the tight space situation, if things are not normal and conditions are not as expected or required, the operator of the boat should address the problem to the harbourmaster and wait until the situation is resolved. I understand from other blogs about Mediterranean mooring that a boat operator should expect grounding lines to be away from his direct docking approach and away from his propellers and that would be a responsibility of the harbourmaster. Eventually, the insurance carriers for the Marina and for Awol will fight it out. The boat that was damaged by Awol should expect a remedy by Awol or Awol's insurance carrier. The damage to both yachts was minimal and non structural and nobody was injured so this is just a learning experience for an incredible captain. Great video.
I appreciated how you laid it all out for us to follow. Tristan, I am very impressed with your professionalism in a very difficult situation. Thank you for your honesty and for allowing us to better understand the behind the scenes look.
Good comment, but was the speed of the boat not a bit high also? It look very high to me but hard to tell from a video. I am by no means a professional captain, but I would not dare to dock a small 30 foot with that speed... and that is a huge yacht carrying enormous momentum. If something goes wrong then these poor fenders has little chance...
Utmost respect to you Tristan, to show this minor incident to the public. Being myself a yacht captain, we unfortunately sometimes have those things happen, but as you said it well, we learn from it and move on. Most importantly, no one got hurt. Judging the parking slip isn’t easy and there are a lot of factores weighting in, which we need to evaluate and process in just a few moments. As for the slip you parked in, I would have definitely asked the Harbour master to drop the SB sides vessels PS ground lines (as well as the PS vessels SB sides ground lines) before starting the docking manoeuvre. With the SB side vessels ground line up, the SB side lookout person could have spotted the fender tangling earlier or even foresee it and could have acted accordingly. But it’s always easier to see and assess those things after an incident happened, so it’s more of an debrief assessment for the future. Keep up the good work and maybe I’ll be around AWOL someday and would love to say Hello.
I’m a transportation director. Accidents happen. Freak things also happen. Very few people are will to own their circumstances and my hat is off to you for not trying to pass blame off on someone else. Love the channel and love the boat!
Appreciate your candor in this matter, it speaks volumes about your character to take responsibility for this action and explaining the how's & why's... Chin up, the owner is lucky to have you.
I commend you for not passing blame. Now for the gold in this situation, I personally learned something as did your entire crew as well as neighboring yacht crews. No injuries!!! Crew made great judgement call staying away from fenders, if the snap with the force they were under could have seriously injured someone. I would also like to say kudos to owner, he really has what is important in life in mind! Thanks for sharing!
Giving this video a thumbs up. I can understand how you feel, as a yacht captain you strive to be as professional and perfect as possible. When a mistake happens it breaks your heart, especially when you REALIZE you could have done something better that may have prevented it. I always try to tell myself and crew "keep your head on a swivel". If I am walking through the engine room, backing down in a slip, or checking for dust in the interior, having "my head on a swivel" is helpful. Its natural that your crew were looking aft on the starboard side as you were backing down on the seawall. To me this is a good reminder for myself and my crew that we always need to do our best to know whats happening 360*, inside and out, up and down, forward and aft. No captain is perfect, thank you for posting this video so others such as myself can learn from it.
The harbour-master is responsible that the yachts in the marina use the correct groundlines -. the vid shows it clear that the harbour-master is to blame also!
Absolutely understandable and these things happen with the best in the Industry, and I do concur that the harbour master responsibility to make sure the adequatey of the docking arrangements at his port facility "no blame culture ", All respect 🙏 to you and the crew and it was the best decision not to interfere with finder and let it be. Continue the great job and all this adds up the experience through out. Take care All the best 👍
I’m happy to hear that y’all are safe, that’s what matters the most!!! This is the reason they made those bumper stickers “Sh4$ Happens” for times like these... I’m impressed that you posted this video, as no one wants to show things like this. Well Played Captain!!! Be Safe
Hello Tristan, I really enjoy your VLOG. After watching the incident I do have some comments. In my past life I was the president of the Greek Sailing club and I'm very familiar with this style of docking. DId the skipper on your starboard do a sloppy job of docking? Hell ya Should the harbour master have had the skipper reset his hook? Absolutely. That being said, the fault (sorry to say) is ultimately yours. If It were me and I noticed their screw ups I NEVER would have attempted the maneuver. I would have stopped and asked for a better space or requested the harbormaster to reposition the bow line (or order the starboard skipper) . I never let pride or overconfidence overrule good judgement. You did the right thing, stepped up and took the blame. Props to you and your fine crew. FYI. Same thing goes for being a private pilot, if you see trouble ahead (bad weather) you stop and turn around, never fly though it.
Honesty, humility, and integrity is what I saw here. Unfortunate mishap, with a should have hind sight. Absolutely respect the upload showing this, to you and your boat owner for keeping your back. Thank you
A tough video to put up and as a fellow Captain I RESPECT your honesty for explaining the incident as thoroughly and honestly as you have. Accepting and learning is all part of the job, the industry is very tough with super high standards.
i really think it is actually the dock master's fault he should have told the crew from the other yacht to straighten up their yacht or he could have found you another slip
You're right, but as Tristan said: this does not take responsibility from you as a captain. If the harbour master fails you could try to correct it by asking him first. If you fail to do so, it's a very little failure but at the end of the day it is still a failure. Incidents like that are always a whole chain of failures of many stakeholders. If only one of them does the right thing - whatever that is - the chain is broken up and the incident won't happen.
They should 'have' dropped 'their' port bow ground line for sure '.' I agree with everything 'you' said 'Captain' Triston. You should retake english lessons from grade 1 to 12 .
@@fromnowon7311 You should get out more often ... I'll take a stab that you speak ZERO other languages, and Mr.Ortiz speaks 2-3 other languages at least.
Tristan - I think what you do is absolutely first rate, plus just how you're able to guide a multi-million dollar super yacht into such a teeney space is clearly fabulous. We all must see your eagerness to totally accept responsibility which shows the depth of your character. In other words, I'm proud to know you. I'm also proud to see that you showed the entire video, where you could have cut that all out. I'm happy to see our LORD can still turn out young men who have the depth and strength so necessary as a ship's MASTER. Your company must be so proud of you. Dave, Phoenix, Arizona USA.
I could never do what you do and I appreciate your vlog. The ONLY thing I would say, and you already know this, is that I would not have gone into the slip without it having been properly prepared. Thanks for being open. It truly IS a lesson for all of us.
No doubt that the harbor master should have ensured better docking conditions for you.In the moment you feel pressured to make the best of each situation but they did a poor job of qualifying the docking space prior to your arrival. Chalk it up to experience and move forward.
Well done for putting this video up, it would have been easy to not mention anything. As you say, you never stop learning. A tough day in port, but put it down to experience. You can see how devastated you are.
At a minimum have a starboard bow lookout to watch the fenders midship forward. The line handlers on the stern can't see that far forward. You're a great Captain and this will be a learning experience going forward. Love ya all and be safe.
I admire you for several reasons. In 1958/9 I was a Cadet Deck Officer on a NZS ship and I have owned my owned my own boat cruising the waters of Scotland/Uk and the Baltic.. I am fully aware of the problems and I do believe you did all you could. As you very rightly said, You are always learning on boats and mistakes happen. Your debrief and honesty is to be admired. My regards Michael Chartres
Great way of taking ownership of the situation and not putting blame on anyone. Very professional. I've been driving boats for my country's equivalent of Marines National Guard (military). Not the same size of those boats, but lots of lines and packed at the docks. So I understand how easy and quick it can happen. Excellent handled. Get after it mate.
Tristan and the AWOL Crew- I have watched every one of your videos and love them. However, this is my first time commenting. First off, kudos to you for having the courage to share this experience. As a lifelong boater, I know accidents happen to the BEST of captains. You are right, regardless of the circumstances and what others do or don't do, when we are the master, we have the responsibility for anything that happens. Good on you for sharing it in such an authentic way. This video will make everyone who is a yachtsperson a better one. Second, you asked us what we thought, so here are my two cents. You state the obvious one, which I agree with. Have the yacht to starboard drop her port bow line. But there is another potential consideration, which is to wave off the assigned slip completely. I have done this more than once. Another issue I saw, and I would love to get your reaction to this, is the strength of the breeze off your starboard side. By the flag on the shroud of the sailboat a couple of boats down, it looked to be blowing 15-18 knots almost directly abeam. That was likely going to increase any "yaw" you experienced when your stern got into the lee of the yacht to starboard. In my mind, in that situation, I would actually want to set up bow to weather (more to starboard) of the straight in approach...which was, of course, impossible with the port bow line of your neighbor present. Just another reason to waive off the approach. I am also curious at what breeze strength, if any, your thrusters become ineffective. I have both bow and stern thrusters and I find it is the 18-20 knot range when I need to use the big screws to supplement thrusters. Thirdly, several of the comments here seem to suggest marinas are too crowded and it is wrong to pack expensive yachts in so tightly. I would love to hear your perspective on this point-of-view as well. While Med-mooring isn't my favorite, I do actually think it is quite quaint in many ways. And, when I am in a Med-mooring situation, I actually want the boats to be up close and tight with one another. Bad things can happen when there are gaps and yachts start shifting in changing winds, tides or waves. Last point, I am not at all surprised by your owners reaction. The stories you've told throughout your VLOG paint him in a light that I find true of so many yacht owners - kind, down-to-earth and very right minded. A few bad movies have given yachtspeople bad images that I find simply aren't true. Nobody was hurt, there was absolutely no reckless or irresponsible decision making or behavior and the damage was, from my perspective, very minimal. Heck, it might even buff out!! Be sure your owner knows how much people appreciate his letting you share what you do. And, make us a rocking video of the repair work when it gets done. It would be great to get a peak into how the best yards do an Awlgrip (or AlexSeal if that is your topcoat) repair. Thank you so much to you, your fabulous crew and your great owner for all that goes into the channel. It is absolutely one of my favorites and gives an incredible view into a world that so many are curious about, but have almost no means to peak into. Fair winds and smooth seas!!
I agree with G Man but would add that in future you could have a look out on the unsighted areas around the yacht then when the unexpected happens action may avoid or reduce damage. Even if you have clear passage something can move to cause a collision. André
Agree completely. A great learning experience for the rest of us. Last boat in is always harder to "fit". When everyone is packed together, the total mass of all that GRP is tough to move and is safer than being loosely tied. Shake a new tin of nuts vs. a half full one.....Now in a fire its all over!
As a responsible professional, your feeling of disappointment is understandable. It is a learning lesson from which new procedures will be developed and trained. Then you can move on. Personally, I would not have parked a party barge in such a small space. The fact you did not have to grease the sides of AWOL to get it in there is amazing.
Capt. I feel the Harbor Master was totally at blame, additionally it seems like the other boat shares the blame since their line impeded your access to the entrance. Thanks for sharing your life with us, I look forward to your videos.
That's a completely wrong outlook for this. You cant just put the blame on everyone but Tristian. In my opinion the harbour master should have realised that the line was in the way but at the same time Tristian noticed it. He is the master of the vessel and its his responsibility and in the end if he thinks he cant get in or its not safe then he shouldn't.
@@CptMatty31 correct, but i think he is well aware that though others were in the wrong( to a point) the ultimate blame is his as master he made the decision
Unfortunately it happens to the best of us! Life is a learning process until we go to our grave. Once you see an issue with docking, stop everything and contact the harbor master or the boat owner with the issue. In no way is the harbor master at fault for a number of reasons.
Frank, the Captain is the master of his ship and although there is blame for the Harbour master for poor preparation of the docking site, ultimately it's the masters decision whether or not to proceed. You are correct also in saying that the vessel who's line's were crooked, should share a part of the responsibility, as the Captain and Crew on that vessel should have ensured that their lines were dropped and straightened AFTER they had docked (whenever that was) and not accepted their set-up. This would have eliminated the problem completely and the docking would have been routine. Ultimately though, Tristan clearly identifies the issue and decides to proceed.
Your openness is remarkable. I am suspicious, because of the secondary bow line, the vessel on starboard set the problem line in such a way as to prevent another vessel docking along their port side... or at least, not a vessel of equal size. You are spot on, Skipper, in that you should have requested that the problem line be removed from the equation. Bravo for having the courage to post the bad with the good.
Quite literally, a fender bender! In 53 years of sailing, I've never been disappointed by taking a little extra step for safety rather than simply relying on my considerable skills! Don't have any less confidence in your skills, just more confidence in the veracity of that voice in your head!
Oh man, it sucks to be you. I watched your boat yard videos and I know how much pride you took in the way the boat was refitted. Especially the paint and body work. Keep your chin up Captain, you and the crew of AWOL are amazing.
This is a real channel, you are a man like all of us, everyone can be wrong. It is an honor that you have published this video about the incident. You are a great man and a very good sailor. So much respect.
I clicked on this by accident. Since I clicked on it, I watched it! I could feel the lumps in his throat as Tristan was talking about it. I blame the Harbor Master, as well as the other owner of the boat in parking crooked.
WOW...what an honest young captain you are... human...yes I would never fire you.. because I know you try to do your job well...and you have taken responsibility for your actions. God bless young man and my the winds be at your back side.
Respect. Been a captain for 5 years (100 ton) and know how sketchy things can get, you did what you saw right to safely maneuver the vessel at a slow speed (which is the only reason there isn't more damage).
This Video is the best proof that Mr. Tristan Mortlock won the superyacht captain award. Never stop learning and take responsibility. 99.9 % would never show this.
I Have been a Captain for over 40 years. It is very disheartening for this to happen....you have done a great job of taking responsibility for the issue. I, as you have stated, believe that a great deal of the focus should be on the facts that the Harbor Master was not doing a good job of managing the marina dockage. Those lines should never have been that position nor should the Harbor Master asked a Captain to jog around his lack of competence in keeping other vessels docked straight and giving a clear path for your vessel to dock. You can only take all of this in and always demand for clear passage for your vessel and either elect to continue to dock or wait for the harbor personnel to clear the way....you are paying clients and should have all advantage of executing your dockage....I would still hire you to run my vessel....
Sometimes you come across with weird things in marinas and everybody acts normal around them. So you do what you do as usual, then sh*t happens. Thanks for sharing this experience and for your honesty.
Great video, Tristan. I would be sweating bullets docking into that space with the anchor lines requiring such handling mastery! You are a heck of a captain and handle that boat so very adeptly. I can’t believe how they cram boats into such tight slips, especially with that anchoring line clearly impeding normal docking. The habormaster should have seen that and addressed it. I appreciate you being honest and showing the video because every boat captain has had a docking mistake. A I heard from other captains before “ you have two kinds of boat captains: those that have made a docking mistake that required some repair; and liars”. I appreciate that you took the high road and shared this even though you were clearly upset. I have a ton of respect for you. Thanks!
Chin up Tristan, when you skipper a boat all the time something once in a while will happen, but 100% respect for holding your hands up & showing it, that's what makes you a top captain. That berth was very tight, a bit too tight really & the harbour authorities should of known this & noticed the ground line, after all that's why they have a boat there. As you said, no one was hurt, so not a disastrous day, but not a great day either. Keep up the great work 👍
Accidents happen, and hindsight is 20/20 vision. No one is hurt with the minor accident, the main thing is to learn from the experience. You still sound a bit shaken/guilty, so take a chill pill. Just wait for the recordings from the BBC Navy Lark to start appearing. "Left hand down a bit.." ;)
As an owner of a business, the owner can be understanding when you know that the team member cares and is apologetic. Obvious from this video, you care and even the day after are doing everything you can not to let it tear you up.
Just started to watch your channel. After this vlog, I now subscribe. What impressed me was your humility in this. How you treated it as a learning process but most importantly, your concern over your crew not being hurt first and foremost. I imagine a lot of people would have instantly tried to shift the blame completely onto someone or something else, care more about the damage to the yacht than the potential damage to other crew members and then never ever think about posting it up for the world to see. If I had a yacht, you sir would definitely be the type of Captain I'd want at the helm. Glad to hear your boss has your back. Well done Captain, well done. Every day is a school day.
Captain, Big fan from Long Island N.Y. here. Your pride should remain 100% intact. I am an owner operator of a fairly new 51’ SeaRay Sundancer. Every time a make a slip reservation at a marina, they ask for all of the dimensions of my vessel so that they can have an adequate slip or space available for my arrival. I get it that they pack’m tight...and yes you are the one ultimately in command...but it is partially their responsibility to provide you with an adequately sized space (per your reservation requirements) as well as a clear an unobstructed dock/slip environment. Onward & Upward.... Andy
Wow. It shows great character that you show this incident. In my opinion it was a difficult situation and you tried to move around and make it work. Mistakes happen so, and it’s always easy to analyze it afterwards. In that moment you realized the angled ground line. Your first reaction to it was a key reaction and I think you should have acted accordingly and requested to have it removed. The harbourmaster didn’t act responsibly but you accepted their fault and the docking situation by trying to move around. Moral of the story: Don’t accept other peoples mistakes by compensating it with your skills. Anyways, thanks for sharing!
Do you know what....i feel your pain and i can tell by your expression that you will beat yourself up about it for a while. I drive a class 1 truck and reversing in tight yards is always problematic and there has been a couple of times i have hit stuff and it play's on my mind for quite some time....but like you I take pride in my work and i take it personally.
Tied to the mast..50 lashes...no grog for a week.......for the guy who positioned that line....but seriously.. multi million pound yachts and you have to be so close..?
I can feel the stress when i see your face, you looks so painful and guilty, but imho are the main of the problem the cross line, you just made the minor mistake to park your vessel asap instead of radio to the harbour, to move the line. Subscribed for the well done content and the absolute honesty and your humbleness.
Great that you have a good owner like that and y'all have a good relationship and communication. He is right, it does happen to the best of us, mistakes happen and that is part of life. Helps you grow as a captain and crew man. Thanks for the good content!
Greedy Harbour masters in the med, cramming gin palaces together like this. Absolutely ridiculous! The lines are totally crazy. Tristan, you are a super guy. Bloody awful situation for you.
I'm not sure what you think they should do. They can't manifest space out of nowhere and typically even when they do want to expand, there are strict zoning regulations which make it difficult or impossible. Additionally, there are more super yachts in the world than most people think, so if there's a limited amount of space and loads of yacht owners that want to use the marina, squeezing in is unfortunately just necessary. That said, the yacht with the bow line definitely should've respected AWOL's entrance by lowering their line.
Great job. It's not what you should have done differently, the line looks to me like it's for your boat. It should not be angled that way in my opinion. No fault of yours. You are correct though, you saw a potential problem and recognized it immediately. You and your crew are still the best, keep it up.
Thanks for posting i got a lot of respect for people like yourself,, there is nothing like a man that takes responsibility for his action, and thank God no one injured like you boats can be repaired,, but life or limb is hard to live with even if is an accident,, keep your head up Capt. God blessed,, and happy boating
Here we 2021 and this popped up on my recommendation. Now the Arm chair captain has to make a comment. Ultimately you are responsible for what goes on. You made the call to dock with the rest of the sardines knowing you needed to do intensive maneuvers to dock. Lesson learned. Much respect for showing what captain have to deal with. Much respect for being humble. Fortunately nothing hurt but pride. Hopefully insurance took care of the damages. Me personally I would be calling harbormaster for another place or have the other boat accommodate.
As someone else sai, you have great personal integrity in showing and admitting to this. It makes t all the more interesting to see the bad with the good. Ultimately its now whether it goes wrong but how you cope and recover. Well done. I also think this will enhance your reputation not detract from it.
Great video. Don’t worry about it. The responsibility should rest with the Harbour Masters. They should have made sure you could come into your mooring straight with no restrictions. Even though the mooring was so tight you did a great job. The repair is just superficial and is nothing to worry about.
The blame is on ports in the med cramming vessels in as tight as sardines in order to maximise income from berth real estate. You shouldn't have had to tell the docking master to drop the boat on your starboard side's ground line, it's his job to be aware of it. He didn't do his job.
Anticipation is key, specially when you already saw the potential danger. I would learn as well from the situation, indeed follow your debrief... not to be caught twice on the same issue... Everything that can happen on a boat will happen... More precaution than less always! Good luck.
Great Job putting this video up! Shows you are not afraid owning up to mistakes done. Like you said, you never stop learning. If you did a full on "Incident" investigation (ex 5 Why), then absolutely the other vessel ground line would be mentioned as a factor of why. Root cause would perhaps be manouvering into a spot not wide enough. So since all "why" factors need to have a corrective action, i would suggest: Ask harbour/other vessel to drop ground line before entering....
In aviation we share issues to make it safer for everyone, so thank you, you're helping to improve our skills. I really feel for you on this one though, to have his bow line anchored to yours is a first for me in the med, yes you're the captain, but really I agree the Marina should take some responsibility and resolve the problem, also clearly the port side boater was aware of the issue as they dropped their starboard bow line, I guess you could have abandoned the berth and asked them to sort it out, or request a different one....but unfortunate all round.....thanks for the great videos
You saw it as soon as you made your turn to line up. Yes, you should have had the harbor Masters drop the line. That being said. The Harbor master should not allowed the line placed as it was. That's on them. The other captain should not have encroached on the other slip as he did. ( Professional etiquette). And as others have mentioned in these comments they just keep packing you guys in tighter and tighter....Big thumbs up to you for posting this. I can hear the aggravation in your voice, your pissed at yourself. If you had it to do over again you would have held your position and got on the radio. You paid for that slip, tell the HM to do his job and clear it so you can pull in...it could have been so much worse if something gave way and hit someone like you said. 👍
Tristan, I can’t tell you how much a real life story like this will help others avoid mishaps of all types of modes of transportation. It is obvious that you have taken this experience to heart and will learn from it. Actually very impressive that more things like this haven’t happened with such a large vessel in these especially tight quarters. I work in Safety at Kennedy Space Center and you have identified about a dozen things for us to think about in our safety planning. The fact that you have instilled in your crew that their personal safety is far more important than things like cosmetic damage is of particular note. Thank you very much for sharing your experience.
Total Respect for you, sir. Thank you for keeping yachting real, and showing the downside of it as well as the ins and outs of everyday living/working on a luxury yacht. Collisions like that will happen. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often when working to park so many yachts so close together in a port.
Spend 100 million dollars for the ultimate luxury get away. Arrive and you're 1.5 cock lengths away from everyone more successful than you in the free world. And one of them caused 1 million in damage to your boat while going 0.0000045 mph...now that's the life!
Your only sin is being a nice fellow. My opinion, as a former captain who is now 73 years old, is that those who insist (in a diplomatic way) on whatever they need to minimize the odds of trouble - and those with the most patience - fare the best in the long run. No one will remember specific maneuvers or whatever you asked of other crews or of the harbormaster. They may remember your manner and tone. You're a gentleman and I'm confident that people will not react badly to any requests you might make, such as dropping the line. My motto was, "Don't be bashful, just be nice". Also, IMHO, the crew of the starboard boat were cads for not being out in front of this and dropping that line without being asked - just as the port boat did. Since it's on the same mooring line, they had to know this was going to happen and they should have been planning for it. Surely someone was onboard...
If it were me I would have bailed once I heard those fenders start to squeak. It's like in a shopping centre carpark when you park between two cars that are so close to the line that once you pull in you can't open the doors to get out. Good on you for posting this! The joys of being a yacht master.
We have a saying on the West Coast of Canada: "If you haven't hit something, you have just not been around long enough". Good on you to show what happen and how you dealt with it. Docking vessels is never dull.....
Thanks for sharing this, Capt. The reality is they try to maximize revenue by cramming as many vessels as possible at the docks, resulting in very difficult -- some would say nigh impossible -- expectations of maneuverability for their client crews. It seems this industry does draw upon the best skill available -- and some measure of pride on your part is perfectly reasonable -- but even the best cannot operate at 100% all the time. The harbor master and ship to your starboard put you in a difficult situation, and they as well as you have something to learn from this. Naturally, you rightly take responsibility as the master of the moving vessel: that is part of the job, and correct. However, responsibility and fault are not exactly synonymous. It seems like you handled yourself well afterward, which is the test of leader. At the end of the day, everyone is fine. Don't let this get you down. Great boss.
Tristan Harbour Master at fault it's his responsibility to provide a safe and secure berth. Remember you are paying for the berth and additional services.
Very few people can relate to what you do, docking a square block in a round hole like that would be impossible for most. I agree with Sailing Vessel Freedom. Thank you for being human and asking for others opinions on how to do it better. That tells us all what kind of person you really are. Safe travels.
Any boat owner would be proud to have you as a captain. The pride you and your crew have for your boat is amazing. Accidents happen and this was by no means a big one and I believe that the owner knows that. Chin up, tomorrow’s another day and nobody was hurt. Love the vids by the way. 😎😎
RESPECT!!!!!!!! 99.9% would never show this. Thanks for being human
IDIOT!!!!!!!! 99.9% would never do this. Thanks for the laugh.
@@bikebrains You should stop and think of the mishaps that have happened with yourself before commenting and sounding like a jackass. Everyone has had shit happen to them that they could've avoided but the important thing is to learn from them! Just like this comment of yours, you opened your mouth and now everyone knows how much of a piece of shit you are and if you would've just kept your mouth shut then people would still have some respect for you! Learn the lesson and next time you wanna speak just shut the fuck up and have a good day!! ;)
@@bikebrains right, that´s probably cuz 99.9% would stay operating only bikes throughout their lives, I guess... That´s why.
Sailing Vessel Freedom. Well said.
@@bikebrains i would have attempted the docking too. The way he explained it sounded like a good plan. I would definitely have it out with my spotter for not catching the fender getting tangled though, in a nice constructive way. Sounds to me everything else would have been ok had that fender not gotten tangled. Good thing it's a minor set back and only superficial damage. On the other hand the dockmaster/harbormaster/marina should take responsibility as well, maybe split 50/50 the repair bill. The fact that there was a fundamental fault in the way the other boat was docked crooked should be brought to attention, if they let it slip and don't correct it will only become a bad habit that will go on and could potentially lead to future incidents. The dockmasters role is completely useless in a marina if he doesn't take responsibility for accidents that happen on the premises due to improper docking procedures (ultimately something they should have spotted, looks like someone was paying more attention to the ladies than the lines if you know what i mean), i don't care what
I've been skippering boats for 15 years and this would have never happened to me... because 50 meters before the slip I would have feinted from hyperventilation stress of having to dock there.
30Irwin Hahahaha you just made me laugh so freaking hard lol! I have a 33ft Searay No bow truster so even a little boat it gets tricky but I like to believe I’m really good at it but I would love to handle something that big
I've been a Yachtie all my life. Mainly single hander.
But small. 42 ft and 34 ft for last 23 yrs.
Prior to that as a kid. was Deckie in North Sea Trawlers 110 to 130ft steel. and setline boats. 45 fo 55 ft. Timber (in '50s)
we used to bump turn and end for end on fenders and springs mainly.
These blokes would die.
HE was totally for blame for the actual damage.
SHould NEVER had gone in with cross line over his track for any reason.
At those angles.
Though. Primarily the original blame is Hbr Master slackness.
Leaving line in place in the first place.
This bloke KNOWS, HE mada a mistake. admits to it.
BUT also knows he should have stood up to H/M.
He's asking for permission here. Full respect to him.
But Don't do it again. Smack. Smack.
@@mackcarson6729 Fantastic comment! Made me laugh out loud! Full respect to him and to you for having a sense of humor. Smack Smack! Haha!
So you're a super yachtsman?! GTFOH!! 😄😄😄😄😄
@@AaronSmith008 Who are you talking to?
Wow! Humility, Responsibility, Taking the opportunity to learn from mistakes. You are a top notch captain worthy of any boat.
Hes being a pushover, he need to get angry, get negative. Not only good things happens to overly positive people, a nega person would get upset and demand that groundline removed, resulting in no damage.
After watching this it is clear to me why the Owner has kept you on as Master and will continue to keep you on. You are a true professional with first concern for your crew. Well done Sir.
So professional that he berthed with a groundline fouling his entry when he should as a responsible skipper have waited until it had been dropped for his entry. Happens all the time and even in this case it is admitted that the vessel to port dropped his stbd. line as is customary. As for the fender issue if there are sufficient crew they should have been lifted when it/they was were seen to be an issue. I'm glad I'm out of it. Crew before the days of having to have to tickets and courses (STCW) and when a skipper could chose his deck crew and when people were observant and had gumption I barely had to instruct crew.
I am on the water for 38 years now and there are some lessons I've learned:
1.) There are two kinds of sea men: the ones that have already faced such things and the ones who are just waiting for it.
2.) Even if I can only put the blame on me: Never take this personally. Mistakes happen where humans work!
3.) If a crash happened and noone got hurt, the rest is only details on paper.
The fact that you show an incident like this tells me you are a friend of "learning culture".
And with a little humor I always say "I can't wait for others to do all the mistakes. I have to make some myself..."
Good Job, Tristan. Shit happens. If you like it or not...
Huge respect to Tristan for sharing this painful lesson learned with everyone on TH-cam. Most would not.
Yes, it was preventable, as are nearly all accidents. Tristan clearly understands that and clearly states so, more than once. He also takes full responsibility.
Anyone with any experience on the water knows that even best laid plans, highly capable equipment, experienced and trained people, competent and decisive leadership, and time-tested, practiced procedure cannot prevent every possible incident. All of the above did prevent serious damage to both vessels that contacted (and to the port side vessel that very easily could have been) and any injury to any person. This shows the value of all of the above.
Moreover, Tristan's courage and integrity demonstrated in showing us all the details of this incident may prevent others from suffering a similar mishap in the future. This sort of selflessness clearly separates him and his crew from the often narcissistic hoardes on TH-cam.
I would hire Tristan to work for me, and just as easily would sign up to work for him. Bravo, Mr. Mortlock.
Well noted Richard.
That was a difficult video to make and I think that you handled it wonderfully well -- congrats!
Only if you are teaching Introduction to Bad Judgement. 2.47 The width of the mooring space can be judged by the length of the small boat at the entry to the berth. Clearly, there is not enough space. The mooring should never have been attempted. Total incompetence.
@@bikebrains I disagree. Both the harbormaster and Cpt Tristan agreed the was enough space, the real issue i believe is the inability to spot the tangling of the fender. The yacht is docked, so there is actually room, a bit tight, yeah maybe
@@Sokeresa I agree with Sokeresa.... This is the only real issue here. The tangling of the starboard side fenders could and should have easily been avoided by lifting them over the ground line on time or additional fenders should have been lowered. Poor judgement and too slow reacting starboard side crew.
We admire your honest character and integrity as captain, even when faced with unpleasant circumstances.
With docking spaces critical, the harbor master should insist that his crew strive for precise alignments which, in this event, looked less than desirable, leaving you to squeeze into what was left.
It isn't just an event, but how one handles it afterward. You have our admiration and respect, as does your owner.
Men, i am the captain of my 34 ft boat for 3 years now and every time i try to dock i alway get nervous, i can’t imagine how stressful and dificult is goin to be docking that beast every day
I respect you, you are a excelent captain!
Keep doing what you do!
Kudos for not only owning the mishap but additionally for posting with humility so others can learn. Cheers Capt Tristan.
I will NEVER understand why people with vessels of this scale and cost are ok with docking tighter then trailers in a trailer park.
Left turn, left turn, Return
We love the challenge, and sometimes we pay the price for miscalculations.
Left turn, left turn, Return , I was just saying the exact same thing to the wife
I was thinking the same thing, boats packed in that close just looks like a multi-million dollar trailer park.I cant believe that spots so tight that the fenders rubbing on both sides is an acceptable thing. No way to keep them clean enough that with hundreds of pounds of pressure, or constant rubbing from even small wave action isnt going to damage the paint at least a bit.
Ckod, it does show like they're to cheap to pay for enough room
Too Many big and otherwise boats. Too little coastline.
Go elsewhere.
Berth is allocated by Harbourmaster.
You COULD pay more for larger. bu most won't.
As other have said, I am surprised that crashes do not happen more often. The marinas are to tight. To expect that you should park $10m yachts inches from each other is ridiculous.
Or literally less........
I have trouble parking in my neighborhood food market.
You are absolutely right.
As with what Alan said, happy you are all safe. I had over 20 years as captain and crew on yachts and can confirm it is like controlling ice sliding on ice, you can only prepare for it and hope each time you get away with it.. you handled yourself well and we all second-guess but as you say we learn.. I'm 65 and am learning more now than ever.. you are an experienced captain, now with even more experience, so don't doubt yourself. Well done sir.
Bill, you could'nt put it better!!!!!
I always say "If I had done my job, it wouldn't have mattered that they didn't do theirs." Respect Tristan, you made a mistake, you owned up, and you learned
As the prior owner of the Broward 75' Motor Yacht Bottom Line for some 22 years with the same Captain and Spouse Mate for the entire time, I felt your pain! You get GOLD stars from yours truly for being so open and candid about the accident...AND...what a great relationship you have with your owner who "gets it". As the old expression goes, "crap happens"...he understands, plus...no one got hurt which was the most important thing just as YOU said! No one likes "yard time" and you'll have a bit for the repairs...no big deal! You're a FIRST CLASS CAPTAIN...sail on and put the matter under "lessons learned" as I know YOU will!
Bill Mahoney
Glad everyone is OK...But as a Former Boat owner, That Harbormaster should Lighten up on the Packing job....TOO Close to each other...If I was a RICH man PAYING that Much to have a Slip, I would want a LITTLE More room!!!
Good title for a song "If I were a rich man....."
Anchor that bad boy outside and take the million dollar skiff to dock
People in neighboring yachts would also be able to step right onto your yacht as well, so there is a security aspect.
@@oicfas4523 Yea We did not have to sit that close at the Harbor I was at in Hawaii it was Pretty nice as far as Plenty of Room for each Vessel
@@NoneyaTexasontheback20 I wonder why more yachts don't do exactly that?
Poor Tristan ... i can literally hear the pain in your voice 😬
I think the Captain's pride was hurt more than the boat.
This is called "learning by doing".
Keep on the good videos, Captain Mortlock,
and thanks for sharing.
Great video and lots to learn from it. We own a 53 foot Spencer ketch and a 28 foot aluminum crew boat.
Thank you for being so candid and honest it is very refreshing. I can tell you I am not skilled enough and never will be to attempt captaining a vessel that size.
You and your crew and owner are amazing and first class.
Love how you’re man enough to take responsibility. A true Captain! I really believe that the marina needs to do a better job keeping the boats straightened out better and pay attention to detail. A total freak accident. Hope the owners are understanding of the situation
Openness and honesty (next to all the other reasons) is why I subscribed. Not posting it would not have done you justice. Great channel, great captain, great bosses response! Cannot wait to see you hit the 100k. 👍
Most impressive is your introspection. That is what prevents this type of thing from happening again. Like so many others, I've watched you for some time and there is no doubt that the owner of AWOL is fortunate to have a true professional captain as you. Thanks for everything to give to your audience!
I am going to look at this from the unemotional perspective of a marine insurance investigator and in no way I am trying to criticize Tristan or any of Awol's great crew, who I admire a lot . Thanks to Tristan, we have the luxury of a well detailed video account of what happened. First of all, this is a Marina that provides a dockage service to very expensive yachts. The docking space is clearly too tight and that is why they use a docking master to oversee every docking operation. It is clear from the video that the port side grounding line for the boat on the starboard side was improperly anchored to the same chain as the grounding line to be used by Awol. Both the tight space situation and the wrong location of the grounding line are the responsibility of the harbourmaster. The tight space is something that the Awol owner has to accept on a, take it or leave it basis, because of the Marina space situation in the Med, so that relieves the Marina from that liability. The wrong placement of the grounding line was in clear view of the harbourmaster and he should have stopped the docking operation until the situation was solved. Therefore, there is some responsibility here from the Marina. But, Tristan, or his crew member, also had a clear view of the grounding line on his starboard side while he was reversing and he also probably got a warning from his crewmember on a foot by foot basis, and that is why he tried to kind of zig zag the boat into the dock. Sorry to say but this was a miscalculation by Tristan because even with the help of the bow and stern thrusters you have to consider your boat's length and the width, because boats are rigid and they don't bend or curve like a snake. So, I say, that for the next time, considering the tight space situation, if things are not normal and conditions are not as expected or required, the operator of the boat should address the problem to the harbourmaster and wait until the situation is resolved. I understand from other blogs about Mediterranean mooring that a boat operator should expect grounding lines to be away from his direct docking approach and away from his propellers and that would be a responsibility of the harbourmaster. Eventually, the insurance carriers for the Marina and for Awol will fight it out. The boat that was damaged by Awol should expect a remedy by Awol or Awol's insurance carrier. The damage to both yachts was minimal and non structural and nobody was injured so this is just a learning experience for an incredible captain. Great video.
brokerhc
Nicely put. 👌
100% agree
I appreciated how you laid it all out for us to follow. Tristan, I am very impressed with your professionalism in a very difficult situation. Thank you for your honesty and for allowing us to better understand the behind the scenes look.
precisely right... same thing when i fly my giant scale rc planes!!! everything must be 100% functioning properly!!!
Good comment, but was the speed of the boat not a bit high also? It look very high to me but hard to tell from a video. I am by no means a professional captain, but I would not dare to dock a small 30 foot with that speed... and that is a huge yacht carrying enormous momentum. If something goes wrong then these poor fenders has little chance...
Utmost respect to you Tristan, to show this minor incident to the public. Being myself a yacht captain, we unfortunately sometimes have those things happen, but as you said it well, we learn from it and move on. Most importantly, no one got hurt.
Judging the parking slip isn’t easy and there are a lot of factores weighting in, which we need to evaluate and process in just a few moments.
As for the slip you parked in, I would have definitely asked the Harbour master to drop the SB sides vessels PS ground lines (as well as the PS vessels SB sides ground lines) before starting the docking manoeuvre.
With the SB side vessels ground line up, the SB side lookout person could have spotted the fender tangling earlier or even foresee it and could have acted accordingly.
But it’s always easier to see and assess those things after an incident happened, so it’s more of an debrief assessment for the future.
Keep up the good work and maybe I’ll be around AWOL someday and would love to say Hello.
I’m a transportation director. Accidents happen. Freak things also happen. Very few people are will to own their circumstances and my hat is off to you for not trying to pass blame off on someone else. Love the channel and love the boat!
Appreciate your candor in this matter, it speaks volumes about your character to take responsibility for this action and explaining the how's & why's... Chin up, the owner is lucky to have you.
I commend you for not passing blame. Now for the gold in this situation, I personally learned something as did your entire crew as well as neighboring yacht crews. No injuries!!! Crew made great judgement call staying away from fenders, if the snap with the force they were under could have seriously injured someone. I would also like to say kudos to owner, he really has what is important in life in mind! Thanks for sharing!
Giving this video a thumbs up. I can understand how you feel, as a yacht captain you strive to be as professional and perfect as possible. When a mistake happens it breaks your heart, especially when you REALIZE you could have done something better that may have prevented it. I always try to tell myself and crew "keep your head on a swivel". If I am walking through the engine room, backing down in a slip, or checking for dust in the interior, having "my head on a swivel" is helpful. Its natural that your crew were looking aft on the starboard side as you were backing down on the seawall. To me this is a good reminder for myself and my crew that we always need to do our best to know whats happening 360*, inside and out, up and down, forward and aft. No captain is perfect, thank you for posting this video so others such as myself can learn from it.
The harbour-master is responsible that the yachts in the marina use the correct groundlines -. the vid shows it clear that the harbour-master is to blame also!
Absolutely understandable and these things happen with the best in the Industry, and I do concur that the harbour master responsibility to make sure the adequatey of the docking arrangements at his port facility "no blame culture ",
All respect 🙏 to you and the crew and it was the best decision not to interfere with finder and let it be.
Continue the great job and all this adds up the experience through out.
Take care
All the best 👍
20/20 hindsight. Brave man to debrief on TH-cam. You’re a legend.
Thumbs up for sharing, love your honesty. It takes a real man to admit and stand up in public.
I’m happy to hear that y’all are safe, that’s what matters the most!!! This is the reason they made those bumper stickers “Sh4$ Happens” for times like these...
I’m impressed that you posted this video, as no one wants to show things like this. Well Played Captain!!! Be Safe
Chaplain Matthew yeah, Forrest Gump really knew what he was talking about
Hello Tristan,
I really enjoy your VLOG. After watching the incident I do have some comments. In my past life I was the president of the Greek Sailing club and I'm very familiar with this style of docking.
DId the skipper on your starboard do a sloppy job of docking? Hell ya
Should the harbour master have had the skipper reset his hook? Absolutely.
That being said, the fault (sorry to say) is ultimately yours. If It were me and I noticed their screw ups I NEVER would have attempted the maneuver. I would have stopped and asked for a better space or requested the harbormaster to reposition the bow line (or order the starboard skipper) . I never let pride or overconfidence overrule good judgement.
You did the right thing, stepped up and took the blame. Props to you and your fine crew.
FYI. Same thing goes for being a private pilot, if you see trouble ahead (bad weather) you stop and turn around, never fly though it.
Honesty, humility, and integrity is what I saw here. Unfortunate mishap, with a should have hind sight. Absolutely respect the upload showing this, to you and your boat owner for keeping your back. Thank you
A tough video to put up and as a fellow Captain I RESPECT your honesty for explaining the incident as thoroughly and honestly as you have. Accepting and learning is all part of the job, the industry is very tough with super high standards.
i really think it is actually the dock master's fault he should have told the crew from the other yacht to straighten up their yacht or he could have found you another slip
You're right, but as Tristan said: this does not take responsibility from you as a captain. If the harbour master fails you could try to correct it by asking him first. If you fail to do so, it's a very little failure but at the end of the day it is still a failure. Incidents like that are always a whole chain of failures of many stakeholders. If only one of them does the right thing - whatever that is - the chain is broken up and the incident won't happen.
They should of dropped there port bow ground line for sure I agree with everything u said Captian Triston.🤙
They should 'have' dropped 'their' port bow ground line for sure '.' I agree with everything 'you' said 'Captain' Triston.
You should retake english lessons from grade 1 to 12 .
@@fromnowon7311 get a grip
@@fromnowon7311 You should get out more often ... I'll take a stab that you speak ZERO other languages, and Mr.Ortiz speaks 2-3 other languages at least.
@@fromnowon7311 did that make you feel better about yourself?
Why... everyone understood it perfectly the first time stop being a pissant
Tristan - I think what you do is absolutely first rate, plus just how you're able to guide a multi-million dollar super yacht into such a teeney space is clearly fabulous. We all must see your eagerness to totally accept responsibility which shows the depth of your character. In other words, I'm proud to know you. I'm also proud to see that you showed the entire video, where you could have cut that all out. I'm happy to see our LORD can still turn out young men who have the depth and strength so necessary as a ship's MASTER. Your company must be so proud of you. Dave, Phoenix, Arizona USA.
I could never do what you do and I appreciate your vlog. The ONLY thing I would say, and you already know this, is that I would not have gone into the slip without it having been properly prepared. Thanks for being open. It truly IS a lesson for all of us.
No doubt that the harbor master should have ensured better docking conditions for you.In the moment you feel pressured to make the best of each situation but they did a poor job of qualifying the docking space prior to your arrival. Chalk it up to experience and move forward.
Perhaps if its that tight in future its not right !!!
@@Elfin4 Just a visual glance before he went in and you could tell the spot was narrower than his boat.
Well done for putting this video up, it would have been easy to not mention anything. As you say, you never stop learning. A tough day in port, but put it down to experience. You can see how devastated you are.
At a minimum have a starboard bow lookout to watch the fenders midship forward. The line handlers on the stern can't see that far forward. You're a great Captain and this will be a learning experience going forward. Love ya all and be safe.
I admire you for several reasons. In 1958/9 I was a Cadet Deck Officer on a NZS ship and I have owned my owned my own boat cruising the waters of Scotland/Uk and the Baltic.. I am fully aware of the problems and I do believe you did all you could. As you very rightly said, You are always learning on boats and mistakes happen. Your debrief and honesty is to be admired. My regards Michael Chartres
Great way of taking ownership of the situation and not putting blame on anyone. Very professional. I've been driving boats for my country's equivalent of Marines National Guard (military). Not the same size of those boats, but lots of lines and packed at the docks. So I understand how easy and quick it can happen. Excellent handled. Get after it mate.
Tristan and the AWOL Crew-
I have watched every one of your videos and love them. However, this is my first time commenting.
First off, kudos to you for having the courage to share this experience. As a lifelong boater, I know accidents happen to the BEST of captains. You are right, regardless of the circumstances and what others do or don't do, when we are the master, we have the responsibility for anything that happens. Good on you for sharing it in such an authentic way. This video will make everyone who is a yachtsperson a better one.
Second, you asked us what we thought, so here are my two cents. You state the obvious one, which I agree with. Have the yacht to starboard drop her port bow line. But there is another potential consideration, which is to wave off the assigned slip completely. I have done this more than once. Another issue I saw, and I would love to get your reaction to this, is the strength of the breeze off your starboard side. By the flag on the shroud of the sailboat a couple of boats down, it looked to be blowing 15-18 knots almost directly abeam. That was likely going to increase any "yaw" you experienced when your stern got into the lee of the yacht to starboard. In my mind, in that situation, I would actually want to set up bow to weather (more to starboard) of the straight in approach...which was, of course, impossible with the port bow line of your neighbor present. Just another reason to waive off the approach. I am also curious at what breeze strength, if any, your thrusters become ineffective. I have both bow and stern thrusters and I find it is the 18-20 knot range when I need to use the big screws to supplement thrusters.
Thirdly, several of the comments here seem to suggest marinas are too crowded and it is wrong to pack expensive yachts in so tightly. I would love to hear your perspective on this point-of-view as well. While Med-mooring isn't my favorite, I do actually think it is quite quaint in many ways. And, when I am in a Med-mooring situation, I actually want the boats to be up close and tight with one another. Bad things can happen when there are gaps and yachts start shifting in changing winds, tides or waves.
Last point, I am not at all surprised by your owners reaction. The stories you've told throughout your VLOG paint him in a light that I find true of so many yacht owners - kind, down-to-earth and very right minded. A few bad movies have given yachtspeople bad images that I find simply aren't true. Nobody was hurt, there was absolutely no reckless or irresponsible decision making or behavior and the damage was, from my perspective, very minimal. Heck, it might even buff out!! Be sure your owner knows how much people appreciate his letting you share what you do. And, make us a rocking video of the repair work when it gets done. It would be great to get a peak into how the best yards do an Awlgrip (or AlexSeal if that is your topcoat) repair.
Thank you so much to you, your fabulous crew and your great owner for all that goes into the channel. It is absolutely one of my favorites and gives an incredible view into a world that so many are curious about, but have almost no means to peak into.
Fair winds and smooth seas!!
I conquer with the G-man completely!!
@@gregpaterson8520 I concur too.
I agree with G Man but would add that in future you could have a look out on the unsighted areas around the yacht then when the unexpected happens action may avoid or reduce damage. Even if you have clear passage something can move to cause a collision. André
Agree completely. A great learning experience for the rest of us. Last boat in is always harder to "fit". When everyone is packed together, the total mass of all that GRP is tough to move and is safer than being loosely tied. Shake a new tin of nuts vs. a half full one.....Now in a fire its all over!
As a responsible professional, your feeling of disappointment is understandable. It is a learning lesson from which new procedures will be developed and trained. Then you can move on. Personally, I would not have parked a party barge in such a small space. The fact you did not have to grease the sides of AWOL to get it in there is amazing.
Welcome to the world of Med boating!
It didn't look like there was any other alternative position. If he said no he would be out of the harbour!
Capt. I feel the Harbor Master was totally at blame, additionally it seems like the other boat shares the blame since their line impeded your access to the entrance. Thanks for sharing your life with us, I look forward to your videos.
That's a completely wrong outlook for this. You cant just put the blame on everyone but Tristian. In my opinion the harbour master should have realised that the line was in the way but at the same time Tristian noticed it. He is the master of the vessel and its his responsibility and in the end if he thinks he cant get in or its not safe then he shouldn't.
Sounds like what the insurance comapny will say.
@@CptMatty31 correct, but i think he is well aware that though others were in the wrong( to a point) the ultimate blame is his as master he made the decision
Unfortunately it happens to the best of us! Life is a learning process until we go to our grave. Once you see an issue with docking, stop everything and contact the harbor master or the boat owner with the issue. In no way is the harbor master at fault for a number of reasons.
Frank, the Captain is the master of his ship and although there is blame for the Harbour master for poor preparation of the docking site, ultimately it's the masters decision whether or not to proceed. You are correct also in saying that the vessel who's line's were crooked, should share a part of the responsibility, as the Captain and Crew on that vessel should have ensured that their lines were dropped and straightened AFTER they had docked (whenever that was) and not accepted their set-up. This would have eliminated the problem completely and the docking would have been routine. Ultimately though, Tristan clearly identifies the issue and decides to proceed.
Your openness is remarkable. I am suspicious, because of the secondary bow line, the vessel on starboard set the problem line in such a way as to prevent another vessel docking along their port side... or at least, not a vessel of equal size. You are spot on, Skipper, in that you should have requested that the problem line be removed from the equation. Bravo for having the courage to post the bad with the good.
Quite literally, a fender bender! In 53 years of sailing, I've never been disappointed by taking a little extra step for safety rather than simply relying on my considerable skills! Don't have any less confidence in your skills, just more confidence in the veracity of that voice in your head!
Oh man, it sucks to be you. I watched your boat yard videos and I know how much pride you took in the way the boat was refitted. Especially the paint and body work. Keep your chin up Captain, you and the crew of AWOL are amazing.
This is a real channel, you are a man like all of us, everyone can be wrong. It is an honor that you have published this video about the incident. You are a great man and a very good sailor. So much respect.
I clicked on this by accident. Since I clicked on it, I watched it! I could feel the lumps in his throat as Tristan was talking about it. I blame the Harbor Master, as well as the other owner of the boat in parking crooked.
WOW...what an honest young captain you are... human...yes I would never fire you.. because I know you try to do your job well...and you have taken responsibility for your actions. God bless young man and my the winds be at your back side.
Respect. Been a captain for 5 years (100 ton) and know how sketchy things can get, you did what you saw right to safely maneuver the vessel at a slow speed (which is the only reason there isn't more damage).
This Video is the best proof that Mr. Tristan Mortlock won the superyacht captain award. Never stop learning and take responsibility. 99.9 % would never show this.
I Have been a Captain for over 40 years. It is very disheartening for this to happen....you have done a great job of taking responsibility for the issue. I, as you have stated, believe that a great deal of the focus should be on the facts that the Harbor Master was not doing a good job of managing the marina dockage. Those lines should never have been that position nor should the Harbor Master asked a Captain to jog around his lack of competence in keeping other vessels docked straight and giving a clear path for your vessel to dock.
You can only take all of this in and always demand for clear passage for your vessel and either elect to continue to dock or wait for the harbor personnel to clear the way....you are paying clients and should have all advantage of executing your dockage....I would still hire you to run my vessel....
Sometimes you come across with weird things in marinas and everybody acts normal around them. So you do what you do as usual, then sh*t happens. Thanks for sharing this experience and for your honesty.
Thank you for being open and direct, we all learn from you every time!
Great video, Tristan. I would be sweating bullets docking into that space with the anchor lines requiring such handling mastery! You are a heck of a captain and handle that boat so very adeptly. I can’t believe how they cram boats into such tight slips, especially with that anchoring line clearly impeding normal docking. The habormaster should have seen that and addressed it. I appreciate you being honest and showing the video because every boat captain has had a docking mistake. A I heard from other captains before “ you have two kinds of boat captains: those that have made a docking mistake that required some repair; and liars”. I appreciate that you took the high road and shared this even though you were clearly upset. I have a ton of respect for you. Thanks!
Chin up Tristan, when you skipper a boat all the time something once in a while will happen, but 100% respect for holding your hands up & showing it, that's what makes you a top captain. That berth was very tight, a bit too tight really & the harbour authorities should of known this & noticed the ground line, after all that's why they have a boat there. As you said, no one was hurt, so not a disastrous day, but not a great day either. Keep up the great work 👍
Accidents happen, and hindsight is 20/20 vision. No one is hurt with the minor accident, the main thing is to learn from the experience. You still sound a bit shaken/guilty, so take a chill pill. Just wait for the recordings from the BBC Navy Lark to start appearing. "Left hand down a bit.." ;)
As an owner of a business, the owner can be understanding when you know that the team member cares and is apologetic. Obvious from this video, you care and even the day after are doing everything you can not to let it tear you up.
Just started to watch your channel. After this vlog, I now subscribe. What impressed me was your humility in this. How you treated it as a learning process but most importantly, your concern over your crew not being hurt first and foremost. I imagine a lot of people would have instantly tried to shift the blame completely onto someone or something else, care more about the damage to the yacht than the potential damage to other crew members and then never ever think about posting it up for the world to see. If I had a yacht, you sir would definitely be the type of Captain I'd want at the helm. Glad to hear your boss has your back. Well done Captain, well done. Every day is a school day.
Captain,
Big fan from Long Island N.Y. here. Your pride should remain 100% intact. I am an owner operator of a fairly new 51’ SeaRay Sundancer. Every time a make a slip reservation at a marina, they ask for all of the dimensions of my vessel so that they can have an adequate slip or space available for my arrival. I get it that they pack’m tight...and yes you are the one ultimately in command...but it is partially their responsibility to provide you with an adequately sized space (per your reservation requirements) as well as a clear an unobstructed dock/slip environment.
Onward & Upward....
Andy
Wow. It shows great character that you show this incident. In my opinion it was a difficult situation and you tried to move around and make it work. Mistakes happen so, and it’s always easy to analyze it afterwards. In that moment you realized the angled ground line. Your first reaction to it was a key reaction and I think you should have acted accordingly and requested to have it removed. The harbourmaster didn’t act responsibly but you accepted their fault and the docking situation by trying to move around. Moral of the story: Don’t accept other peoples mistakes by compensating it with your skills. Anyways, thanks for sharing!
Do you know what....i feel your pain and i can tell by your expression that you will beat yourself up about it for a while.
I drive a class 1 truck and reversing in tight yards is always problematic and there has been a couple of times i have hit stuff and it play's on my mind for quite some time....but like you I take pride in my work and i take it personally.
Tied to the mast..50 lashes...no grog for a week.......for the guy who positioned that line....but seriously.. multi million pound yachts and you have to be so close..?
I can feel the stress when i see your face, you looks so painful and guilty, but imho are the main of the problem the cross line, you just made the minor mistake to park your vessel asap instead of radio to the harbour, to move the line. Subscribed for the well done content and the absolute honesty and your humbleness.
Great that you have a good owner like that and y'all have a good relationship and communication. He is right, it does happen to the best of us, mistakes happen and that is part of life. Helps you grow as a captain and crew man. Thanks for the good content!
Greedy Harbour masters in the med, cramming gin palaces together like this. Absolutely ridiculous! The lines are totally crazy. Tristan, you are a super guy. Bloody awful situation for you.
Agree. This the first time I see that kind of docking. Shocking !
Hope policy will change on boats as large as yours;was harbor master helping another boat?
not centered todock... omg.. get off the boat
I'm not sure what you think they should do. They can't manifest space out of nowhere and typically even when they do want to expand, there are strict zoning regulations which make it difficult or impossible. Additionally, there are more super yachts in the world than most people think, so if there's a limited amount of space and loads of yacht owners that want to use the marina, squeezing in is unfortunately just necessary. That said, the yacht with the bow line definitely should've respected AWOL's entrance by lowering their line.
Great job. It's not what you should have done differently, the line looks to me like it's for your boat. It should not be angled that way in my opinion. No fault of yours. You are correct though, you saw a potential problem and recognized it immediately. You and your crew are still the best, keep it up.
Mad props to G-Baby for being so understanding 😂
Very understanding. Now that is the mark of a good boss.
Miki Mouse he says in the video G-baby is the actual owner of the yacht.
Thanks for posting i got a lot of respect for people like yourself,, there is nothing like a man that takes responsibility for his action, and thank God no one injured like you boats can be repaired,, but life or limb is hard to live with even if is an accident,, keep your head up Capt. God blessed,, and happy boating
Here we 2021 and this popped up on my recommendation. Now the Arm chair captain has to make a comment. Ultimately you are responsible for what goes on. You made the call to dock with the rest of the sardines knowing you needed to do intensive maneuvers to dock. Lesson learned. Much respect for showing what captain have to deal with. Much respect for being humble. Fortunately nothing hurt but pride. Hopefully insurance took care of the damages.
Me personally I would be calling harbormaster for another place or have the other boat accommodate.
Good on you for uploading this. So important to keep things real. It shows integrity.
Those clearances and angle of the other ship is insane. I don't see how that mooring is even possible without contact the way it currently is.
Great respect to the owner for what he said. He’s spot on, also props to you for posting this, fascinating video despite the unfortunate result
As someone else sai, you have great personal integrity in showing and admitting to this. It makes t all the more interesting to see the bad with the good. Ultimately its now whether it goes wrong but how you cope and recover. Well done.
I also think this will enhance your reputation not detract from it.
Great video. Don’t worry about it. The responsibility should rest with the Harbour Masters. They should have made sure you could come into your mooring straight with no restrictions. Even though the mooring was so tight you did a great job. The repair is just superficial and is nothing to worry about.
I couldn’t imagine trying to park a super yacht that close to others. Props
The blame is on ports in the med cramming vessels in as tight as sardines in order to maximise income from berth real estate. You shouldn't have had to tell the docking master to drop the boat on your starboard side's ground line, it's his job to be aware of it. He didn't do his job.
Ouch! I'm amazed that doesn't happen more often, given how tight the docks are.
Anticipation is key, specially when you already saw the potential danger. I would learn as well from the situation, indeed follow your debrief... not to be caught twice on the same issue... Everything that can happen on a boat will happen... More precaution than less always! Good luck.
Great Job putting this video up! Shows you are not afraid owning up to mistakes done. Like you said, you never stop learning. If you did a full on "Incident" investigation (ex 5 Why), then absolutely the other vessel ground line would be mentioned as a factor of why. Root cause would perhaps be manouvering into a spot not wide enough. So since all "why" factors need to have a corrective action, i would suggest: Ask harbour/other vessel to drop ground line before entering....
In aviation we share issues to make it safer for everyone, so thank you, you're helping to improve our skills. I really feel for you on this one though, to have his bow line anchored to yours is a first for me in the med, yes you're the captain, but really I agree the Marina should take some responsibility and resolve the problem, also clearly the port side boater was aware of the issue as they dropped their starboard bow line, I guess you could have abandoned the berth and asked them to sort it out, or request a different one....but unfortunate all round.....thanks for the great videos
You saw it as soon as you made your turn to line up. Yes, you should have had the harbor Masters drop the line. That being said. The Harbor master should not allowed the line placed as it was. That's on them. The other captain should not have encroached on the other slip as he did. ( Professional etiquette).
And as others have mentioned in these comments they just keep packing you guys in tighter and tighter....Big thumbs up to you for posting this.
I can hear the aggravation in your voice, your pissed at yourself. If you had it to do over again you would have held your position and got on the radio.
You paid for that slip, tell the HM to do his job and clear it so you can pull in...it could have been so much worse if something gave way and hit someone like you said. 👍
Respect, for your sincerely only people who work hard, make some mistakes sometimes!!😄😄
Tristan, I can’t tell you how much a real life story like this will help others avoid mishaps of all types of modes of transportation. It is obvious that you have taken this experience to heart and will learn from it. Actually very impressive that more things like this haven’t happened with such a large vessel in these especially tight quarters. I work in Safety at Kennedy Space Center and you have identified about a dozen things for us to think about in our safety planning. The fact that you have instilled in your crew that their personal safety is far more important than things like cosmetic damage is of particular note. Thank you very much for sharing your experience.
Total Respect for you, sir. Thank you for keeping yachting real, and showing the downside of it as well as the ins and outs of everyday living/working on a luxury yacht. Collisions like that will happen. I'm actually surprised it doesn't happen more often when working to park so many yachts so close together in a port.
Couldn't they snug them up a little tighter and fit another vessel ?
I think they could maximize profits better by renting canoe slips in between the yachts!
They are actually considering stacking them one on top of the other
Still short either side by three thou 😯🤣
They could squeeze 2 more vessels in there with a Giant shoe horn and a lot of Grease !!!
Spend 100 million dollars for the ultimate luxury get away. Arrive and you're 1.5 cock lengths away from everyone more successful than you in the free world. And one of them caused 1 million in damage to your boat while going 0.0000045 mph...now that's the life!
Thank you for sharing your actions. You are a great captain and sharing was , I believe, the action of ha great guy. Roger
Your only sin is being a nice fellow. My opinion, as a former captain who is now 73 years old, is that those who insist (in a diplomatic way) on whatever they need to minimize the odds of trouble - and those with the most patience - fare the best in the long run. No one will remember specific maneuvers or whatever you asked of other crews or of the harbormaster. They may remember your manner and tone. You're a gentleman and I'm confident that people will not react badly to any requests you might make, such as dropping the line. My motto was, "Don't be bashful, just be nice". Also, IMHO, the crew of the starboard boat were cads for not being out in front of this and dropping that line without being asked - just as the port boat did. Since it's on the same mooring line, they had to know this was going to happen and they should have been planning for it. Surely someone was onboard...
You deserve my deepest respect for your honesty and integrity. All the best.
If it were me I would have bailed once I heard those fenders start to squeak. It's like in a shopping centre carpark when you park between two cars that are so close to the line that once you pull in you can't open the doors to get out. Good on you for posting this! The joys of being a yacht master.
We have a saying on the West Coast of Canada: "If you haven't hit something, you have just not been around long enough". Good on you to show what happen and how you dealt with it. Docking vessels is never dull.....
Thanks for sharing this, Capt. The reality is they try to maximize revenue by cramming as many vessels as possible at the docks, resulting in very difficult -- some would say nigh impossible -- expectations of maneuverability for their client crews. It seems this industry does draw upon the best skill available -- and some measure of pride on your part is perfectly reasonable -- but even the best cannot operate at 100% all the time. The harbor master and ship to your starboard put you in a difficult situation, and they as well as you have something to learn from this. Naturally, you rightly take responsibility as the master of the moving vessel: that is part of the job, and correct. However, responsibility and fault are not exactly synonymous. It seems like you handled yourself well afterward, which is the test of leader. At the end of the day, everyone is fine. Don't let this get you down. Great boss.
Tristan Harbour Master at fault it's his responsibility to provide a safe and secure berth. Remember you are paying for the berth and additional services.
Douglas Craig Precisely!!
Very few people can relate to what you do, docking a square block in a round hole like that would be impossible for most. I agree with Sailing Vessel Freedom. Thank you for being human and asking for others opinions on how to do it better. That tells us all what kind of person you really are. Safe travels.
Any boat owner would be proud to have you as a captain. The pride you and your crew have for your boat is amazing. Accidents happen and this was by no means a big one and I believe that the owner knows that. Chin up, tomorrow’s another day and nobody was hurt. Love the vids by the way. 😎😎