It does beggar belief

You say in your article that the lack of action by CaRT in the case of a man being killed in Harecastle Tunnel beggar belief, and it does indeed, writes James Henry.

I too have often cruised through Harecastle, and I too have gone through alone many times, and CaRT saying there are convoys is totally untrue, for if you turn up at any entrance and the tunnel is empty they allow you through, and I try and get there early for that purpose as I have been stuck being a frightened hirer who was hardly moving, careering from side to side, it taking well over an hour to get through.

Inches away from the roof

One of my crew went to the bow and shouted at him that he would be better going faster and safer but took no notice. There was another person on the stern whose head was inches away from the roof many times when he got to the low parts of the tunnel and was an accident ready to happen.

I don't like having to wear safety gear, but such hirers would be well advised to at least be made to wear helmets for their own safety.

Would be alive today

As to wearing life jackets, if the man who fell overboard had been wearing one, he would most likely be alive today, which surely is proof enough, even to the obviously blinkered Health & Safety officer who wrote the reply to the coroner saying they were not going to insist upon such life jackets in Harecastle.  I thought the idea of someone in charge of health and safety at CaRT was to make sure we boaters were safe, but ignoring a coroners suggestions after a death, that could have been prevented as Tom says, beggars belief.