Fastnet Rock Rescue: why should we pay for this.

you're having a laugh aren't you ?

Imagine the front page news around the world - "Irish not bothered to rescue 21 people because hastalavista thinks it's too expensive".

I've joined a debate on this issue on another web site and there is a single lone voice like yours with everyone else, myself included against your argument.

What about mountain rescue, ambulance crews, fire crews, safety marshals and medics at motorbike races, medical docs on standby at gaa matches ....... etc
 


This is a big bug bear of my mother's. She gets enraged when she hears of people setting off up dangerous mountain ranges or round the world ocean trips for personal fulfillment and ending up having to be rescued and costing lives in the attempt. It's all ego on their part and the rescue teams often pay the price. Not sure I agree entirely but I kinda see the point.
 
I don't know for sure, but given the organisation that goes into this event, and the cost of participating, I would think that the organisers will cover the cost, either from entry fees or insurance for that purpose. Sailors are very safety-conscious and well aware of how much they owe to the emergency services.
 
I'm surprised that this event is reliant on the emergency services. Like other sports, surely they put in place their own arrangements to cater for emergencies. They should be hiring at least a couple of lifeboat crews and a rescue helicopter given the history of this event.
 
What was the actual cost anyway? The lifeboat is manned by volunteers (and a huge amount of their fundraising would come from sailors all over the country who are happy to know that the lifeboat is there for whoever needs it). The marginal extra costs are fuel and wear and tear on the helicopters and the naval vessel: the crews are already working and on standby for this sort of thing anyway and probably glad of a chance to do something real rather than training exercises.
 
There is a hugh difference between backup at a GAA match and the case in point.
Yes let them drown, why not, they should have had enough life-craft and let the other race boats pick them up, but no because it adds to the weight etc.
Commercial boat rescues etc I have no issue with but I don't thing this lot should be rescued at a cost to the tax payer
 

That's just not practical given the distances/speeds involved.

I'd be surprised if the organisers were picking up the tab for the rescue though, as they do for medics, marshalls, fire crew. etc. at other high-risk events.
 

Their boat broke up. The other boats passed them without seeing them because of fog. Are you honestly saying that you would have told the families of 21 people that died that it was their own fault? Are you saying that emergency services should not try to save people who try to kill themselves, should not help people who injure themselves playing sport, help people whose houses go fire because they fell asleep with candles lit, people in a car crash who speed etc etc. Are you honestly saying that you would let people die to teach them a lesson?
 
By the way, we should be praising the people who carried out the rescue.
 
Again, what do you think the cost of the rescue was? According to the Indo the Baltimore lifeboat (and its volunteer crew) was on an exercise in the area when they got the call. Because that's what they do - they practise rescues (using fuel etc - the 'costs') until they have a real rescue. For all those involved (and a big well done to them as Sunny say), I suspect this will be a highlight of their rescue careers considering what could have happened (and has happened before in the Fastnet race) - a big rescue like this makes it all worthwhile and the publicity will help their fundraising efforts.
 
Its a hard one, isn't it? And I don't have the answer.

I'm a sailor - I know the risks. By and large, you're on your own when you're out on a big trip.

I love to hear peoples questions about the trips.

So, what do you do at night on a transatlantic? Oh, we pull into services.........Daw!
Does your phone work? Yeah, right, where are the masts in mid Atlantic for phone signals?

What happens if your keel falls off? Well, you're buggered frankly and the likelihood is that you drown - unless you're lucky enough that it falls off within shouting distance of the rescue services or a passing ship picks you up - and the chances of that are negligible once you're in dense fog, heavy seas and you barely made it off the craft without a chance to send a Mayday call.

I think it comes down to - we're an island nation, we have fishermen and sailors who go out to sea. The RNLI is a totally voluntary organisation - funded by donations, largely by sailors. The air / sea rescue is on stand by for these situations. Do we categorise the people we will rescue - only fishermen at work?

Do the organisers cover this? No - its a choice that sailors make. We're always told - you do this at your own risk.

Should the owners be billed? Well, you're billed now for fire brigade call outs - so, yes, probably is the answer.

mf
 
but do people not think that indirectly having a very good emergency service is a contributory factor in terms of why people come to partake in sporting events of any type - be it a boat race, a mountain hike/climb, motor bike race, etc.

Imagine the negative effect on next years Volvo Ocean Race coming to Galway again and probably pumping a couple of hundred million in tourism into the Irish economy in the RNLI decided that it was too expensive so they will only rescue fishermen and not leisure sailors ..... !!

How would we be able to bid for those types of events in the future ?
 
I would have thought the organizers would be paying and making contributions for emergency services and not just relying that the volunteers are available

Look at Galway Races, they have security and ambulances on site and that has to be paid for
 
Who knows what contribution has been made. People are just assuming that they are paying anything. The story was on British and US media last night. I for one am delighted it is a story of 21 people being saved from drowning rather than Ireland lets 21 people drown because of budgetary constraints and to teach other adventurers a lesson.
 
Leo said:
That's just not practical given the distances/speeds involved.

I'd be surprised if the organisers were picking up the tab for the rescue though, as they do for medics, marshalls, fire crew. etc. at other high-risk events.
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I dont agree that its not practical. Given the profile of this event, surely they could afford to have 3-4 rescue craft spaced along the route? Surely they could afford to have a rescue helicopter on standby?
 
csirl said:
I dont agree that its not practical. Given the profile of this event, surely they could afford to have 3-4 rescue craft spaced along the route? Surely they could afford to have a rescue helicopter on standby?
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I can guarantee you that even if the race provided what you suggest, all the official rescue services would also have gone out so there would have been no cost saving. The Baltimore lifeboat and the helicopter crews just wouldn't have got the international pats on the back that they are getting now nor the potential for increased funding...

If anything, increasing private provision could reduce the justification for the level of rescue cover provided at the moment - which will impact on the 'poor' people who rely on the official rescue services - and I don't think that's what anybody wants.
 

If this is the case, then shouldnt there be a license fee paid by all professional yacht race organisers as a contribution towards the budget for providing these services?

In practically every other sport in Ireland where emergency services are needed, they have to pay fees for cover (to either or voluntary service providers). There shouldnt be a double standard whereby some sports pay and others dont. And to be honest, those who take part in ocean yacht races are probably more able to pay than your average amateur sports organisation.
 
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