Breaking News
Hell on the harbour
JANE IGOE
Wednesday 7 May, 2008 5:01pm
BRADLEYS Head, the scene of the horrific boat crash which killed six people, is a dangerous blindspot for sailors, made worse by increasing water traffic.
Middle Harbour Yacht Club Commodore Martin Hill said sailors rounding the corner too close to the headland were unable to see craft travelling in the opposite direction towards the heads.
"Sailing after dark is dangerous there are many hazards and much greater caution is needed," he told the Daily.
"Cutting the corner at speed and in the absolute darkness of night reduces the line of sight with possible catastrophic consequences."
Bradleys Head has been well-known as a dangerous spot among sailors and pleasure craft operators for many years.
But this was tragically brought home when a boat with 14 people on board, almost double its limit, collided with a fishing trawler last Thursday morning.
The collision between the runabout and the trawler took place near the memorial to those who died on the HMAS Sydney.
Mr Hill said water traffic on Sydney Harbour had increased by 25 per cent in the past 10 years.
He said the time had come to look at having better-defined navigation lanes to cope with the increase in water traffic.
"The impact of the trawler which had about 30 times the mass of the runabout would have been horrendous," he said. "As the runabout rounded the corner of the headland at speed, close to the beacon, the lights of Sydney CBD in the distance would also have acted as a distraction in seeing other boats that were in the area."
Mr Hill said he was not convinced any further regulations could have prevented the tragedy.
"Nothing can really minimise the dangers of inexperience or travelling at speed in unknown areas," he said.
He said speed on the harbour was always a danger.
"It gives you less time to see other boats and it gives you less time to manoeuvre out of a difficult situation," he said.
Homicide detectives have been called in to inquire into the boating tragedy. The NSW Police Force has set up Strike Force Condor to investigate the crash.
North Shore State Liberal MP Jillian Skinner said her "blood ran cold" when she heard of the accident.
