Etiquette when passing people in a marina

Seen in the distance you have to prepare to utter a suitable phrase this is issued at the correct distance allowing for your adversary to return greeting but no more then proceed on with purpose
 
LONG_KEELER said:
You are walking along a pontoon and see someone coming towards you.

Are you going to pass him/her to the left or right ?

Or do just enjoy a close encounter swaying to port and starboard ?
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I'm pretty sure that this dilemma was defined as "corrymeela" (relating to meetings in corridors) in The Meaning of Liff, by Douglas Adams.
 
Years ago my club had a visit from Princess Anne and her children. I had been fixing my kid's dinghy on the tee head and was leaving when I realised HRH was walking towards me. What to do? I actually nodded and said "alright?" She nodded back. Not the correct protocol I'm sure.
Poor security by her minders.
 
Dan Tribe said:
Years ago my club had a visit from Princess Anne and her children. I had been fixing my kid's dinghy on the tee head and was leaving when I realised HRH was walking towards me. What to do? I actually nodded and said "alright?" She nodded back. Not the correct protocol I'm sure.
Poor security by her minders.
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I have never met the woman myself, bu I understand from a couple of people with boats at Ardfern - where she keeps hers - that she is not a great one for excessive formality or indeed excessive interaction with we-the-people. Sounds as if you got it right.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I have never met the woman myself, bu I understand from a couple of people with boats at Ardfern - where she keeps hers - that she is not a great one for excessive formality or indeed excessive interaction with we-the-people. Sounds as if you got it right.
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The two guiding principles followed by royals when dealing with subject people:

"Familiarity breeds contempt." and "Give them an inch and they'll take a yard." :D
 
johnalison said:
It depends on the country. It is odd that we choose to pass on a path or pontoon in the same way as when on the road but it's what feels natural. Here I tend to charge ahead with an optional "'ning" as I go past. In Germany you are expected to look them in the eye and say "'morgan". In the Hamburg area and around it's "moin" or even "moin, moin", which I never got used to. In Sweden it might be "hey" or even more alarmingly "hey, hey", though one Swede with a smart boat regarded this as vulgar. Dogs give way to me if they've got any sense.
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On returning from my occasional visits to Australia it takes me a few days to get out of the habit of acknowledging passers by. In Oz it would be thought rude not to make eye contact and say G'day.
In UK the norm seems to be to ignore people and look away.
 
Dan Tribe said:
On returning from my occasional visits to Australia it takes me a few days to get out of the habit of acknowledging passers by. In Oz it would be thought rude not to make eye contact and say G'day.
In UK the norm seems to be to ignore people and look away.
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It depends where you are. In my home city of Glasgow everyone talks to everyone and buses are a hum of conversation. When I visit London I make eye contact with people in the tube, just to watch them squirm.
 
JumbleDuck said:
I'm pretty sure that this dilemma was defined as "corrymeela" (relating to meetings in corridors) in The Meaning of Liff, by Douglas Adams.
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I take it from "I'm pretty sure" that you do not have a copy to hand. Mine is by Douglas Adams & John Lloyd. It does not have "corrymeela", but several words along the same lines. For instance "Corriemuchloch (n): Word describing the kind of person who can make a complete mess of a simple job like walking down a corridor."

Mike.
 
mjcoon said:
I take it from "I'm pretty sure" that you do not have a copy to hand. Mine is by Douglas Adams & John Lloyd. It does not have "corrymeela", but several words along the same lines. For instance "Corriemuchloch (n): Word describing the kind of person who can make a complete mess of a simple job like walking down a corridor."
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Found it online! I was thinking of corridoo:


CORRIEARKLET (n.)
The moment at which two people approaching from opposite ends of a long passageway, recognize each other and immediately pretend they haven't. This is to avoid the ghastly embarrassment of having to continue recognising each other the whole length of the corridor.

CORRIECRAVIE (n.)
To avert the horrors of corrievorrie (q.v.) corriecravie is usually employed. This is the cowardly but highly skilled process by which both protagonists continue to approach while keeping up the pretence that they haven't noticed each other - by staring furiously at their feet, grimacing into a notebook, or studying the walls closely as if in a mood of deep irritation.

CORRIEDOO (n.)
The crucial moment of false recognition in a long passageway encounter. Though both people are perfectly well aware that the other is approaching, they must eventually pretend sudden recognition. They now look up with a glassy smile, as if having spotted each other for the firt time, (and are particularly delighted to have done so) shouting out 'Haaaaaallllloooo!' as if to say 'Good grief!! You!! Here!! Of all people! Will I never. Coo. Stap me vitals, etc.'

CORRIEMOILLIE (n.)
The dreadful sinking sensation in a long passageway encounter when both protagonists immediately realise they have plumped for the corriedoo (q.v.) much too early as they are still a good thirty yards apart. They were embarrassed by the pretence of corriecravie (q.v.) and decided to make use of the corriedoo because they felt silly. This was a mistake as corrievorrie (q.v.) will make them seem far sillier.

CORRIEVORRIE (n.)
Corridor etiquette demands that one a corriedoo (q.v.) has been declared, corrievorrie must be employed. Both protagonists must now embellish their approach with an embarrassing combination of waving, grinning, making idiot faces, doing pirate impressions, and waggling the head from side to side while holding the other person's eyes as the smile drips off their face, until with great relief, they pass each other.

Adapted from http://lib.ru/ADAMS/liff.txt_with-big-pictures.html
​
 
Dan Tribe said:
On returning from my occasional visits to Australia it takes me a few days to get out of the habit of acknowledging passers by. In Oz it would be thought rude not to make eye contact and say G'day.
In UK the norm seems to be to ignore people and look away.
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There are places in the Uk where making direct eye contact may lead to getting your head kicked in
This is the recognised procedure for greetings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTifRi3qDkU
 
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PhillM said:
Clearly you have not developed the right “look”. Put on a boiler suit, start to work on your varnish, and nobody will give you a second look /chat or comment.
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Hamble Point, me in mucky boiler suit walking back to boat I'd just bought, passed very well dressed (Sunday best) guy wearing bright yellow marigolds, dusting his pulpit. "Morning" said I, sneering look up and down from him and asked "are you looking for work?" "no I replied, working on my boat" "oh dear" said he, "I pay a man to do that". Did consider tipping my old engine oil on his nice teak deck but resisted the urge.:) Not my kind of marina.
 
Graham376 said:
Hamble Point, me in mucky boiler suit walking back to boat I'd just bought, passed very well dressed (Sunday best) guy wearing bright yellow marigolds, dusting his pulpit. "Morning" said I, sneering look up and down from him and asked "are you looking for work?" "no I replied, working on my boat" "oh dear" said he, "I pay a man to do that". Did consider tipping my old engine oil on his nice teak deck but resisted the urge.:) Not my kind of marina.
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They've got good loos though. You can't always rely on first impressions. I passed a chap working on a vast boat in the yard today and he, the owner, turned out to be very pleasant and happy to chat while I took my break between antifouling coats.
 
xyachtdave said:
^ you probably want to add a NSFW warning, a recommendation for headphones if not alone and the easily offended should not click the link.....
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Well Peter Cook was truly offended when some bloke said " Urgh!"-- Preceded by "Hello"
What a way to speak to someone???
Disgusting really. Certainly deserved a boot in the ear.
.:)
 
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I was walking up the pontoons in Mallaig and I passed a lady with black hair said good afternoon got good afternoon in return then passed two gentlemen good afternoon to them got it back at the top of the ramp and noticed two police cars didn't think much of it then I saw a black land-rover things clicked princess Ann.

Anyway I try to pass people port to port and say morning afternoon what ever it is don't always get a reply I think the paint covered trousers and coat is a deterrent hmm...
 
OK, I will bite. What do you do when a rally takes over a pontoon for a “pontoon party”, ignores everyone else and expects them to levitate over them to exit the area.
 
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