Collision in the Chanel du Four

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Kasuku

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On the 430th June 2016 we were sailing South down the Chanel du Four on a Starboard tack at 10:00 with about 15 to 20 other yachts sailing North Bound on the tide. I had 8 yachts approaching me from the South on Port tack - one particular yacht got into my blind spot in line with the mast and Genoa. I did not realise I had missed it until it collided with the starboard side of my push pit destroying the entire stainless steel structure. The yacht slid up my Starboard side and I could see that there was no one on deck. It was only when the yacht was past abeam that someone stuck his head out of the companion way.
I immediately heaved to and watch the other yacht continue on up the Chanel without stopping. I did get the yachts name "Kay Gee" and it looked like it was berthed in either Southampton or Portsmouth. I would very much like to discuss the incident with the owner of this yacht who is not on the small ships register. Any information on this yacht which could lead to a conversation with the owner would be most appreciated.
 
Kasuku said:
On the 430th June 2016 we were sailing South down the Chanel du Four on a Starboard tack at 10:00 with about 15 to 20 other yachts sailing North Bound on the tide. I had 8 yachts approaching me from the South on Port tack - one particular yacht got into my blind spot in line with the mast and Genoa. I did not realise I had missed it until it collided with the starboard side of my push pit destroying the entire stainless steel structure. The yacht slid up my Starboard side and I could see that there was no one on deck. It was only when the yacht was past abeam that someone stuck his head out of the companion way.
I immediately heaved to and watch the other yacht continue on up the Chanel without stopping. I did get the yachts name "Kay Gee" and it looked like it was berthed in either Southampton or Portsmouth. I would very much like to discuss the incident with the owner of this yacht who is not on the small ships register. Any information on this yacht which could lead to a conversation with the owner would be most appreciated.
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On Port tack with nobody on lookout in a busy area? Seriously? Defies belief..... Almost.

Richard
 
Have you got some ports and starboards mixed up? I can't understand how a yacht on your port bow (where he must have been if you were on starboard tack and he was behind your genoa) managed to collide with your starboard quarter and then scrape forwards along your starboard side.

No Kay Gee on the ITU list of radio stations either, but there is a Kay Cee. How clearly did you see the name?

If you do manage to find him and have that chat, don't forget that although he broke Rule 5 (quite flagrantly) and Rule 12, you did also break Rule 5 (to a lesser degree) and Rule 17.

Pete
 
Lets just say he was dead ahead behind the mast and collided just off center on the starboard side of my anchor bow roller. You may be correct in saying the boat name could be Kay Cee it was difficult to see under the circumstances. Yes I understand that I should have taken some evasive action IF I had seen him.
 
Actually the most severe rule breach was leaving the scene.

Just trying to get a picture.

You were sailing down wind against the tide?
On Starboard tack? Main and Genoa out on port side? wind from your starboard side?
Several boats 8 plus1 unseen behind genoa? on Port Tack coming other way with the tide? sailing up wind?
Unseen boat was on Port Tack wind on her port side sails on her starboard side? sailing up wind?
Unseen boat was approaching on a steady bearing on your port side obscured by genoa?
Unseen until collision?
Collision occurs. Point of contact your Starboard "push pit" or "Pulpit"
After collision boat passes along your starboard side?

Not sure how this adds up?

Unless you were goose wing. with genny out on your starboard side?

In any event She left the scene, Contact insurance they will probably request you contact police. I doubt they will do any actual investigating if no one was hurt. Just give you a file no for your insurance.
 
As this is a tidal gate to say the least, how come you were going the other way to all the others, was it slackish tide about to change in your favour ?

I know you were busy, but I can't help thinking I'd have hoped to have seen and avoided the other boat, crewed or not; then again my family and most of anyone who's crewed for me take the pee out of my constant requests / yells, ' keep a lookout under the jib ! '
 
It was a Neap tide and changing in our favour. I agree with the idea that I should have seen and avoided the other boat but as I have said there were so many to keep track of - some on AIS most not - I have now realsied how big a blind spot I have!
 
Kasuku said:
On the 430th June 2016 we were sailing South down the Chanel du Four on a Starboard tack at 10:00 with about 15 to 20 other yachts sailing North Bound on the tide. I had 8 yachts approaching me from the South on Port tack - one particular yacht got into my blind spot in line with the mast and Genoa. I did not realise I had missed it until it collided with the starboard side of my push pit destroying the entire stainless steel structure. The yacht slid up my Starboard side and I could see that there was no one on deck. It was only when the yacht was past abeam that someone stuck his head out of the companion way.
I immediately heaved to and watch the other yacht continue on up the Chanel without stopping. I did get the yachts name "Kay Gee" and it looked like it was berthed in either Southampton or Portsmouth. I would very much like to discuss the incident with the owner of this yacht who is not on the small ships register. Any information on this yacht which could lead to a conversation with the owner would be most appreciated.
Click to expand...

Humm, might I state the obvious, the obvious that we all know, but just maybe we all know but do not take heed of, err, all the time and every time, that is 'keep a good and effective lookout at all times', there are other idiots about you who just might not be keeping a lookout like what you are not doing !
 
The OP has admitted his lesser contribution to the collision, and as he appears to be a new user, I think we support him in his quest to get redress for the damage, and hope that he is successful.
 
Agreed. Pointing out the bleedin' obvious..."I'd have hoped to have seen and avoided the other boat" is useless advice. Like most accidents this is not one sided but the shortcomings of the vanishing Kay C/Gee far outweigh those of the OP.
 
Humm, Not meant to apportion blame between the two Boats as I see it both were probably negligent in their command, so to claim one was more negligent that the other is to compound the Yachtsmans apparent view in these pages that rights of way are paramount (Colregs) and that everybody keeping a proper lookout is somewhat not recognized by some of the many.
 
The OP has already acknowledged he was at fault.

The concern he has is the other vessel left the scene.
The primary reason not to leave is to ensure the vessel you just hit is safe and not sinking and needing assistance.
Nobody injured.
In this case the OP survived with a bent Pulpit. The other vessel obviously felt guilty and left.
Hope the OP has insurance which will cover the damage.
If the boat is identifiable most likely has sustained some damage itself. I hope she is identified.
 
If the OP was capable of missing and then sailing spang into a give way vessel then s/he was presumably also capable of missing and sailing spang into a stand on vessel, an anchored boat or indeed a buoy. It's not one of those cases where avoiding action was expected and not taken, or taken in a way which made matters worse. The skipper of the other boat does not seem to have been terribly competent, to put it mildly, but neither boat sounds as if they were keeping anything close to an effective look-out and neither sounds as if they have a moral leg to stand on.

Second (after the owner who signed a contract with a broker without reading it) valuable learning experience of the day.
 
JumbleDuck said:
If the OP was capable of missing and then sailing spang into a give way vessel then s/he was presumably also capable of missing and sailing spang into a stand on vessel, an anchored boat or indeed a buoy. It's not one of those cases where avoiding action was expected and not taken, or taken in a way which made matters worse. The skipper of the other boat does not seem to have been terribly competent, to put it mildly, but neither boat sounds as if they were keeping anything close to an effective look-out and neither sounds as if they have a moral leg to stand on.

Second (after the owner who signed a contract with a broker without reading it) valuable learning experience of the day.
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+1, Sad but true; I'd still be gunning for the other boat though, morally if not legally ' failing to stop at an accident; when I accidentaly scratched someone else's car for the first time in my life the other day I left a note with my details - unless conditions were survival only - as I understand is very possible in the Chanel Du For - they should have rounded up and exchanged details like sailors / gentlemen.
 
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1 Well done to the OP for sharing the problem.
2 You can't just 'round up and share details' in the CdF, due to timing the tidal stream.
3 A tough way to learn to keep a better lookout.
4 I hope it's resolved... but might be just a lesson learned, with no cost except to the wallet, poorer but wiser.
5 By the way, I have come close, very close indeed, to being wrecked, and maybe killed, in the CdF due to a wrong decision I made (re visibility), so am philosophical not judgemental now.
Bob
 
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2, unless it's really tough conditions, if they can collide both boats should be in the same tide & wind so able to round up or otherwise formate to pass details.

This is yet another one of those occasions where having a camera handy would have been useful, but in the CDF it might understandably be below if not waterproof.
 
In an idle moment of 'displacement activity', I thought to peek at the tidestream info given by The Sainted Michael R-Fowkes for that date/time and, for lack of other info, assuming the OP was using BST .

It seems the stream should have been running northwards at about, in the middle sector of the passage, around 1.2 knots and, in the lower part close to Pt St Mathieu/CORSEN, briefly close to 3 knots. As the genoa was in use and the breeze was in the western sector, there's nothing to suggest sea conditions were other than reasonably pleasant.

While that area can often produce quite wild conditions ( see YouTube videos of L'Iroise ) in a developed NW gale, the Chenal du Four is something of a pussycat when compared with the Passage de Fromveur further west and the Raz de Sein further south. No need, I think, to 'batten down the hatches'....
 
Seajet said:
+1, Sad but true; I'd still be gunning for the other boat though, morally if not legally ' failing to stop at an accident; when I accidentaly scratched someone else's car for the first time in my life the other day I left a note with my details - unless conditions were survival only - as I understand is very possible in the Chanel Du For - they should have rounded up and exchanged details like sailors / gentlemen.
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Maybe the story on the other side goes something like this: "I was sailing through the Chanel du Four on port tack when the bilge water alarm sounded. There was nobody on collision course so I engaged the autopilot and went below to check. Water was above the floorboards, so I switched in the bilge pump. At that moment, no more than thirty second after the alarm sounded, I was hit by another boat, doing considerable damage to mine. I presume that the skipper had changed course and simply hadn't seen me. He made no attempt to stop, but kept on heading the other way. In view of the water in my bilge (which turned out to be from a split fresh water hose) I didn't risk giving chase. If anyone knows how to get in touch I would be interested in a conversation about Rule 5 and Rule 17(b)."
 
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