Five blasts

C

ChrisE

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www.simpleisgood.com
For the first time in 20 years of sailing I had to give a boat five blasts.

Sitting at anchor fishing, with anchor ball up and anchor light on, out of the gloom comes a J boat sailng at about 5 knots on a T-boning course. I gave a blast, more than anything to draw the crew's attention that we were 50m ahead of them and nothing happened .....

At about 20m I gave 5 blasts and a member of crew jumped up, grabbed the wheel and altered course to skim our stern. There were 6 people in the cockpit and not one of them had been paying any kind of lookout. They gave a friendly wave and asked if we'd caught anything, my brother replied "only a f***ing yacht!"

I was genuinely shocked that a yacht could sail in 100m viz with no radar and no lookout.

Hopefully, it is the last time I'll have to give any vessel 5 blasts.
 
ChrisE said:
I gave a blast, more than anything to draw the crew's attention that we were 50m ahead of them
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Lucky you had the wherewithal to quickly give any sound signal. Most yachts don't; at best you'd have to jump below and fish an air-horn out of a locker near the chart table. My own foghorn arrangement is via the loudhailer attached to the VHF, which is fine for your regular timed fog signal but very fiddly to get to the manual horn button through the menus.

Motorboats, of course, tend to have a horn button on the dash, and are sometimes surprised that we don't.

Pete
 
I saw the Gosport Ferry giving five blasts to a yacht the other day. They were taking down a big hanked-on headsail which I assume is why they weren't looking out. The helm suddenly jumped to attention and put some throttle on!
 
laika said:
Lucky they weren't forum pedants who hadn't heard your bell and refused to be roused for anything less than short-long-short :)
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[Pedant mode on]

We're under 7m and as such aren't covered by those regs, we don't even need to show an anchor ball.

[Pedant mode off]

We will, however, be fitting a 25mm canon on the prow :)
 
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ChrisE said:
[Pedant mode on]

We're under 7m and as such aren't covered by those regs, we don't even need to show an anchor ball.

[Pedant mode off]

We will, however, be fitting a 25mm canon on the prow :)
Click to expand...

[Pedant mode on]

Would that be a camera to record the event, or the ecclesiastical type?

[Pedant mode off]
 
I know I am opening a can of worms here but.....

OP mentions as his boat was under 7m and so not covered by those regs...however the 7m rule referes to Nav lights rather than sounds and shapes.

+
33. Equipment Vessels 12 metres (39.4 ft) or more in length should carry a whistle and a bell and vessels 100 metres (328 ft) or more in length should carry in addition a gong. On many vessels, a horn serves the purpose of a whistle.
+

As vessel was under 12m then regs dosnt clarify if you need a Whistlt or a bell but one or the other is definatly needed in visability less than 100m!

Could have tried to sound "U" (two short, one Long) on the horn, but of course this is reliyong on the fact that the opposition KNOWs what sound signal U means! ;) Prob best of to do as you did and blast 5 and swear at them! :)
 
dharl said:
As vessel was under 12m then regs dosnt clarify if you need a Whistlt or a bell but one or the other is definatly needed in visability less than 100m!

Could have tried to sound "U" (two short, one Long) on the horn, but of course this is reliyong on the fact that the opposition KNOWs what sound signal U means! ;) Prob best of to do as you did and blast 5 and swear at them! :)
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If not the bell then any other efficient sound signal at an interval of not more than 2 mins and I don't see an exception for vessels under 7m. OTOH even though I'm such a goody goody that I own and occasionally use a motoring cone, when anchored out of a fairway I'm not a great one for observing the anchored sound signals. Although uniform makes sense, 35(g) specifies romeo for warning approaching vessels of position and possible collision risk, but as you rightly point out, the OP's 5 blasts would be more widely understood. And I highly doubt I'd have remembered "R" with another boat bearing down at 5 kts...
 
dharl said:
OP mentions as his boat was under 7m and so not covered by those regs...however the 7m rule referes to Nav lights rather than sounds and shapes.
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Applies to lights and shapes but not, as you say, sounds. For sound purposes he is simply "under 12 metres", and therefore has to make some kind of sound every two minutes:

33 (b) A vessel of less than 12 metres in length shall not be obliged to carry the sound signalling
appliances prescribed in paragraph (a) of this Rule but if she does not, she shall be provided with
some other means of making an efficient sound signal.
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35 (j) A vessel of less than 12 metres in length shall not be obliged to give the above-mentioned
signals but, if she does not, shall make some other efficient sound signal at intervals of not more than 2
minutes
Click to expand...

Pete
 
ChrisE said:
I can't recall in any anchorage that I was in a yacht or any other pleasure vessel for that matter sounding in fog whilst at anchor .....
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I strongly suspect that in many quiet anchorages if you did that all night you might rapidly become the object of one short blast from the aforementioned foredeck cannon of your neighbours...
 
Often felt tempted when passing Ryde pier westbound. The Wightlink fast Cats seem to delight in departing Ryde for Portsmouth and heading straight towards you at high speed as the give way vessel (clear crossing situation). They only alter at the last moment and then pass close, sometimes ahead, leaving you bouncing in their wake. No question of "narrow channels". Is there a sound signal meaning "I know that I am smaller than you but you still have to comply with the Collregs!"
 
Malabar said:
Often felt tempted when passing Ryde pier westbound. The Wightlink fast Cats seem to delight in departing Ryde for Portsmouth and heading straight towards you at high speed as the give way vessel (clear crossing situation). They only alter at the last moment and then pass close, sometimes ahead, leaving you bouncing in their wake. No question of "narrow channels". Is there a sound signal meaning "I know that I am smaller than you but you still have to comply with the Collregs!"
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Yes, of course there is, but I doubt that they'd hear your epithet from within the bridge ....
 
Malabar said:
Is there a sound signal meaning "I know that I am smaller than you but you still have to comply with the Collregs!"
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Five blasts, I reckon:

When vessels in sight of one another are approaching each other and from any cause either vessel
fails to understand the intentions or actions of the other, or is in doubt whether sufficient action
is being taken by the other to avoid collision, the vessel in doubt shall immediately indicate such
doubt by giving at least five short and rapid blasts on the whistle. Such signal may be
supplemented by a light signal of at least five short and rapid flashes
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Question whether they'll be able to hear your puny whistle from inside their double-glazed wheelhouse though.

Pete
 
laika said:
I strongly suspect that in many quiet anchorages if you did that all night you might rapidly become the object of one short blast from the aforementioned foredeck cannon of your neighbours...
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Indeed. It's never occurred to me on a still misty morning at anchor that I should be making signals. But I do think I would set the VHF's automated bell noises going if I was anchored anywhere that's not a habitual anchorage.

Pete
 
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