Sternwheeler flap: 'There are some brides on pins and needles'
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The owner of a Willamette River sternwheeler says an overly stern bureaucracy could turn his cruise operation into a floating restaurant by the first of the year.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Richard Chesbrough of the Willamette Queen can't agree on terms for the vessel to meet a Dec. 31 deadline for an inspection that has been complicated by the closure of the Willamette Falls locks at Oregon City upriver of Portland, the Salem Statesman Journal reported.
There's also a difference between the Coast Guard and Chesbrough about the fiberglass hull of the Willamette Queen.
The sternwheeler is a fixture on Salem's portion of the Willamette River and often docks at Riverfront Park in downtown Salem. It offers river cruises that include sightseeing, lunch and dinner, drawing 10,000 to 15,000 passengers a year.
It's also booked for weddings — six next spring.
"There are some brides on pins and needles," Chesbrough said.
The vessel is due for a hull inspection at Portland. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2011 closed the locks between Portland and Salem until $5 million can be raised to repair corrosion of the anchors that hold the gates in place.
The corps said boats can go through if they are unmanned and the owner signs an insurance waiver. Chesbrough said his insurer would not agree to that.
When vessels can't get to a dry dock, the Coast Guard can make arrangements to have a specialist come to the boat and inspect it in the water. But the federal regulations allow that only for boats that have hulls made of steel or aluminum.
"Divers would be unable to detect specific problems with fiberglass or wood hulls," said Russell Burg, assistant chief of the Coast Guard Marine Safety Inspection Division.
Chesbrough says that, under protest, he added a layer of fiberglass to the hull after a 2010 inspection.
The root of the problem is that "there's a bias against fiberglass, but it's based on lack of knowledge."
He said he's asked for an extension of the deadline but has been denied at the state and regional levels, and he's now appealed to the service's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Information from: Statesman Journal
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
There's a couple of thoughts that come to mind here....
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First, the nature of fiberglass hulls vs metal/wood once is such that I can understand why the USCG wants to do a dry-dock inspection on the hull. Fiberglass hulls can have leaks that are not as easily identified/located as metal.Â
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That being said, I love the fact that the lynchpin in this whole process appears to be the insurance company. Apparently, getting a USCG seaworthyness certification isn't as important as them having to (potentially) incur the whole cost of any damage done to the vessel. Which is ironic, since the insurance company stands to lose Capt Chesbroughs premiums should his vessel not receive the inspection & certification. I would hope that somewhere the insurer and the USCG could see this reality, and work on some sort of a compromise that would allow for the inspection to take place.
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Capt Chesbrough is a good man, and a responsible seaman. In order to continue to operate as a commercial charter vessel, he has to get this certification, and he (as well as his business) seem to have come into the unfortunate place where he is between the proverbial rock (government red tape and regulations) & hard place (insurance companies).Â
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I have to wonder if there would be a means for a 3rd party to come in and do some sort of a sonogram-type hull inspection?Â
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...of course, then would come the inevitable question of who would be liable for the costs of any such inspection.Â
All this flap, and for what reason? Seriously, just throw an extra 10% state tax on the rich and call it good... heck... make it 20% or else we'll have to release prisoners and the children won't get thier healthcare. We only need $5mil for the locks and say 15mil/year for a new agency to be created to manage all the locks on oregon rivers. Sheesh... afterall... those locks decayed on Bush's watch.
"Sheesh... afterall... those locks decayed on Bush's watch"
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Yep, they sure did....:-)
@Peregrine If you're going to tax the rich then hit'em with a 40% tax for this. Make'em move to another state....Now that's the ticket. I know I moved and I'm not even rich but ()bama thinks so.
I feel sorry for the grooms, they are going to have to deal with the fallout.
The government created the problem by closing the lock, they should fix the problem or make arrangements to accommodate him.
"But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 2011 closed the locks between Portland and Salem until $5 million can be raised to repair corrosion of the anchors that hold the gates in place."
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So who will pony up the $$$ to repair the locks? The government seemed to be trying safety out instead of allowing a problem to get worse. It will be interesting to see who is going to be responsible in this. Either way, someone is going to lose.
Bridezilla's attack.
 @Obongo Geddon Turn them loose on the Corps of Engineers.  That will get those guys motivated to find the money to get the locks repaired.