Bloody Power boats

[Guest]

I don't expect a 'magic wand' cure but I supose I just want to get this off my chest.
Beautiful day, went sailing with family for a picnic just inside Old Harry Rocks that form a wind break and are about 4 miles from Poole Entrance. The chosen area is well out of the channel and all other sailing and shipping routes. Been there 15 min's every pigging power crazed cowing lunatic with more horsepower than brain cells uses us as a way point [to where for goodness sake]. They circle round us towing screaming kids, women, dogs, Islamic Fundermentalists, Radio One DJs and Gods know what else on brightly coloured inflated rings. We move to a quieter area nearer Studland, Guess bloody what, yes you've got it here they freaking come again, only now we're apparantly the other end of their dance of a thousand horsepower. Several friendely waves from me had no effect, but I did hit one of them with a cunningly tossed chicken bone. The seemed to get the point [if not the rest of the chicken] and went elsewhere. BUT WHY DO ALL POWER BOAT DRIVERS ALWAYS ACT LIKE THIS. I say all and if you say "nay lad not me" Your a bloody liar sir, I've NEVER seen a sensibly driven power boat ever everever.
Now I've got that off my chest I feel so much better, I'll go and cut up some raw meat and feed the wife. [Of course through the bars, do think I'm mad!!]

 

[Colinh]

I too have suffered from the same sort of problem in several places. For example, we were anchored at Abersoch, off the Sailing Club there, where there is a closely spaced line of buoys parallel to the beach marking the closest approach of power boats. Our breakfast was ruined by an idiot who raced up and down off the beach, staying within the exclusion zone, and used us as a turning mark.

It was not the first occasion that I have wished there was a cannon or some such device on board, and that Coll Regs do not state that the 'sound of gunfire' is a distress signal. OK, with hot coffee over my lap I was distressed, but not in the manner that the writers of Coll Regs had in mind.

Does anybody know where one can buy Government Surplus torpedoes that will run at a shallow enough setting to swim up the back passage of a jet-ski ?

Colin H.

 

[byron]

Mike please don't tar us all with the same brush. I run a "bloody power boat" and make sure that I give anchored craft a wide berth and when at sea I give boats under weigh around a quarter mile miss too. In fact when coming up/down the Thames Estuary and unable to give sea-room for one reason or another I drop my speed to chug-chug until I am
past them. I suspect the people you refer to a new boaters in speed boats and their actions are more down to inexperience than anything else.

©2001

 

[andrewbarker]

I suspect you're not really half as irate an old buffer as you make out. But you do raise some interesting points. I belong to the motor boating fraternity and, funnily enough, the ranting I hear against jet skis etc is even more noticeable than among sailors. It's about other people enjoying themselves in different ways to us. So sailors hate power boaters and power boaters hate jet ski pilots. No doubt some commercial captains aren't too keen on all of us.

Another point. Maybe we started our love of the sea in Enterprises or other sailing dinghies. Now, young people are getting on the water on jet skis etc & I bet you that in 30 years a lot of them will be anchoring off Studland in their 30 footers and moaning about the dreadful behaviour of everone else.

We all know what Poole can be like anyway. It's where people who can't afford posh boating take their speedboats & if I don't want that sort of company, I don't go there. C'mon, give some young people a chance. At least they don't drive a zillion tonne 1000 foot Catamaran up your backside at 40 knots!

 

[Guest]

Byron - You must be some kind of Saint!

And I for one wish that you could teach your exemplary good manners to the mindless wonder in the 30 foot(ish) Stinkpot that passed going flat out within 200 yards of us on Saturday heading out of the Blackwater towards the Wallet. If the river had been crowded at the time, he could almost have been forgiven (only for the proximity NOT the speed), but it wasn't! We were sailing up the Blackwater, and the nearest boat to us was about a mile off, so why did this buffoon choose to pass so close? Unfortunately the boats name was written in a very flowery style and I could not make it out otherwise I would have posted it here. To cap it all it seemed that the driver, on his flybridge, was clutching a mobile phone to his ear.

Whoever it was, I can only wish him/her an early engine seizure combined with a terminal gearbox and drive shaft failure at the very earliest opportunity!

 

[Twister_Ken]

200 yards - luxury

Usually they're close enough to read the model number of the mobile phone they're using!

 

[Guest]

I don\'t think that I can add much....

...other than the observation that as both a yacht and fishing boat owner I see saints and buffoons from both quarters on most days that I am out. Fortunately, the former outnumber the latter. But I'm not that much of a saint that I don't curse at inconsiderate behaviour from either camp!

Chris Enstone, Rival Spirit

 

[Guest]

I have a deck wash on board, which will pump sea water about 25 meters. If buzzed repeatedly, I find it a very effective "persuader". Must try chicken bones sometime....

 

[Guest]

Re your last paragraph....... Ah! so you've met the Condor Ferry then!!!

 

[adrianm]

In my experience yachts under power are more of a nuisance than power boats.

I can't count the number of times I've been cut up by a yacht with sails down and running on engine power. On a few occasions they've had the nerve to shout "power gives way to sail"!! Yeh, right but you've got to have sails up for starters!

Don't even get me started on those people who go past my Brighton berth on the wrong side of the channel at well over 5 knots and yes it is yacht owners nine times out of ten.

 

[Rabbie]

Colin - this is what you need ....

...... with no adaptation other than to include power-boats, forget torpedoes, get yourself a SAM!!. Have a look at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/sailor570/pwchelp.htm for the perfect answer to all our problems. Rab.

 

[david_steward]

Re: Bloody dingies

As a committed power boater (somebody said I should be committed anyway) I get totally narked when picking my way up a narrow channel by sailing dingies repeatedly tacking across my bows assuming that they have some God given right of way.

Trying to explain about being constrained by draught seems to get them very excited. I would use the correct day shape if I thought it would make any difference. 5 blasts on the horn also is met with various finger signs.

I also get extremely peed off by PWC's and Speed boats. Not to mention yachts almost tacking into my saloon whilst I am at anchor. "Do you have to come so close?" I enquired. "Yes we do " was the reply. "Power gives way to sail" they continued. "I'm at bloody anchor" More fingers.

Don't get me started on racing boats.

Dave S

 

[byron]

Re: Bloody dingies

"Power gives way to Sail" was abolished along with several other nonsensicals in (I think) 1980. Vessel with right of way is now he who is restricted by draught and manouvrability. If one has the tide with you it also gives a right of way. I can recall almost running down a Yacht who thought he had right of way, I was skippering an 85,000 ton Tanker at the time having just rounded Calshot Spit.

©2001

 

[Colinh]

Re: Colin - this is what you need ....

Rabbie,
It is with the profoundest regret that I do not sail in Macomb County, where the Sheriff's Dept takes such an enlightened view. Your LINK was well worth reading in it's entirety

Do you think the National Trust in Newtown Creek will take a similar position, or would they say that the SAM frightened the birds ?

Colin H.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: Bloody dingies

>If one has the tide with you it also gives a right of way.<

I'd be grateful if you could point out to me where I can find reference to that in Colregs.

 

[Guest]

My God this has opened a can of worms,,but I must admit I cant understand what all the fuss is about. Are we all so nieve as to believe that all us boaters, either power, sail or PWC drivers would behave any differently on the water or if we were driving our cars on the road. I mean lets face it we have just the same people driving both (cars - boats). How many of us out there can't relate to seeing the very same thing happen on our way to the marina. You get the guy that always wants to be charging around and be in front of you know matter what it costs, the guy that is just meandering along (completely lost), the guy that puts his righthand indicator on and turns left, the guy thats wandering all over the road,acellerating-decellerating because he's talking on his mobile, the guy that comes almost to a stand-still because hes reading a map on the steering wheel. You tell me "Whats the difference"! Why should we expect any change in character just because they change to driving a boat????

 

[oldsalt]

according to the regs

Cut from http://www.oz.net/~papillon/kbmanual/colregs.html
Responsibilities Between Vessels

Except where rule 9, 10, and 13 otherwise require:

(a)A power driven vessel underway shall keep out of the way of:

(i)a vessel not under command;

(ii)a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver;

(iii)a vessel engaged in fishing;

(iv)a sailing vessel;


(b) A sailing vessel under way shall keep out of the way of:

(i)a vessel not under command;

(ii)a vessel restricted in her ability to maneuver;

(iii)a vessel engaged in fishing;

Note that tides do not come into it, and that sailing vessels have right of way over power unless the power vessel is constrained in some way. I'll stay away from your tanker though!!

 

[Guest]

Re: Bloody dingies

Err... what makes you think that power gives way to sail was abolished? Worrying. Maybe you're thinking of vessels restricted in their ability to manoeuvre. I hope you're pulling our legs.

Also, having the tide with you gives right of way? That's a new one. Maybe you're thinking of the CEVNI regulations that apply on inland waterways, but obviously that's generally for river currents, not tides. You'd have trouble getting your 85,000 ton tanker up most rivers.

 

[oldsalt]

Re: Bloody dingies

I've just looked up his profile it says: "leering, pontificating, giving bad advice "

I don't think he's really been near a tanker, or else it's a wind up

 

[Guest]

Re: Bloody dingies

I do sincerely hope that we're being wound up!