Dear WOOD WIND .. Read Col Reg 13

exfinnsailor

exfinnsailor

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We were out and about Sunday .. After a nice sail we headed back to the Deben Entrance.
Dropped the sails and started the engine . As we left the Safe water buoy I noticed another yacht under full sail a couple of 100 yds behind us .. The entrance was a bit bouncy and we were rolling around a bit .. We passed the red can and headed towards the green cone ..

SWMBO was sitting in the cockpit looking aft .. Think the yacht behind is getting a little close says SWMBO .. So I look over my shoulder and we have a large wooden yacht under full sail about 20 ft from the transom .. He then moves to Starboard to overtake us and get between us and the green cone .. He squeezed by missing us by a couple of foot ..

On the way into the Deben we came along side and I thanked him for scaring the S**T out of us with his antics .. Power give way to sail he says .. Anyway I was constrained by my draught .. We dropped behind and headed up to our mooring ..

Just before we left .. WOOD WIND appears again .. Sailing through the moorings .. As he goes by SWMBO Shouts .. OFF TO SCARE SOME ONE ELSE .. You should read the Col Regs.

He shouts back that he has a YACHT MASTER Ticket and does not need to read them as he knows them ..

WELL WOOD WIND .. READ COL REGS 13 .....

If anyone knows him .. Please give him our regards and let him know he made the news
 
And Rule 3

He also needs to read Rule 3. Para h:
The term “vessel constrained by her draught” means a POWER-DRIVEN vessel which, because of her draught in relation to the available depth and width of navigable water, is severely restricted in her ability to deviate from the course she is following.

This is because, if the available depth and width of navigable water is such that you can't deviate from your course, then your first priority should be to take sails down before the next wind shift!

My only collision in big-boat ownership was similar, though on a smaller scale. I was approaching my mooring, when a sailboard overtook, and then bore away to miss the mooring buoy. Unfortunately (for him) he didn't miss my bowsprit.
He tried the old "power gives way to sail trick", and also that I wasn't keeping a good lookout, but he sort of let himself down here, when he said in his statement that "the first thing I knew was when their bowsprit came through my sail". Insurance company (HKJ) gave him short shrift, though his dad (!) kept phoning up for months afterwards trying to get money.
 
Unfortunately a common misconception.

Have had the same problem with racers on the Medway. With their testostone up, and me at the mast furling my main - singlehanded under power and autohelm - it could have come to blows.

Have had similar discussions with racers who know the racing rules backwards - but still don't know their Colregs backwards.
 
With their testostone up, and me at the mast furling my main - singlehanded under power and autohelm
Click to expand...

The Not Under Command day shapes would be appropriate here, and would make an excellent visual pun if pointed at vigorously.
 
Black Balls it is then

Will get some black paint ..

So next time I will show him TWO BLACK BALLS

and retire below ..
 
Constrained by draught

We would be if we had lost the handle thingy and the keel was down with no way of winding it up again ..
 
Explanation

I'm sorry, do you not understand quite what happened? Let me explain further...... we were motoring into the Deben, quite lumpy conditions, two chaps on a wooden sailing boat, under sail, decided to overtake us in a narrow channel. They came so close, twice, that I could have reached out and touched their boat. Just imagine what could have happened........ luckily Mr Sea Mist II is a good helmsman, but what if someone not quite so confident had been on the helm and panicked? Or, the wooden sailing boat lost their wind suddenly?

What annoyed me was the total lack of courtesy shown by these two. The col. regs. on overtaking are completely unambiguous. You learn this doing competent crew, yet this guy said he had some kind of yachtmaster qualification. I've found that the vast majority of people on the water are very friendly and considerate. What a pity these two overgrown school boys think they are above the rules and think because they have a very nice wooden sailing boat and were sailing they could just do what they wanted.
 
I sail the bar regularly so can quite picture what happened.

What I don’t get is the remark (quoted) that insinuates that sailing through moorings is somehow further evidence of his poor understanding of the ColReg's.
 
sailing through the moorings....

Oh right, I understanding your drift now. No, sailing through the moorings is fine, no problem with that. Slight misunderstanding methinks!
 
Courtesy

Mrs Sea Mist II said:
They came so close, twice, that I could have reached out and touched their boat. Just imagine what could have happened........ luckily Mr Sea Mist II is a good helmsman, but what if someone not quite so confident had been on the helm and panicked?

snip...

What annoyed me was the total lack of courtesy shown by these two. The col. regs. on overtaking are completely unambiguous.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, could not Mr Sea Mist II have courteously made use of his lifting keel and eased over slightly to give them a little more room? Or even just slowed down slightly to allow them to conduct their overtake more rapidly?

In the sailing boat's position, I would have slowed down and let you proceed, to continue the overtake was foolish and, as you correctly state, contrary to the rules. However, sometimes the dogmatic application of the rules causes more tension than is helpful. Life is just too short...
 
Reply to Sea Spray

So what are we supposed to do .. It was lumpy enough as it was .. We do lift the keel at LW entry so we were ambling along minding our own business doing about 3 knots .. I used to sail a FINN so i am used to boats being inches away but this is ridiculious .. You are in a reasonably confined piece of water, when you are expected to just move out of the way because some idiot decides that he is going to squeeze by .. Anyone with inexperienced crew onboard would not have wanted a repeat .. What really did it was the arrogance of the helm .. WE ARE UNDER SAIL >> POWER GIVES WAY ..

Sorry about the rant but we nearly got flattened on the way into Titchmarsh .. Being overtaken but in that case the helm did not even know we were there .. We still got the WE ARE UNDER SAIL >> POWER GIVES WAY routine ..

Livened up the weekend anyway ..
 
exfinnsailor said:
So what are we supposed to do .. It was lumpy enough as it was .. We do lift the keel at LW entry so we were ambling along minding our own business doing about 3 knots .. I used to sail a FINN so i am used to boats being inches away but this is ridiculious .. You are in a reasonably confined piece of water, when you are expected to just move out of the way because some idiot decides that he is going to squeeze by .. Anyone with inexperienced crew onboard would not have wanted a repeat .. What really did it was the arrogance of the helm .. WE ARE UNDER SAIL >> POWER GIVES WAY ..

Sorry about the rant but we nearly got flattened on the way into Titchmarsh .. Being overtaken but in that case the helm did not even know we were there .. We still got the WE ARE UNDER SAIL >> POWER GIVES WAY routine ..

Livened up the weekend anyway ..
Click to expand...

[we were ambling along minding our own business doing about 3 knots]

did you look over your transom were you aware they were there whilst minding your own business
 
No SWMBO Does

SWMBO ( Mrs Sea Mist II ) enjoys sitting in the cockpit facing aft .. So I dont need to bother if she's on deck .. I knew he was behind us .. So when SWMBO said he's not that far away I was well aware of where he was ..

Hope he's on the Forum .. He may yet read his Col Regs ..
 
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exfinnsailor said:
SWMBO ( Mrs Sea Mist II ) enjoys sitting in the cockpit facing aft .. So I dont need to bother if she's on deck .. I knew he was behind us .. So when SWMBO said he's not that far away I was well aware of where he was ..

Hope he's on the Forum .. He may yet read his Col Regs ..
Click to expand...

Why did you "Close the Door" @ the Stbd hand By, you could have gone further inshore to give him room
 
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