tcm
...
The holiday season approaches, with far more than the average number of boat movements. So it's possible that you might wham into another boat and they're on board. Calamity? Perhaps not.
The first thing to do is calm everyone down. And you can do this by explainig to eveyone on board your boat and target boat that it wasn't an accident at all - you MEANT to do exactly that.
Fill in the log entry at the begining of each day with the plan of hitting another boat. E.g. "lymington toward cherbourg whilst hitting boat (leave space here) enroute" with departure time and everything. After impact, nip back to logbook to fill in name of the now-smashed boat as everyone is inspecting damage etc.
With your explanation of how the impact was actually intentional, and not an accident, at least the target crew/owner will be slightly comforted that there wasn't actually an accident, which would have been more upsetting, somehow.
And they'll begin to understand that you aren't actually accident-prone at all, although possibly a bit eccentric. But it's true - you set off with express intention of bending the pulpit of boat xxx (as per log entry) and all a total success.
However, the bad news for everyone is that since it wasn't an accident ... you of course aren't insured for any loss. Because you did it on purpose. This may come as a bit of a blow for them.
So then it will quickly become clear that the best course of action is that *they* have to admit that their anchoring/berthing their boat in the way of you was the actual "accidental" bit. Hanging about when some nutter is specifically out to get you - they simply should not have been there, really. Very unwise So, provided they make the claim on their insurance, and report it as them parking the boat being the "accidental" bit - at least they're insured. Phew. This might take a while to get across to them.
You'll then also have to explain that it'll be best if they don't actually mention that they were present at the time, and hence don't know your boat name - otherwise of course the insurers will contact you. And you in turn will be duty bound to say again that it was most certainly *not* an accident but the result of careful planning as per log entry - and hence sadly they won't be insured, again. Whereas if they just say that a boat hittem, they'll be insured and all ok.
Advanced boat-crashers will of course have lots of photocopied adverts to put up on YC noticeboard advsing them that you will be crashing into various boats over the course of the season, and it will be intentional. You can march people over to show them these signs, it's all very clear really. Their being in the marina with you around was about as silly of them as going out in a forecast force 10 - they were even *warned* beforehand for crissakes- it's there in blackand white! It's pretty defnitely their fault. They probably *wanted* you to hit their boat and perhaps you might consider making a small charge for so doing, although it would have to advise the rates on the notice, otherwise probably not enforceable. You might consider letting them off first time though, as a gesture of goodwill towards a fellow sailor.
Happy boating.
The first thing to do is calm everyone down. And you can do this by explainig to eveyone on board your boat and target boat that it wasn't an accident at all - you MEANT to do exactly that.
Fill in the log entry at the begining of each day with the plan of hitting another boat. E.g. "lymington toward cherbourg whilst hitting boat (leave space here) enroute" with departure time and everything. After impact, nip back to logbook to fill in name of the now-smashed boat as everyone is inspecting damage etc.
With your explanation of how the impact was actually intentional, and not an accident, at least the target crew/owner will be slightly comforted that there wasn't actually an accident, which would have been more upsetting, somehow.
And they'll begin to understand that you aren't actually accident-prone at all, although possibly a bit eccentric. But it's true - you set off with express intention of bending the pulpit of boat xxx (as per log entry) and all a total success.
However, the bad news for everyone is that since it wasn't an accident ... you of course aren't insured for any loss. Because you did it on purpose. This may come as a bit of a blow for them.
So then it will quickly become clear that the best course of action is that *they* have to admit that their anchoring/berthing their boat in the way of you was the actual "accidental" bit. Hanging about when some nutter is specifically out to get you - they simply should not have been there, really. Very unwise So, provided they make the claim on their insurance, and report it as them parking the boat being the "accidental" bit - at least they're insured. Phew. This might take a while to get across to them.
You'll then also have to explain that it'll be best if they don't actually mention that they were present at the time, and hence don't know your boat name - otherwise of course the insurers will contact you. And you in turn will be duty bound to say again that it was most certainly *not* an accident but the result of careful planning as per log entry - and hence sadly they won't be insured, again. Whereas if they just say that a boat hittem, they'll be insured and all ok.
Advanced boat-crashers will of course have lots of photocopied adverts to put up on YC noticeboard advsing them that you will be crashing into various boats over the course of the season, and it will be intentional. You can march people over to show them these signs, it's all very clear really. Their being in the marina with you around was about as silly of them as going out in a forecast force 10 - they were even *warned* beforehand for crissakes- it's there in blackand white! It's pretty defnitely their fault. They probably *wanted* you to hit their boat and perhaps you might consider making a small charge for so doing, although it would have to advise the rates on the notice, otherwise probably not enforceable. You might consider letting them off first time though, as a gesture of goodwill towards a fellow sailor.
Happy boating.
