Dear WOOD WIND .. Read Col Reg 13

[Transcur]

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.

The collision regs are very clear. Obviously the yacht overtaking should keep clear where possible

Reading your above statement please dont think that all people who have wooden sailing boats behave in that way. Where ever you go you will find people very friendly and courteous its only the small minority that are not.

 

[Dazedkipper]

Woodwind must have a very small appendage and a very long bowsprit to behave like that.

 

[Transcur]

mcw39----Your comments regarding long bowsprits suggests that any one with a long bowsprit behaves as Wood Wind II did.

There have been many comments on this post based on one source of information. Whilst an overtaking vessel is technically the giveway vessel a boat under power is generally more manoeverable than one under sail.

By the way my bowsprit is 15 foot outboard.

 

[Athene V30]

There have been many comments on this post based on one source of information. Whilst an overtaking vessel is technically the giveway vessel a boat under power is generally more manoeverable than one under sail.

Rules - Do we follow them or interpret them? Surely if each time two vessels meet we have to debate there will be a dramatic increase in accidents?

In my view you follow the rules and then as the rules dictate if a situation is developing and you are the stand on vessel (not right of way - there is no such thing) and you feel insufficient action is being taken by the give way vessel, then you act in a clear and obvious way.

Manoeverability is a direct result of flow of water over the rudder and as overtaking boat you must be going faster and therefore are more manoeverable than the boat being overtaken. Under the rules the boat being overtaken is required to maintain course and speed.

In my view regardless of Wood Wind's misconception of the rules (which is worrying if he is a YM) the end result is do not push a close quarters situation in constricted waters. Perhaps Wood Wind could have slowed down by spilling wind and waited until there was more 'sea room', perhaps the OP could have seen the situation arising and moved over a bit - I don't know, I wasn't there to see the situation develop.

We need to be careful as this could end up like Scuttlebutt. What anchor is best in a .......

 

[Dazedkipper]

mcw39----Your comments regarding long bowsprits suggests that any one with a long bowsprit behaves as Wood Wind II did.

There have been many comments on this post based on one source of information. Whilst an overtaking vessel is technically the giveway vessel a boat under power is generally more manoeverable than one under sail.

By the way my bowsprit is 15 foot outboard.

No not at all. In fact I pondered long and hard about putting in a rider to such but in the end opted for the short and sweet approach. So sorry all those with 'long bowsprits' who do follow the coll regs that I may have inadvertantly offended, and the others, well if the cap fits.....

 

[sailorman]

I came out of the deben Sunday 1/2 flood tide & was well over to the large rocks
a mobo weas comming in passed the Green By & insisted passing me Green to Green what a merchant banker

 

[Leighb]

I came out of the deben Sunday 1/2 flood tide & was well over to the large rocks
a mobo weas comming in passed the Green By & insisted passing me Green to Green what a merchant banker

Just about every time I have come in or out of the Deben, I have found boats that insist on passing the wrong side, I am beginning to think it must be a local rule!

Mostly sailing yachts rather than motor.

 

[Litotes]

Just about every time I have come in or out of the Deben, I have found boats that insist on passing the wrong side, I am beginning to think it must be a local rule!

Mostly sailing yachts rather than motor.

I suspect that the channel is gradually changing and that local boats know this better than visitors. The marks are not necessarily moved to keep up with the changes, but local boats may well be steering a course to reflect them. Naturally, sailing boats, with their deeper draft, are more likely to be doing this.

 

[shmoo]

I suspect that the channel is gradually changing and that local boats know this better than visitors. The marks are not necessarily moved to keep up with the changes, but local boats may well be steering a course to reflect them. Naturally, sailing boats, with their deeper draft, are more likely to be doing this.

When we were going in and out of the Deben a lot I used to know the shape of the bottom pretty well and would occasionally pass boats on the "wrong" side to give them plenty of room if it looked like they had fixed ideas about the route and there was no room left on the "right" side. You could almost see the white knuckles on the wheel and I sometimes got the impression they weren't going to see much else beside the depth display at that moment.

Strangers would also sometimes insist on going really close to the buoys. We would respond by going the "wrong" side of the buoy which, although perfectly safe in the top half of the tide with our 1.5m would often cause a bit of a jaw-drop.

I always remember the first time I ever entered the Deben and remarked to John White that, although I had followed his directions closely, at one point I only had 300mm under the keel. "How much water do you need then?"