I know of only one way to get a seven-year-old and a four-year-old to willingly board a sightseeing tour bus - tell them it turns into a boat. In cities like Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, you'd be telling the truth! The tragic collision this week of a duck boat with a barge in the Delaware River brought back memories of my own experience with the Philadelphia "Ride the Ducks" tour in 2006.
Before climbing aboard the amphibious craft, everyone receives a duck-billed noisemaker. The kids loved it - but the sound of thirty-seven quackers sounding nearly non-stop for the duration of the trip can only be compared to the noise level in a Johannesburg soccer stadium during the World Cup.
.... and Alfreth's Alley - the longest continuously occupied residential street in the city.
Then it's out onto the water, where you will get a close-up view of the old Municipal Pier, and the Ben Franklin Bridge.
The accident in which two tourists were drowned appears to be just that - an accident. As long as maintenance records for the two vessels involved come up clean, I can't see how blame can be properly assigned. A boat that becomes disabled on the water - in the channel - is at risk for being hit by another craft. It's really as simple as that.
One observation I will make is that the duck boats ride very low in the water. It's almost like being out there in a canoe or kayak. This probably has nothing to do with how seaworthy the boats are, but I could see how, after this accident, tourists might feel a bit squeamish about being right down there IN the Delaware.
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