Admit how often your attention is on your phone at 15 knots, mid-Solent...

Greenheart

Greenheart

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A few conditions to restrict defensive baying:

a) Don't bother replying if, on shore, you don't frequently look at a smartphone...you don't count.

b) Don't bother saying it's often safe to look away from the helm in open water...I agree, but I'm talking busy Solent.

In September I was crewing my own boat while a mate helmed. Something off our port bow that looked like an old Nelson but with a flybridge, was speeding towards us, near enough to give us a very tense half-minute.

In the last ten seconds, we clearly saw the guy at the helm, head down, prodding at a phone as he passed 40ft away.

I quite like close encounters, I enjoy surfing on a decent bit of wash. But the prospect of us and the boat being pulped by a massive impact because somebody was texting, was just as alarming as the same thing on the road.

Is your phone out-of-bounds as you hurry amongst Solent traffic?
 
Ehm....Fugging never. Nor in my car or on my bike.

To be honest, never bothered with a GMap or a SatNav thingy yet. Done it with a compass and a chart for a short while. Sailed around the world a little bit twice.

Sadly the two chaps who taught me passed away this week, missed both funuels to commercial fog/fights.

The Knowhere Nellies should just get a tad more training.
 
Maybe he was using the chart and marine traffic AIS app:cool:

I just got an iPad with wifi. I can get charts, weather, marine traffic, take pictures and post on here while out sailing.:)
Haven’t figured out how yet.
 
Phone doesn’t generally get any attention at planing speed in the Solent - there’s usually too much else going on.
 
I come from the east coast so far too busy trying not to beach on sandbanks, phone stays downstairs in saloon, I can catch up on any missed calls later, Nicky will check its not important if it does ring. Don't understand all these people who are glued to their phone, for me its a business tool, if it rings its usually a problem so I'd rather it didn't.
 
I use mine all the time at 20kts in busy waters. Stuff happens much more slowly on a boat than in a car and you know for sure that nothing can happen in the next n seconds so it is then safe to look at phone for 1/2 x n seconds. Obviously if the "safe time" n seconds is only 10 seconds then I would not look at phone. But if it is 45 then I would. In a car, n is almost always <1 second so I would never text when driving a car.
Same point applies when fiddling with nav electronics. You look around and decide what n is, so you know how long you can be head down looking at the screens and not the "road".
There are other factors too- e.g. how reliable your co-pilot is. Can they be trusted to call out problems for a full ten minutes or just 30 seconds? Lots of factors are relevant to how long you can look down for.
 
I getting more and more convinced this 'Solent' place sounds like not much fun.

More than happy to pick up my phone and check it under way, much like flying its all about look out and task prioritisation. If you assess that you have time and there is no imminent threat why not. On the SofF most boats pass with someone glued to their phone usually taking pictures to support their F* Me I'm Famous moments...
 
I'm beginning to wonder if there is something new that's wrong with my boat. It doesn't have AP and if I take my hands off the steering wheel for any length of time I'll wander off in a completely new direction. Which ever trim tab is more down generally on the plane and at displacement speeds it's a lottery
 
mcanderson said:
I getting more and more convinced this 'Solent' place sounds like not much fun.
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+1.
I don't mind answering some odd WA message while helming, though my mobile phone usage dropped like a lead balloon anyway, since I'm not working anymore - and I'm very glad it did.
It's cruising in very busy waters that would really bother me, to start with.
I guess there must be a point in doing that for pleasure, but I for one completely miss it... :rolleyes:
 
Thanks for contributing...it's nice to read that at speed, most people are attentive to their course rather than distractions.
 
As I'm single-handed most of the time then what's going on around me takes precedent, with half an eye on the instruments. If guests are on board they tend to be inexperienced boaters so I don't feel it's fair to rely on them. They're there to be able to relax and just enjoy the day. To be honest I don't cruise much at 15 knots as I'm not in that bigger hurry to get anywhere. The phone sits by the helm so it's handy in case I need to use it, but I wouldn't answer it unless I was in clear open water in which case I'd probably throttle back anyway.
 
I dont understand how anyone can use their phone whilst helming their boat. I struggle to hit the right touch buttons on my phone when the damn thing is stationary let alone when its bouncing along at 20kts. In fact IMHO any instrument with a touch screen has no place on a boat or even a car
 
Never use it when helming. You cant read the screen that well in the med sun and if you leave it out it gets too hot and shuts down. Oh and i am busy!

The only near miss I had was off Menorca.

I was in my Targa 40. There were 4 adults on board and 2 kids. The covers were down etc. so nothing to obscure visibility.

Suddenly a sailing boat went past I would guess 10 - 15 feet away. We all looked stunned. It was I guess 10 years ago, but we could not figure out what happened then let alone now. It would of course have been 100% our fault but i cant figure out how 4 adults on deck in an open boat did not see it. No one was on a phone as I think Nokias were on trend at the time!

Scary.
 
I regularly check charts and instruments, but always have an eye for other boats and hazards. Life is too short to share everything on Facebook and get tense if nobody "Likes" the post. I leave that to my daughter.
 
rafiki_ said:
I regularly check charts and instruments, but always have an eye for other boats and hazards. Life is too short to share everything on Facebook and get tense if nobody "Likes" the post. I leave that to my daughter.
Click to expand...

Surely you are checking the forum every 30 seconds?
 
While the boat is on the move the phone is only there in case vhf fails to make contact - which has happened.
 
Although not the Solent buts it’s very busy in the Cote d Azur in the season .
I never have the phone on the helm it’s left in the saloon .
Having said that there’s plenty of screens to phaff with on the helm anyhow .Its just having the right mindset to resist temptation and keeps eyes up when running .
 
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