Attempted manslaughter

[jimi]

Re: How about this

I also think that if suddenly a bow looms out of the fog 50 yds away you've probably got more chance of taking some sort of avoiding action if you're doing a reasonable speed?

<hr width=100% size=1>.. whit way roon should it be again ..

 

[tome]

Re: How about this

Speed == Manouuu vrrr bi litty

With you all the way.
Frightened of Bognor

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[Robin]

Re: How about this

Thats easy enough in clear visibility but in order to find the safe water in fog you need to know where it is. Every time you change course or speed the whole relative motion picture changes and it takes everyone (ships and other small vessels included) a finite time to recalculate what is now happening and what to do. Unlike in clear visibilty your 90 deg or 180 deg turn is NOT clear to the ship for some time, his radar cannot see which way you are pointing, only (given time) which way you are moving relative to him.

What you see on the screen is relative motion (unless you have true motion radar, most unlikely). If you stop, and can somehow maintain your heading (unlikely)then everything becomes TRUE motion. If you do this too late and the target is close (<2mls) you could well lose it in the false radar echo ring which will surround you on your screen. You are now dead in the water with no idea where the trouble is and you are in trouble, this is in part what happened to Wahkuna.

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[Robin]

Re: How about this

Me too! Standing start 0-60 doesn't fit with small yacht diesels!

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[kds]

PERHAPS WE SHOULD START A "DOOMED" CLUB, which is only open to boat-people who don't have radar and who just go for the sailing.
I am scared witless by this site about twice a month !

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[Sailfree]

Its easy, at present commercial ships go fast down the Channel ignoring fog. Start a rumour that terrorists are operating yachts loaded with explosives in the channel. The terrorists will detonate the sailing boat in proximity of a Tanker/Container Ship. Now will these ships try harder to avoid us?

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[Twister_Ken]

Please no!

Start a rumour that terrorists are operating yachts loaded with explosives in the channel.

Then we'll have blacked-up leathernecks in rigid raiders boarding us and hauling us off to the USS Marilyn and John Kennedy for transportation and 4 years of intensive interrogation in downtown Guantanamo Bay.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[Ripper]

In the early days of radar my father maintained that a degree of speed was necessary as the faster you are going the more the relative bearing changes.
(This was in the days when fast Ships (on average) did 16 knots and slow one's maybe 10 or 12 & his was a slow and small one. I think in the case of a yacht with radar a good speed could be beneficial - after all if you're going flat out at 8 knots the chances are that a lot of ships are still going 4 times faster than you!!
Think of a motorway situation - how vulnerable do you feel driving at 20mph when everyone else is doing 80!!

Another interesting point - Radar doesn't tell you what it's looking at! I was on a bridge once in fog. Off to port was a large slow moving target. Under Col Regs a ship approaching from that direction should give way! It did not. When it loomed out of the fog the one big target turned out to 4 yachts hugging together for safety!!

Also, much as we complain, there are a good number of professional seamen out there - unfortunately it's not them we have to worry about. The pro's may get it wrong occassionally but they probably know you're there and they're trained enough to take the right course of action if they/you get too close.

Some ships get detained because not a single person onboard has the relevant qualifications. One Cypriot ship a few years ago ran down a UK fishing boat - it turned out that only one crew member even knew how to turn the radar on - he was off duty so the radar wasn't even on in the channel in thick fog

<hr width=100% size=1>Mike