Close Encounters

[Praxinoscope]

This Saturday trying to sail from Portsmouth to Chichester very light E/SE breeze. Got to within 100 metres of the 'beach' passage through the submarine barrier and were approached by a safety boat. They explained they were running a rowing regatta and would we mind going through the other, main, passage. We complied albeit it took us another half hour to tack back up to the main passage.
I felt it was slightly ill mannered to expect to close a navigable channel to hold a rowing race. Still, at least it was sunny and warm.

I don’t know the particular area you were sailing in so can’t really comment, but I would have thought if a rowing race was being held the organisers would have allowed for breaks between races to avoid ‘closing’ a navigable channel for longer than needed for safety.

 

[Angele]

This Saturday trying to sail from Portsmouth to Chichester very light E/SE breeze. Got to within 100 metres of the 'beach' passage through the submarine barrier and were approached by a safety boat. They explained they were running a rowing regatta and would we mind going through the other, main, passage. We complied albeit it took us another half hour to tack back up to the main passage.
I felt it was slightly ill mannered to expect to close a navigable channel to hold a rowing race. Still, at least it was sunny and warm.

Sounds like you were particularly accommodating. Surely there must have been loads of places you could hold a rowing race without (unofficially) closing that entrance. I'm not sure I would have been as compliant as you.

 

[RichardS]

I used to teach sail and power yacthmaster and had a very simple view of all this. See and avoid!

In such crowded waters as the solent the col regs are useful but you simply can't rely upon others to do the right thing. I'm sure it would be very satisfactory to have your boat at the bottom on the solent while saying "but i had right of way".

So i used to teach situational awareness over using the col regs as the only way. Spot a developing situation and do something early to avoid it.

If you see a yacht on port tac coming at you while your on stb with right of way and it's obvious that nobody is looking under the sail at you..do you shout..hope they know the col regs or just do something to stop it getting dangerous.

I used to teach practical ways of doing things and not the RYA by the book method.

This has got to be a wind-up? Surely?

Richard

 

[laika]

We complied albeit it took us another half hour to tack back up to the main passage.

Think you did the right thing. Seems they were doing it all by book (and no I don’t claim check notices to mariners every time I go for a sail):
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/portsmouth/local-notices/lntm/2018/1852-southsea-rowing-regatta-21-july-2018

 

[Giblets]

This Saturday trying to sail from Portsmouth to Chichester very light E/SE breeze. Got to within 100 metres of the 'beach' passage through the submarine barrier and were approached by a safety boat. They explained they were running a rowing regatta and would we mind going through the other, main, passage. We complied albeit it took us another half hour to tack back up to the main passage.
I felt it was slightly ill mannered to expect to close a navigable channel to hold a rowing race. Still, at least it was sunny and warm.

There was actually a Notice To Mariners issued by QHM on 17 July concerning this event. https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/QHM/Portsmouth/Local-Notices/LNTM/2018/1852-SOUTHSEA-ROWING-REGATTA-21-JULY-2018

Perhaps a good idea to sign up to the service and get NtMs emailed to you.

 

[alahol2]

Perhaps a good idea to sign up to the service and get NtMs emailed to you.

I am signed up and do get various NTMs. The service seems a bit hit and miss though. Fairly sure I didn't get this one.

 

[BelleSerene]

Think you did the right thing. Seems they were doing it all by book (and no I don’t claim check notices to mariners every time I go for a sail):
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/qhm/po...018/1852-southsea-rowing-regatta-21-july-2018

No, it seems they were over-reaching. The rowing race was East of that position, and buoyed. You could perfectly well have tacked out to sea right after passing eastwards through the mark rather than before it. It was cunning of the organisers to concentrate their interventions on the ‘gate in the fence’ so that the submerged barrier would then protect the whole area from the West. But it was unreasonable, given the negligible traffic around that inner shore passage, to ask you to pass round the barrier to the West up to the main break in the barrier.

 

[BelleSerene]

This has got to be a wind-up? Surely?

Richard

Well, Sailorsam101 does at least advertise in his name that his is entry-level training.

(‘101’ means "introductory something", after the course code of the very first module you’d take at an American college. Year 1, module 01 is an introductory course, often with no prerequisites.)

 

[Angele]

No, it seems they were over-reaching. The rowing race was East of that position, and buoyed. You could perfectly well have tacked out to sea right after passing eastwards through the mark rather than before it. It was cunning of the organisers to concentrate their interventions on the ‘gate in the fence’ so that the submerged barrier would then protect the whole area from the West. But it was unreasonable, given the negligible traffic around that inner shore passage, to ask you to pass round the barrier to the West up to the main break in the barrier.

Agreed. Nothing in that notice from QHM to say the passage was out of bounds.