Further feedback required: steel trace wires?

[kimhollamby]

I have raised the subject of fishing markers and abandoned nets and their potential risk to motorboats and yachts at a recent RYA boating safety group. What I would specifically like to track down, prior to September, is any specific incidents caused by the use of steel strops between marker floats and the pot or its riser rope.

If you have direct eye witness reports to offer, or are able to provide strong evidence of this reported practice, please post a thread here with specific details naming type of vessel, date and what occured. Or please send me an e-mail at kim_hollamby@ipcmedia.com

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[Spacewaist]

On Wednesday July 30th, around lunchtime, on passage from Alderney we listened to a distress situation on the VHF. A 41ft yacht ( I have the name in my log book if necess) snared a pot 1.5 mile south of Portland Bill. He was unable to get clear and was "anchored" to the bottom in the middle of the race just as the spring tide was about to turn to ebb against a W4/5.

HMCG launched Weymouth Life boat. A local diving vessel offered to assist. Divers were unable to get the wire free of the prop. Eventually freed the boat by cutting the wire. However, boat was (for some reason - we disnt understand why) still disabled and Lifeboat took her along side and into Weymouth.

Frightening to listen to. I had thought a yacht of that size wd be bomb proof.

I sure you can get more detail from RNLI.

<hr width=100% size=1>A pontification from the Panjandrum of orotund bloviation AD2003

 

[aod]

Kim:

I know for a fact that QAB regulaly tow people in as a result of wire strops around their props.

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[kimhollamby]

Thanks for the report

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[kimhollamby]

Thanks, I will ask Queen Anne's Battery staff if they can help with specific incidents.

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[jimage]

We had a very dodgy incident last august bank holiday just off Cromer - in fact we were just passing by the Cromer lifeboat station. Rough NE seas 5-6 and most pot markers were underwater. A commercial fishing vessel radio`d into us stating there were many pots and that we should follow close behind him. However we still managed to pick up a steel wire off a pot marker. Luckily it only got picked up by one of our props. The (150hp) engine revs died right down nearly to a stall until the stripper rope cutter did its job. On inspection, the cutter was totally obliterated, but signs of the galv steel wire were impregnated onto the faces of the cutter. Could have been a lot worse...

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[kimhollamby]

Thanks for your report

Am pleased you escaped but very much appreciate hearing evidence of this nature.

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