” The captain would be expected to intervene on their behalf if their judgment was in question “
He was near the inlet. Even trying to turn around might endanger his safety.
Besides, what are you going to do? Chase the boat for miles and end up in the middle of the storm?
All too true look at the video taken at the Jupiter inlet in post #10 This was with NO storm approaching. Jupiter inlet is not a place to mess around.
“Besides, what are you going to do? Chase the boat for miles and end up in the middle of the storm?”
If the captain decided to intervene he could have signaled them with spotlight and/or hailed them on VHF channel 16. Yet he makes no mention of doing either. Therefore he made no attempt to intervene.
What you said and more. At 30mph rain feels like bullets hitting your face. In a bad thunderstorm visibility will fall to 100 yards and the lightning will make you soil your shorts.
If the witness captain was in an open boat with no diving mask to wear to protect his eyes there’s no way he could follow anyone.