Another Duck Boat sinks

They are a proven death trap, period. Slow, narrow beam, deep cockpit just waiting to fill up with water from a wave or waves. Just an accident waiting to happen.
Here in Philadelphia I have spent a lot of time on the water around these duck boats. Was always waiting for one to get swamped by a Tug boat wake, but never did.

The real freaky thing was , I was driving home in my truck going over the Ben Franklin bridge and saw the Tug/Barge about 200 yards away from the doomed DB that got run over...heading right for it.
I had no idea the DB was dead in the water from there.

They also can kill on land . One or two people got run over them in CC Philadelphia and died.

I really don't think their operation was that sophisticated...
Probably more like...(looks out the window``Yep, sky's clear we're good to go!"

Not much sophistication required in pulling out your phone and looking uo the local radar...

I am still hoping for charges against the owners and management but this must serve as a reminder to all captains. It doesn't matter what you're ordered to do, nor what you feel you must do to keep your jobs. Ultimately, you have a responsibility.

I use to engage consultants and one question I asked was to tell me a job they'd walked away from. All the good ones have chosen to leave projects rather than stay in situations where management was doing things they shouldn't. Well, same with boat, yacht or ship crew. You must be willing to say "no", even if at great personal cost. I know one captain on this site who was terminated because he refused to move a boat in a situation he considered unsafe.

There are many unscrupulous businesses and owners, but you have the last call as to what you do. My rules are if I feel it's unsafe or crew does, we don't do it but don't ever do anything you feel is unsafe, not for me or any owner.

I hate to see what this captain faces or is experiencing today if he's a decent human being. I can't imagine being in his situation and responsible for those deaths. I know it would destroy me. Unfortunately though, he made the decisions that have led to him being charged. It happens over and over, the Bounty Captain, the El Faro Captain. Both with horrible owners contributing. However, the legal and the emotional consequences a captain faces are far worse than losing a job.

Also, choose carefully who you do work for and none of this will ever be an issue.

As much as I feel this captain should have either not launched or come back sooner because of the incoming squall line, it s hard to judge his decision about the bilge alarm. Was it a bilge pump running alarm or a high water alarm. If it came on twice, it was likely a bilge pump warning and that means the pumps were keeping up. Do you order passengers to put on PFDs and get them wet by raising the side curtains? Maybe not...

I don’t like judging based on an article

Update. A judged just dismissed all criminal charges against the 3 defendants incl the captain