Discretish surveillance by large sibling

[rickwat]

I have been buzzed by various aircraft offshore and had a Police RIB come alongside near home port (Fleetwood). I am reassured by this but without compromising national security are they on the case for any event (partic now terrorism) or just looking for that inadvertent half ton of cod/cannabis ?

Lighthearted but serious

Rick

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[BrendanS]

Fascinating programme on TV about this a few months ago, showing a customs cutter out on duty. They look for all sorts of different behaviour...boats at high speed in fog, boats going to anchor in out of the way places where divers can take bootie ashore and bury on beach or in cave to be picked up later. They usually have a good reason to intercept which may or may not be obvious to you.

Most turned out to be quite innocent, but you could see the reason why they were intercepting the boats when seen from their perspective.

<hr width=100% size=1>Utinam logica falsa tuam philisophiam totam suffodiant

 

[rickwat]

I can understand customs' role and police could be almost any role but I'm intrigued as to whose aircraft are patrolling and I suppose I just wonder how it all fits together. You like to think there's some coordination between all the different interests which do similar patrols but as long as they're all buzzing round anyway it must be a deterrent to all wrongdoers and it can be the most excitement of the trip some days.

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[plombier]

Brendan, were you impressed by the RIB launching out of the cutter's stern at 25knots. I want the RIB driver's job - now.

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[Fin]

What aircraft were you buzzed by? And whereabouts did it happen?

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[VicS]

Reminds me of the time a few years ago when I was touching up the 'varnish' on the outside of one of the upstairs window frames, working off the the flat roof below. A helicopter flew past, we see quite a few where I live but this one circled and came back to hover over the bottom of the garden. POLICE it said on the side.

They flew off again when I waved the tin and the brush at them!

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>Ne te confundant illegitimi.</font color=purple>

 

[BrendanS]

You'd have to have seen the programme to see how it all fits together, and why they target certain boats. One dive boat was targetted twice, with no ill feeling, but didn't stop them going back next day to check out a nearby cave just to make sure there wasn't anything hidden there.

The fly boys love winding people up. On way to Salcombe last year, just about to pass Weymouth, thought my engine had broken due to weird noise. Looked around and Portland helicopter was flying off my stern. Waved at them, and they went past waving back. Gits! <g> They often put people on the boat in those conditions just for practice - has happened several times in winter boating when they seem not to have many practice targets about.

<hr width=100% size=1>Utinam logica falsa tuam philisophiam totam suffodiant

 

[rickwat]

The one's that seemed most interested were twin props I think but I've had a few jets which presume are RAF. My sailing is all Irish Sea(+Clyde once). The jets are probably patrolling all the time and I could well have just been under their flight path. I believe there is a base or was in Anglesey and I have often been near the oil rigs in Morecambe Bay plus towards Sellafield and in previous years IOM and Ireland plus I have a catamaran so probably fit quite a few profiles. This was mainly 2001/2 - I stayed local last year but hope to be away again soon.

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[rickwat]

I wish I'd seen the programme. Probably too good to get a rerun.

Rick

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[Dominic]

Opressive Monitoring or Sensible Observation

I have a style of boat that draws C&E RIBS like flies to dung. A steel ketch.

Sailing from Venezuela to Florida up the Windward Passage I was overlown by a P3 Orion every day. I got out a big bit of pipe and cornflake box and a bit of gaffer tape and mocked up a SAM7 launcher, just to wind them up - kept them distant but then the patrol boats started bothering me.

Bloody Americans, bothering me for drugs on the high seas when drugs are freely available in their home ports. They must be too mean to buy them.

Got stopped last month by the "Green Meanies" (Guardia Civil) between El Hierro and La Gomera. Later I learnt that 43 illegal immigrants had been dropped off the night before.

As long as the "Guardians Of The Gates" use their powers with courtesy and common sense I do not have a problem.
The moment they abuse their power I will be in there.

So I explained to this US Coastguard boat that wanted to board my yacht in international waters that piracy on the high seas still carried the death sentence in the UK and that a forced boarding was piracy...

Eventually we agreed terms and they had to go elsewhere for their drugs...I didn´t have any.

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[peterb]

Fog

>boats at high speed in fog<... Could be any container ship!

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[Davy_S]

At the moment a complete photographic survey is being undertaken by small plane in the Morecombe bay area, also the area is used by all test flights from Wharton. eurofighter, hawks and tornados. I have never seen police out here, but then again, never seen any on the streets. Most of em hid behind speed cameras./forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[Rabbie]

Tough!. It was on one of the digital channels a few nights ago!. Rab.

<hr width=100% size=1>A day not spent on my boat is a day in my life wasted.