>>1176639-They could have delayed sailing
-They could have immediately taken a safer, southerly route
-They could have been more critical of weather forecasts, aware the NHC was having difficulty predicting it
-Knowing they'd be sailing into/past foul weather, double and triple check water tight hatches and cargo lashings
-Except for the final hours, they could have run from the storm at any time
-Confronted the master as a crew with concerns about his choices
>>1176811That mindset is a serious reason why they got into the situation. Shipmasters are not necessarily infallible master mariners. Some need to be proverbially slapped and their noses pushed into the chart table to see what's clear as day. Some just know how to climb the corporate ladder.
**IF** he was trying to skirt the storm to save time in order to jockey for position as master of the new ship, that is a prime example of putting his needs before the lives of thirty people.
This is a tragedy precisely because of the cascade/swiss cheese/error chain. There were many, many missed opportunities that would have seen the ship safely in Puerto Rico. This isn't a one-off act of god disaster. The faults, and lessons learned, come from human error.
