Horrific Boat Fire

The tragedy of the MV Conception has been on my mind this week. It's been a year since 34 souls were lost in that horrific fire off Santa Cruz Island.

In the early 1980's, I dated a woman who worked aboard a dive boat that sailed these exact same waters in the California Channel Islands. Michelle was a dive boat cook, a lover of motorcycles, a free spirit, a seeker of adventure. I've lost touch with her, but I trust she is well.

Here is a chilling piece written by the sister of the charter organizer, who was also a victim of the fire. The author's sister co-owned (with her husband) an outfit called Worldwide Diving Adventures, which put together the group of divers for this three-day dive trip. They contracted with the MV Conception owners. Worldwide Diving Adventures had been doing this for half a century across two generations.

I can't vouch for the technical accuracy of this article, which was published as an opinion piece four months ago by the Santa Barbara Independent. I can assure you, however, that your skin will crawl with goose bumps as you read her account of those final moments...

The Conception Fire: Solving the Puzzle

After the Conception boat fire killed my sister, Kristy Finstad, and 32 divers and one crew woman, I was haunted,
www.independent.com www.independent.com
 
Johali said:
It hasn't been said if a person was designated as an Anchor Watch by the Captain. The person responsible has to be determined first. The Captain not setting a watch or the designated watch stander falling asleep. The ships log, which is required by law, was probably destroyed by the fire if they even bothered to keep one. After this is determined they will be able to pursue the charges through the appropriate channels. Federal or local will be determined by who will be responsible. So far It seems to be leaning more towards the Captain. If it was a designated watch stander they probably weren't required to have Maritime Documents/Licenses aboard a charter diving boat and this will affect what happens next. The Captain of course was required to have the proper documents. It will probably be quite a while yet before we learn more than this.
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RIP to the 34 lost souls.
The boat tragedy was a horrible thing and I do not want to minimize all the pain for them and their families
But I always enjoyed reading Johali's knowledgeable comments. I know I am not alone, many others here miss him too. Rest in peace to all.
 
Greg said:
RIP to the 34 lost souls.
The boat tragedy was a horrible thing and I do not want to minimize all the pain for them and their families
But I always enjoyed reading Johali's knowledgeable comments. I know I am not alone, many others here miss him too. Rest in peace to all.
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very well said

The subject of the thread is sad and reading @Johali 's comments make it sadder. Miss his comments every day.
 
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