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April 3, 2013 9:44 AM

A ro-ro ferry briefly "docks" at the island of Kimolos. Video. Everyone, and everything gets soaked.
posted by Talkie Toaster (54 comments total)

Absolutely bonkers from start to finish. Just the fact that the workers are even allowed to work under those conditions is madness.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 9:47 AM on April 3, 2013

I have no idea what a ro-ro is or what I'm looking at, but I'd love to stand on that dock on a hot day. Just not near the edge.
posted by DU at 9:52 AM on April 3, 2013

They're not paying those people enough.
posted by dirtdirt at 9:56 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

I used to take the ferry between Long Island and Ct in the 70s and some of things they did were not far from this video when big winter storms came in.

I recently took the same ferry again and it is much safer and "modern". Time marches on.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 9:57 AM on April 3, 2013

roro = roll on roll off ferry

that was insane
posted by unSane at 9:58 AM on April 3, 2013

I have no idea what a ro-ro is
Roll-on, roll-off. A ferry with big doors at either end so you can drive in one end and out the other.
posted by slater at 9:58 AM on April 3, 2013

I think roll on, roll off--i.e., the cars drive on and off the ferry (as we see at the end).

That was chilling!
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:58 AM on April 3, 2013

fwiw, after you watch a few seconds of the video from the start to get a sense of what's going on, you can safely fast-forward about four minutes; most of which is spent on the slow approach and the cameraman fiddling with his lens.
posted by ardgedee at 10:00 AM on April 3, 2013

you can safely fast-forward about four minutes; most of which is spent on the slow approach and the cameraman fiddling with his lens.

I assume that 85% of metafilter does this anyways.
posted by Fizz at 10:09 AM on April 3, 2013

Nothing like running through salt water with a rolling suitcase while cars and waves hurtle at you.
posted by zippy at 10:10 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

That is the worst harbor I have ever seen. That is incredibly dangerous. I can't believe they'd actually operate in those conditions in a non-emergency situation.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 10:11 AM on April 3, 2013

i LIKE the people in this video. Doing what they have to do, dealing with it as people have always done, health and safety regulations be buggered.
posted by runincircles at 10:16 AM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]

That is the worst harbor I have ever seen. That is incredibly dangerous. I can't believe they'd actually operate in those conditions in a non-emergency situation.

Signed,
Archimedes
posted by DU at 10:19 AM on April 3, 2013 [6 favorites]

A compelling argument against tort reform if I've ever seen one.
posted by zachlipton at 10:21 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

Alternate advice: you can skip to the minute 7 mark without missing anything terribly unusual.

Things like this are why I love Greece so much. There's enough infrastructure to get around, but it's all just haphazard enough to keep most tourists on the bigger islands.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:23 AM on April 3, 2013 [4 favorites]

i LIKE the people in this video. Doing what they have to do, dealing with it as people have always done, health and safety regulations be buggered.

But, um, with health and safety regulations, they wouldn't "have to." That's the point.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:24 AM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

Kimolos is a small island, so hopefully not representative of how things are throughout Greece.
posted by Jehan at 10:26 AM on April 3, 2013

"What's the most dangerous thing you've done today?"
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:27 AM on April 3, 2013

Doing what they have to do

Nobody needs to get to Athens *today* so badly that it's worth drowning for. What these people should be doing on this day, instead of docking ferries, is building another harbor on the other side of the island so that they can operate safely from that one when this one has unfavorable sea conditions. Even if the staff is competent and informed enough to handle this, the passengers can't be expected to have the same expertise.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 10:27 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

You think this is dangerous? After the video ends many of those people got into Greek island taxis.
posted by fshgrl at 10:27 AM on April 3, 2013 [20 favorites]

The most dangerous thing these guys do is put the money they earn in the banks, which operate the same way.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 10:33 AM on April 3, 2013 [5 favorites]

Very refreshing that it is landscape, not portrait.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:37 AM on April 3, 2013 [4 favorites]

The best part of this video is the people ambling off the ramp like they're on an afternoon stroll.

If I'm a dock worker, I'm saying, "Hey, dumbass, I'm trying not to get washed out to sea, freakin' move!"
posted by madajb at 10:40 AM on April 3, 2013

The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to return soup at a deli.

Is the water there always that color? That is the strangest part for me, the water is like, blue, instead of murky grey.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:56 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

madajb: I get the feeling everyone involved is used to this situation.

The moment that made it for me was the huge freaking truck that just barreled into the frame and onto the ship like it weren't a thing.
posted by Mercaptan at 10:58 AM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

I like the one dock worker wearing a bright safety-yellow vest because, you know, safety.
posted by etc. at 11:21 AM on April 3, 2013 [13 favorites]

Who's going to Athens here? Every day life in an island nation is all about sailing and docking in all sorts of weather. Not Greek, but in a country where some islands don't have schools or doctors, so ferries go every day, all year. To me, this seemed colorful and delightfully warm-weather, not crazy-dangerous. Dangerous is when they really, really should have called the helicopter.
posted by mumimor at 11:25 AM on April 3, 2013

Honestly, I was expecting more drama. I've heard of far, far worse dockings than this on the Scottish islands. Though I suspect there is an element of fishermen's tales to them, everyone has a story which involves them being stuck out at sea for many hours, too stormy to come into port anywhere, before they finally come in, with the ferry bouncing off the shore between cars coming off.

I mean, it's been less than ten years since some of the smallest inhabited islands got slipways that meant that people didn't have to wade ashore from flit boats at certain stages of the tide.

On preview: what mumimor said - when the ferry is an everyday necessity, you do what has to be done.
posted by Coobeastie at 11:27 AM on April 3, 2013

Join the coast guard, they told me. Man, fuck that noise.
posted by box at 11:30 AM on April 3, 2013 [14 favorites]

In one of my past lives, I worked as a subcontractor largely serving the transportation safety field, and of the many neurotic complexes that microcareer gave me, one lasting one is that I will never, never set foot on a goddamn RO-RO, not even if there are flaming hot bears and sweet misty rainbows and properly cooked plates of scrapple and interesting vintage manual typewriters and the prospect of true happiness forever waiting for me at the other dock, unless I can ride in a fully-inflated emergency escape raft perched on the top deck while wearing a life vest and holding flare guns in each hand.

RO-ROs are a no-no.
posted by sonascope at 11:39 AM on April 3, 2013 [8 favorites]

I wonder about everyone on the dock. At first there's just a couple of guys and then more appear. Does an alarm go out that the ferry is approaching? Is it kind of like a volunteer fire department? On a small island they can't possibly all be in paid positions to handle the dock.
posted by readery at 11:41 AM on April 3, 2013

What these people should be doing on this day, instead of docking ferries, is building another harbor on the other side of the island so that they can operate safely from that one when this one has unfavorable sea conditions.

Greece is not exactly overflowing with funds for such an endeavour...

RO-ROs are a no-no.

I've been on many between France and England, but I have always eyed them with suspicion since one tried to go out to see without shutting the front door. Yes, that is a stupid a thing to try and do as it sounds like it is.
posted by Brockles at 11:48 AM on April 3, 2013 [4 favorites]

flaming hot bears

When I first read sonascope's post, I thought "Why the hell would anyone be eager to approach an enraged woodland predator that's on fire??"

Then I realized - ah, that sort of bear. Never mind.
posted by Greg_Ace at 11:49 AM on April 3, 2013 [5 favorites]

I was expecting a lot worse actually. A bunch of people got wet and a bunch of cars got salt water on them.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 11:53 AM on April 3, 2013

Sort of reminded me of the fall of Saigon, but with waves.
posted by tommasz at 12:38 PM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

I thought the two ladies at 9m might just slip into the ocean...
posted by anthill at 1:01 PM on April 3, 2013

I think all ferry loaders exhibit that particular brand of impatient gesticulation, regardless of weather. Certainly never seen one that motioned me onto the deck with anything other than body language which said, plainly and simply, "I have three naked women, a bottle of champagne and a large waterbed waiting for me in the terminal. If I am forced to wait for so much as an extra second due to your TOTAL INCOMPETENCE at driving your hire car you don't know very well into a space you've never seen with geometric loading rules you know nothing of, they will get bored, drink the champagne and lock the doors. GET YOUR CAR IN HERE. NOW."

Internal dialogue from the end of the video...

"Oooh, they have mopeds. Of course, it's a Greek island they have mopeds. Look at that one go - be a shame/fantastic if a really big wave hit, but no, they've made it... oooh, here's another one and YES A REALLY BIG WAVE AND... the CAMERAMAN'S PANNED AWAY? WHAT? PAN BACK!... ah, panned back... no moped. Either washed away or into the ferry. Nobody seems to be worried, so I guess ferry. But... it is Greece.."

It is wise, by the way, never to assume in such places that because everyone's doing it as if they do it every day, it is in any way safe, where 'it' is something with the potential to do you serious, instant harm. A week's holiday on a beach in Turkey was marked on day 4 by two people killed due to some malfunction (we weren't there that day) in the speed-boat towed paragliding entertainment enjoyed by various gung-ho tourists. My then-gf and I had agreed within about five minutes of first seeing this on day 1 that we'd feel safer toasting marshmallows at Vesuvius. By day 6, they were up again with, one assumes, a fresh load of gung-ho tourists.
posted by Devonian at 1:04 PM on April 3, 2013 [10 favorites]

Devonian, I wish I could favorite both your internal dialogue pieces in multitudes. But - I guess there is a huge communication breach here.
People who grew up with the ocean/sea are always aware it is huge and dangerous. Some of them assume tourists have the same knowledge. I agree we should all be better at information, but not all of us are educated to the extent that we both understand that inland tourists are idiots and that it is our responsibility to make sure they don't kill themselves.

I have friends who grew up 5 minutes from the beach and never ever went into the water. That is how dangerous it is when you have had relatives dying out there, on the job. But if foreigners insist it is a good idea to go out in high waters - well, who am I to judge?
posted by mumimor at 1:29 PM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

Is the water there always that color? That is the strangest part for me, the water is like, blue, instead of murky grey.

Yeah, it's usually blue or green-blue, but in the summer there are no waves to speak of. There are probably more important things to speak of, but this blue sea everywhere is tugging at my heartstrings. The sea.
posted by ersatz at 1:35 PM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

RO-ROs are a no-no.

The Washington State ferry system is, so far as I know, extraordinarily safe. People who die do by falling off the side by accident. It helps that it's not actually at sea so much as at-Sound. They don't even have doors, and they pretty much never have to halt the runs. They're more or less plying a large saltwater lake, though. I'd wager more people have been born on board than have died...
posted by BungaDunga at 1:53 PM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

Stop. Panning. That. Camera.
posted by brokkr at 2:19 PM on April 3, 2013 [2 favorites]

Imagine the Captain over the intercom, announcing it's time to disembark:

Ready.
Set.
GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!
posted by lstanley at 2:25 PM on April 3, 2013 [3 favorites]

RO-ROs are a no-no.

Is there any other kind of vehicle ferry to choose from?
posted by Lyn Never at 2:38 PM on April 3, 2013

The alternative to a RO-RO is to crane each car on board.

(Or you can take the plane)
posted by grahamparks at 4:06 PM on April 3, 2013

unless I can ride in a fully-inflated emergency escape raft perched on the top deck while wearing a life vest and holding flare guns in each hand.

I think most modes of transport would be enhanced by taking them this way.
posted by indubitable at 4:18 PM on April 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

(Or you can take the plane)

Keep in mind that Kimolos is a tiny island: 36 sq. km [for reference, that's less than Westminster (city of) and the borough of Camden put together].
posted by ersatz at 5:20 PM on April 3, 2013

I thought the ro-ro boat was supposed to go gently down the stream.
posted by Kabanos at 6:01 PM on April 3, 2013 [5 favorites]

Wait until global climate change really kicks in.
posted by mygoditsbob at 7:16 PM on April 3, 2013

The worst thing that happens on my island ferry is when you are having your Jaguar flatbedded off the island in a Squamish and you leave the frigging window down.
posted by salishsea at 10:27 PM on April 3, 2013

everyone has a story which involves them being stuck out at sea for many hours, too stormy to come into port anywhere, before they finally come in

ISTR this being a plot point in I Know Where I'm Going!, so it's been a trope for that long.

building another harbor on the other side of the island so that they can operate safely from that one when this one has unfavorable sea conditions

Tee hee.

If you look at the island in Google Earth, there's really only one suitable harbor, and it's the one the ferries all use. Anyway, I can't imagine the operators or even the passengers would be enthusiastic about last-minute schedule changes involving going to the other side of the island even if it were an option.

The best part of this video is the people ambling off the ramp like they're on an afternoon stroll.

Yeah, contrary to being washed off the pier -- which I suppose happens often enough itself -- the thing I would worry about would be a sudden slapping of those metal ramps that could smash or even amputate a foot. Couldn't understand why people weren't trying a lot harder to minimize the time they spent at that interface.
posted by dhartung at 1:15 AM on April 4, 2013

I think another thing behind the calmness of the passengers is that tides in the Aegean are very weak. If you're used to the Atlantic or the Pacific, and you see the tide come up a few inches and start washing across the concrete, your instinct is to freak out because of what might happen when it comes up another couple of feet. Whereas they might be thinking "OK, at high tide the water washes across the concrete a bit, but it never does more than that, so no need to worry". They seem to treat it as more like a lake than a sea.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 2:25 AM on April 4, 2013

Brockles, I took a ferry like the Herald of Free Enterprise from France to England the next year, and I know I was not the only one onboard thinking about it allllllllll the way across.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:45 AM on April 4, 2013

Do you people have any idea how many different ro-ro ferries sail all over Europe every day without incident? You are waaaay more likely to die in a car crash on your way to the port.

Most deadly ferry incidents happen around Africa and in South-East Asia.
posted by brokkr at 12:05 PM on April 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Join the coast guard, they told me. Man, fuck that noise.

Metaphorically or litorraly?
posted by zippy at 3:30 PM on April 4, 2013