Collision in the Chanel du Four

Capt Popeye said:
:ambivalence:

You just might well be correct in your observations, but the thread drift has contained the old chestnut of, who was in the right and who was not, who in % terms each was responsible for the incident, and as usual we do have the yachty lawyers stating rules, but surely the overriding rule that applies is 'keeping a proper lookout at all times and being prepared to take necessary avoiding action', so good on seeking contact with the other craft involved and do hope that he /she gets satisfaction.
Click to expand...

There are a lot of people effectively saying "the OP should have kept a proper lookout". He acknowledged as much in post 9.

So a lot of finger wagging and people happy to debate something that doesn't seem to be in issue, but no real answer to the OP's question.
 
Sandyman said:
What a bunch of know alls & lower deck lawyers. Suspect the OP now rue's the day he asked for assistance.
Click to expand...

If you collide with someone without any extenuating circumstances and choose to tell the world about it, that's a fairly predictable result :)

Pete
 
Mister E said:
It was a serious question as it is not always possible or practical to leave the steering and go walk about. So I asked to try and get some suggestions from more experienced sailors.
Those from the busy Solent should have more experience of this problem and how to avoid problems.
Click to expand...

About the only useful thing I can say re sailing in crowded waters - the Solent is not that crowded unless one comes across the RTIR lot or other big races - is that in extremis facing the RTIR fleet in a line from the IOW to mainland, I've felt compelled to drop the headsail and motor through them, for visibilty and getting through ASAP - they were running on spinnakers.

Quite often I use my high clewed working jib even in winds light enough to really require the genoa, as with the latter I just cannot see enough to leeward and I or the crew soon get fed up with looking around the sail to leeward every 20 seconds or less.
 
savageseadog said:
It's 50/50 in terms of blame and the insurance situation.
Click to expand...

I think I have read that in cases of Rule 17(b) failure, the courts normally split damages 60:40 between the original stand-on boat and the original give-way boat. I don't know if that would apply here, since the OP didn't even know he was stand-on until he hit the other boat.
 
RichardS said:
It wouldn't be surprised if the other yachtsman's version of events is, by now, somewhat "modified" and without the photos or AIS track it's going to be an uphill battle and will probably end up as a first party insurance claim.
Click to expand...

It wouldn't be surprising if the other yachtsman's version of events was alway a bit different from that of someone who saw nothing until the collision. The motorist who SMIDSYs a biker is not generally a reliable witness to the biker's actions.
 
Just as a point of information, I remember from dinghy racing days quite a few jibs/genoas had a clear window in them. Don't recall seeing anything similar on a cruising yacht. Must be a good reason
 
IIRC, from the '70's, the windows were clear PVC and a bit stretchy. Probably not too durable in the largish size for a typical cruising genny.
Perhaps better materials are now available.
 
earlybird said:
IIRC, from the '70's, the windows were clear PVC and a bit stretchy. Probably not too durable in the largish size for a typical cruising genny.
Perhaps better materials are now available.
Click to expand...

Thanks...specially for making me realise how old I am. My dinghy racing memories are, indeed, from the 70s. :)
 
:confused:

Fred Drift a bit here I am afraid; but might I ask that if a Yacht is rigged as from new and the visibility forward (or anywhere else) is obscured and a definite blind spot is built into the design by construction, is the Designer and Manufacturer responsible for the situation.
ie not really built for purpose ?
Rather like an Automotive Manufacturer building and supplying a car with in built faults that can cause accidents.

:ambivalence:
 
Capt Popeye said:
:confused:

Fred Drift a bit here I am afraid; but might I ask that if a Yacht is rigged as from new and the visibility forward (or anywhere else) is obscured and a definite blind spot is built into the design by construction, is the Designer and Manufacturer responsible for the situation.
ie not really built for purpose ?
Rather like an Automotive Manufacturer building and supplying a car with in built faults that can cause accidents.

:ambivalence:
Click to expand...

Practically every yacht has a blind spot behind the genoa when the wind is forward of the beam; it is an inevitable consequence of fore-and-aft rigs. On mine, it is easy enough to move to leeward in the cockpit to see round the jib, or (more usually) get another person to check from time to time. You can also duck to look UNDER the genoa, though if heeled much, that won't work, and some styles of genoa that are cut very low don't allow it. I presume the OP meant that it was the jib or genoa that obstructed his vision - the mast alone wouldn't do that, as even a small movement would clear the sight line.

However, I am very aware of the difficulty of seeing on the forward leeward quarter, and take steps to ensure I know what's there - as the OP pointed out that he should have.

Incidentally, for me, moving to the foredeck wouldn't help much - the genoa would still obstruct the view to leeward.
 
On our Sadler 32 it's only a problem when beating up-wind with the boat heeled and a natural reluctance to drop down to the leeward side of the cockpit and crane to peek around. Temporarily dropping the traveller down the track brings the boat flatter (usually) for an easier view.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

R
Moving on.
2
Replies
29
Views
1K
Greg2
Greg2

Share this page

Top