# Planting Accident Report-Final



## aa3jy (Jul 23, 2006)

*Plantino Accident Report-Final*

https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/comm...ocuments/Platino-mnz-accident-report-2016.pdf


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## aa3jy (Jul 23, 2006)

*Re: Plantino Accident Report-Final*

Though there where previous rules in place...these findings now have a significant impact on vessels visiting NZ waters..

After two experienced crew died on the SY Platino (20 meters) in 2016, Maratime NZ is requiring all offshore yachts leaving NZ to pass government inspections.. Read the report here https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/platino/

On page 56 of the report the new regulations are explained:

"YNZ [Yachting NewZealand] introduces changes to the Safety Regulations of Sailing.
Since the time of the Platino accident, YNZ has made changes to Changes to Safety Regulations of
Sailing with the learnings of the Platino accident in mind. These changes are listed below;
1. All vessels must have the required ratio of crew with an Advanced Sea Survival qualification51 (SR APPENDIX 6). This requirement had previously been applied only to racing yachts. However the requirement is now being applied to cruising yachts which may be lightly crewed but are undertaking a long voyage.
2. All vessels seeking a category 1 safety certificate are to have a written manual available to all crew.
3. Yacht Inspectors who have not attended the last conference or have not completed an inspection in the 12 months immediately prior is to be accompanied by another Inspector."


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## Rezz (Oct 12, 2012)

I can understand what New Zealand is trying to do there, but I'm wondering if their requirements are going to push people away from their beautiful country. I can't say I've seen other countries have these same stringent requirements. 

Also - your boat could become stuck in NZ, technically speaking, if you don't meet all their requirements. From what I've read, they won't let you leave until you're considered seaworthy in their eyes.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

OK, these are the two points that stand out to me.
A) *Consider* steering manually during periods of heightened risk that cannot be avoided by other means.
B) Position the person on watch so as to facilitate immediately taking control if the autopilot is used during periods of heightened risk. This *could* mean a crewmember is placed at the wheel, though not actively steering.
A) *consider?*. Excuse me, but am I mistaken to assume that is the *job* of the human crew members when conditions dictate? With 5 crew steering would have been pretty light duty and perhaps one of the "experienced and professional" crew would have noticed that the steering was 'mushy' from lack of fluid. All that time and money spent to produce this report and the recommendation is: *consider*? Bah humbug!
B) I read about this attitude all the time on these forums. Folks tucked up under the dodger far from the helm and literally unable to see around the boat, but all nice and cozy, some even listening on headphones to music or books on tape.
Not on any boat that I'm the captain of! From a 30' yacht to an umpteen thousand ton freighter, if you are on watch, you are at the helm, sitting or standing where you have an unobstructed view of the vessel and the waters around her, never more than a few seconds from taking over from a miscreant autopilot. Comfort and tunes are for off watch, not when everybody on the vessel has put their lives in the watchstander's care!
As for a need to regulate these things, Darwin had a pretty good point, and I don't see the harm in culling the herd from time to time.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

NZ tried this before with disastrous results to the the maritime trades. Won't last more then a season when the hundreds of boats decide to head to Australia instead of the land of the long white cloud.


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## Yorksailor (Oct 11, 2009)

Six years ago off Cape Fear With an experienced person at the helm we were hit by a combination of a big wave and a 40 knot thunder squall wind shift that Gybed the boat violently resulting in a free and potentially thrashing boom...We are only 55 ft and with the main still up the boom was pinned against the spreaders. Over an hour I was able to progressively tame the boom from the front of the boom backwards after I had reefed the staysail to prevent the sheets from flogging. We did have a boom brake that was ripped apart by the gybe and the gybe broke two half inch ss shackles in the main sheet system.

We have a metal toenail that allows multiple points of attachment so that with blocks, pulleys and line I could progressing work the boom back to the midline. It required 4 block and tackle combinations to get the boom midline.

Once tamed we were unable to run the engine because of a separate problem but with jibs we were able to sail 50 nm back to the mouth of the Cape Fear river where we contacted Boat US and got towed into Southport.

I do not pretend that with a bigger boat and the problems Platino experienced that I would have succeeded in their situation but at least the general theory of taming the boom from the from the mast backwards can work.

We had similar steering problems because the bimini was squashed down onto the wheel but I check the fluid levels on our hydraulic steering frequently and anytime there is any indication of problems.

Having sailed boats with the main sheet attachment low and forward of the helm I would never buy such a boat. It was that arrangement that cost a life on the Clipper race.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

From the original post, I got the impression that this ruling was meant to cover *all* craft sailing from NZ, but didn't get that impression from reading the report. I do believe it is not legal for NZ to impose their regulations on foreign flag vessels, in this sort of situation, especially those that have arrived w/o complying with the NZ regs.
I laid a shotgun across my legs while sitting at the top of the boarding ladder, when they tried to take my dog with an illegal destruction order, so I'm not sure how I'd respond to their trying to impose *their* silly regs on us when my boat was suitable enough to get us to NZ, after sailing across the Pacific Ocean from California.


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Resolute_ZS said:


> I can understand what New Zealand is trying to do there, but I'm wondering if their requirements are going to push people away from their beautiful country. I can't say I've seen other countries have these same stringent requirements.
> 
> Also - your boat could become stuck in NZ, technically speaking, if you don't meet all their requirements. From what I've read, they won't let you leave until you're considered seaworthy in their eyes.


If that's the case do you get NZ citizenship if you arrive in an un-seaworthy boat?


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

*Re: Plantino Accident Report-Final*



aa3jy said:


> On page 56 of the report the new regulations are explained:
> 
> "YNZ [Yachting NewZealand] introduces changes to the Safety Regulations of Sailing.
> Since the time of the Platino accident, YNZ has made changes to Changes to Safety Regulations of
> ...


From what I read(I did not read the whole thing), except for the boat manual this boat met all requirements and would have met the requirements and would have been released to go on their journey.

Does the government pay for the Cat 1 certifications? If not it might be hard to force foreigners to pay for NZ certs just to leave the country. I think the requirement for a manual is a good idea but not a practical one. It seems like the owners of this boat were loaded. They could have payed someone to write a manual for them and never read a page.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

The bigger issue is that you can't legislate judgement..or cure stupid.


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## SeaStar58 (Feb 14, 2018)

The verbiage appears to indicate that this will only apply to YNZ Sailing Club Members or those that seek a Category 1 Safety Certificate from a YNZ Sailing Club.

From what I can tell YNZ is a small non-profit organization with about 25 employees and has about 250 affiliated Sailing Clubs but is not a governmental authority.

Here is what their WebSite has to say about them:

About us
Helping New Zealanders access, enjoy and succeed on the water for life.

Yachting New Zealand is the national sports body in New Zealand for the sport of sailing at all levels. We are a non-profit organisation of approximately 20 employees around the country and 250+ member clubs, classes and organisations.​
These changes only appear to apply to the rules that YNZ and their affiliated sailing clubs operate under of which the Platino appears to have been a member and certified by:

YNZ introduces changes to the Safety Regulations of Sailing.

Since the time of the Platino accident, YNZ has made changes to 
Changes to Safety Regulations of Sailing with the learnings of the 
Platino accident in mind. These changes are listed below:

1. All vessels must have the required ratio of crew with an Advanced Sea
Survival qualification 51 (SR APPENDIX 6). 
This requirement had previously been applied only to racing yachts. However the 
requirement is now being applied to cruising yachts which may be lightly crewed 
but are undertaking a long voyage.

2. All vessels seeking a category 1 safety certificate are to have a written
manual available to all crew.

3. Yacht Inspectors who have not attended the last conference or have not
completed an inspection in the 12 months immediately prior is to 
be accompanied by another Inspector​
See: 
https://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/about-us
https://www.yachtingnz.org.nz/about-us/what-does-ynz-do

As far as I can see those who are not YNZ Sailing Club Members should have little to worry about.


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