Fascinating

[Guest]

I have just read three threads relating to the sail vs power debate- generally the posts referred to the inconsiderate nature of the power bigade. Time to fess up - I own a power boat albeit a very slow one max speed 9 kts but use it exclusively (for the time being) on the Thames. This isn't through any lack of desire to venture out to sea but simply because I wouldn't know what I was doing yet and so would prefer to be safe. I plan do complete the RYA Day Skipper course before next season and then perhaps venture downstream and into the Medway.

That was all just setting the scene before my real comments which are:

we seem to suffer similar problems on the upper Thames as you do on the briny - big power boats going too fast; swarms of sailing dinghies changing direction when you least expect it having already slowed and changed direction in order to pass astern of them - then getting shouted at for getting it wrong and perhaps worst of all rowers and canoeists using the whole river as if they had exclusive rights to it and also shouting abuse for getting in their way.

We also get overtaken by speed merchants (breaking the speed limits) then meet up with them at the next lock where they will have been waiting for some time.

Having read these posts I can only conclude that everone else is wrong about everything else except us - us being whichever branch of boating we currently indulge in. I haven't any real conclusions merely the rather sad and wishy-washy observation that it's a little sad really.

 

[Guest]

Hear, hear

The problem seems to be that although nearly everyone breaks the rules, no-one seems to regard their own rule-breaking as significant.

Next time you hear a sailing skipper whinging about power boats, ask him when was the last time he complied with Colreg 25e.

morawel@hotmail.com

 

[Guest]

Now it occurs to me that:

1) everyone on these forums is the perfect gentleman
2) no-one on these forums is ever guilty of intolerance to the 'other side'
3) it's always someone else that's the idiot
4) yotties don't listen to motorboaters
5) motorboaters don't listen to yotties

The answer is clear. All the yotties need to roundly abuse their colleagues whenever they see them racing in channels, cutting across the bows of other boats, leaving warps on pontoons etc. All the motorboaters need to hurl abuse at others of their ilk whenever they're seen speeding, trying to swamp yotties, thinking about buying jetskis etc.

S'easy, see...