Re: Ski "Observers" are dangerous
Very interesting replies. It appears that some drivers want to have an observer since it helps them and I think this is fine. Some captains can pilot a 35 foot sailboat by themselves while others feel more at ease with a crew or two. It was interesting to note that the most reasonable replies, whether for or against, came from experienced drivers who could make a reasonable case for their style, while others cited either one-in-a-million hypotheticals that just dont happen in real life or have no bearing on the facts.<br /><br />My problem is not with those who use their option to have an observer, it is with those who create more and more unnecessary laws aimed at protecting us from ourselves. Whenever somebody does something stupid like running over a dock or eating five Big Macs and fries every day for 10 years and gaining 200 pounds, somebody wants to pass a law to prevent such stupidity.<br /><br />Profession skiers have needs beyond that of a regular, weekend skier, namely: <br /> 1) The observer is probably his coach.<br /> 2) The pro is doing dangerous flips which can break his neck<br /> 3) The event sponsors and the boat maker need protection from liability when he breaks his neck. Not that the observer will do anything to prevent the broken neckit will appear that the sponsor cared and was watching him. This tends to mitigate the damage the dumb juries and judges will award...<br />Recreational ski boats have rear facing seats because <br /> A) its a great show to watch the ski stunts<br /> B) Some are used for professionals, see above<br /><br />The main job of the recreational ski driver is to protect the skier. Protect him from what? Other boats, period. You cant protect him from hitting his head on the ski or breaking his neck but you must protect him from other boats. You can have 10 observers in the boat if you want to watch him like a hawk. You can put binoculars on him, videotape him, whatever. This isnt doing him any good. What will do him some good is if you keep other boats from running over him. He is forced by law to wear a life jacket with so much lift that he cannot get down under the water to avoid a propeller. Hes a sitting duck. This is another recent law that appears great but can kill you. Dont get me started
If my skier goes down, I turn my boat around so fast the observers would be thrown out of the boat if theyre not careful. I get back to the skier at full throttle while looking out for any boat that may be coming at him. Its like a mother bear and her cub. Ill warn, wave off, block and/or ram anything that will run over him. When alls clear, Ill pick him up. <br /><br />I think I have a time perspective on this topic because I have recently gotten back into boating after a 35 year hiatus. Without the gap, I may not have noticed to creeping do gooderism that has begun to infiltrate the boating world. Without constant vigilance we are going to see more and more freedoms taken away from this great activity by stupid, uninformed lawmakers who kowtow to those who want to take care of us. The sad part is many come from within our own ranks. Soon we will probably all have to have a one inch reflective stripe around our boats. Of course, this is entirely unnecessary and will be an unsightly maintenance nightmare. That doesnt matter. What matters most is that somebody thought we need it to protect ourselves from ourselves.
