Boat Radio Licence

[Ships_Cat]

Sorry, but I don't take instructions from you. Either enjoy it or don't read it. If the latter you will have no reason to complain.

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[JohnL]

On the North East Coast of England/Scotland we can sail for hours without hearing a transmission on ch16, I wonder how much of a problem the rest of the British Isles has compared to the South Coast of England?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Sea Devil]

Certainly no where I have ever been compares to the endless babble on vhf in the UK south coast waters... I think we have become indoctrinated with keeping (titanic) radio watch.... I think most other countries just use mobile phones most of the time - and rely on epirbs ....

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.michaelbriant.com/sailing>http://www.michaelbriant.com/sailing</A>

 

[bigmart]

I am sure that you are much too important to take instruction from anyone. Unfortunately there is little to enjoy in the inane babble.

Martin

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[bigmart]

You are lucky to sail in an area that would love the opportunity to explore. Most of my sailing is done on the South Coast & from the radio sense at least, it is different to anywhere else. "Now theres a chance for me to be flamed"

I would like to see a tightening of the rules rather than a relaxation. Personally I think that would lead to an improvement in safety. I can appreciate that from your perspective, in a less crowded situation, that you wonder why I take my stand.

Like everything else Legislation tends to be written to accommodate the worst situation as opposed to the majority experience. Then we can all get paranoid.

Martin

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[ShipsWoofy]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

& pretty soon afterwards a Kiwi pops up & starts telling us how to run our country when they have no comprehension of the problems we face.

<hr></blockquote>

The British could never be accused of that kind of behaviour, I mean we would never dare to tell a country 12,000 miles away how to do things....

would we?

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Woof</A>

 

[bigmart]

Of course we would, but then we'd be right. We are British after all!

Please don't get me wrong. I have no objection to someone expressing their opinion. I just get bored when they say exactly the same thing over & over again.

I have never been there but I have heard the NZ is picturesque but boring. No wonder if they keep repeating themselves!

Martin

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[JohnL]

Martin, you picked up what I was getting at, Probably there are more boaters on the south coast than the rest of all the British coastline so perhaps the Marine Industry down there could pay for policing the airwaves.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[bigmart]

Yeah & next you'll be looking for an Honest Politician.

Martin


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Ships_Cat]

Statistics and Lies

<<<Ahhh, statistics and figures>>>

Yes a real problem and I would think that figures quoting numbers of pleasure boats able to carry VHF is usually grossly overstated for most countries.

I don't know the figures for most countries but here in NZ (to those who don't like dim witted NZ cats, sorry for butting in /forums/images/icons/blush.gif) it is often said that 1 in 3 owns a boat and sometimes that is just said to be the case for Auckland. However, I would be very surprised if that is really so.

However, in some countries the boat ownership percentage is obviously very high and easy to estimate. I do work in one of the world's most wealthy countries where it is accurately known that there is a swing mooring for about every 10 people and that is not counting marina berths.

The boats on swing moorings there, in marina berths and alongside docks would range from around 6 m up to super yachts and clearly there are many more boats on trailers, etc capable of carrying VHF. So maybe there is about 1 boat for every 5 population capable of carrying VHF, which makes a complete mockery of any claims here in NZ, where boat ownership is obviously not as prevalent, but still very high compared to most countries, that 1 in 3 own a boat.

If that was so, and using the ratio as in the wealthy country example of 1 boat per 5 people and a swing mooring for every 10 people, we would have around 600,000 swing moorings for a population of 4,000,000 and that is just not so. On same assumption UK would have around 9,000,000 swing moorings for 1 in 3 owning a boat and again I suspect that is not so.

So probably for most maritime countries the boat ownership figures are exaggerated, but how one gets to the real figure I would not know.

John



<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

Re: Statistics and Lies

John I think you are forgetting to add all the trailer sailors and angling type boats with cuddies. Almost all I see up and down motorways heading to the coast to go fishing for the day have a vhf on the cuddy.

Many speedboats will have some kind of VHF too, even if only a handheld.

I don't think you can estimate boat ownership by counting moorings.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Woof</A>

 

[Ships_Cat]

Re: Statistics and Lies

No, was just using the mooring comparison as a basis so many more boats than swing moorings. I mentioned trailers, etc and was thinking of all boats down to dinghy/canoe type size. As I say I don't know how one estimates them all.

Another reason I think the 1:3 ratio commonly quoted here for boat ownership is exaggerated is that the nature of my work has me working with a wide variety of people in different organisations - surprisingly, I come across very few that own a boat of any kind whatsoever even though there is probably little argument that NZ is quite boaty oriented with a comparatively high ownership rate.

Whereas in the very wealthy country I mention, most everyone I come across seems to either have a boat, have a close member of the family with one or a good friend with one. There the ratio (based on the number of swing moorings only) is at very least 1 boat per 10 population and taking into account the things you say, maybe actually 1 in 5 have a boat.

Again, when one see's the many, many thousands of boats that the likes of Hunter (the USA aka Legend "Hunter" that is), Ben/Jen, now Bav, all the Brunswick Corporation companies (eg Bayliner, Boston Whaler, Sea Ray, Hatteras, etc, etc), etc, etc, turn out, some of whom have produced well into 4 figure numbers of single models, it is easy to wonder where the hell they all get to (all to the Solent according to some, I guess, but is obviously not so). A hell of a lot of boats end up/stay in USA as even a simple look around Marina del Rey, Chesapeake Bay, Florida (which I have not been to), etc, etc will tell, and of course in Europe (which to console some, I have visited many times over the years) too.

Given the flac I have received from one on my views, I could perhaps state that NZ'ers can be as parochial I think he may be. One time I was flying down Long Island Sound, North of New York, with an Auckland yachtsman and he was trying to tell me there did not seem to be many boats there compared to Auckland - surprising in that as I understand it Long Island Sound is home to more pleasure boats than anywhere else and Auckland actually comes a fair way down in those stakes.

Anyone want to guess how many pleasure boats in the world?

Regards

John

<hr width=100% size=1>I am the cat but I am only 6.

 

[BrendanS]

Re: Statistics and Lies

Of all the places in the world I've been...NZ has to be among the highest boat ownerships I've seen.Long Island is high ownership, but not close to NZ, and nowhere near Finland or Sweden or Norway

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[Mike_Martin]

Re: Statistics and Lies

Well the US Coastguard claimed some time ago in the region of 16 million in the US.

Mike

<hr width=100% size=1>Team Executive,
Maritime & Aeronautical Team, Ofcom