Honda Classic Carnage - Power Boating

[hisw]

Was any one else in the Solent at the weekend?
It was complete carnage.
There was no warning of the racing in the Solent Coastguard broadcast.
I feel for the poor people who got hit. I understand one boat was very badly damaged.
What is the Solent turning into? Not only was the whole place taken over by boats travelling at 80mph, there were a number of twats out on charter boats as well! I got cut up by one sunsail boat. He was motoring and decided to overtake us as we sailing. They got almost level with us, hit the throttle and crossed in front of us giving at least two foot of space. They simply looked at us and laughed.

It could put you off the Solent for life. A great welcome back from a months cruising the west country!

Sorry for the rant


<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by hisw on 27/08/2003 15:05 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[ThomasHome]

We were there, as we got close to Cowes we were passed by two power boats and a helecopter filming that got within a few metres of our boat, a great feeling as it went past, but pretty scary, a nice chap in a RIB nipped over and asked us to move away from the non existant channel and that a boat had been hit earlier, I then felt like an idiot for being in the way.

Looking back afterwards, we were in a very dangerous position which could have been fatal for us, the power boat or the helecopter had we been hit, though no fault of our own, some warning would have been nice.

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[tome]

Did you not check local notices to mariners?

See <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.qhmportsmouth.com/LNTM/ntm22-03.htm>http://www.qhmportsmouth.com/LNTM/ntm22-03.htm</A>

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[tony_brighton]

I'm not sure publishing a NTM is a substitute for a proper risk assessment - I think having a race like this on a bank holiday weekend, probably the busiest weekend of the year is plainly daft. There was absolutely no way they were going to get a clear course - NTM or otherwise.

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[hisw]

Does anyone know what happand to the boat that was hit? bet it was a bit of a shock, they were moving at some speed

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[tony_brighton]

and more to the point - will his insurance company pay up given that an NTM was published!

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[hisw]

I did hear the race control officer asking the safety boat to apologise!!! – bet that made up for it

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[Peppermint]

It don't tell you here that navmarks will be used as course marks though does it?

I'd guess that standards of marshaling have not kept up with the increase in casual sailors on the Solent or with the increased speed of many of the racing boats. It became even more tricky on the Sunday when I witnessed several yachts trying to head north out of Cowes as a wave of buzzing foaming bouncing things went by only to find themselves heading for the path of yet another wave of bfb things.

Still it was a fair old sight, the guy in the blue helicopter new his business too.

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[qsiv]

Other than the start finish corridor nothing is explicitly defined, and as the good QHM states IRPCS takes precedence, so I dont think it gives the racers any special rights (apart from the marked corridor).

I'm not aware that they can arbitrarily 'close' parts of the Solent (even though ABP and QHM have jurisdiction over certain areas) and give only 3 weeks notice - just how are you expected to be aware of this LNTM if you didnt see it posted on a Club board?

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[l'escargot]

No part of the Solent was closed and If you go to the QHM website and register, he will e mail you every time a new LNTM is issued.

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[Violetta]

This really depresses me

I know I'm a dinosaur, but I can't help grieving for something I have valued all my life (nearly) and which seems to be going down the tubes.

What I mean is the respect for something beyond and outside our own whims and egos that used to be part of the sailing scene. I loved (still love) the traditions (each one with a sound reason behind it) and disciplines of the sea and sailing. Trying to do things properly as a matter of habit - so you didn't need to think about it when you really needed to do things properly. Respecting the rules that were designed to make things predictable (and therefore safe) for everyone, rather than just making things up as you went along. Learning something every time you went out on the water. Trying to build up your understanding of the ways of the sea in all it's moods and conditions. Looking out for other people and being fairly confident they would also look out for you. Putting the needs of the boat and her crew above your own immediate comfort. Being self reliant and taking real responsibility for yourself and other people. Yielding to the rhythms and demands and frustrations of the natural world and it's cycles. Loving, looking after, learning the ways of your boat - not just treating her as a means to an end.

The incident with the Sunsail boat that you describe symbolises this loss to me. Happily, I have never (knowingly) seen a Sunsail boat and I think I hope I never shall. Equally happily, the things I describe haven't disappeared entirely. But it's not just "golden age" stuff - there is a real sea change in the "culture" of sailing.

Yes, yes, I know.......Give it a year or two and you can visit my bones in the Natural History Museum. :-(

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[qsiv]

Hardly an intuitive step for those of us not based in the UK!

I wasnt really implying that the SOlent had been 'closed', simply that with the exception of bouyed corridor the racers had no extra rights. It sounds as though the marshalling was really the issue - it just shouldnt be possible for the other water users to get involved 'by mistake'. Having seen how effective the marshalling was at the AmCup Jubilee a few years ago - it certainly can be done.

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[StephenSails]

How do you post links like you have?



<hr width=100% size=1>Yachting Universe
www.YachtingUniverse.com

 

[tome]

type {url}link{/url} but replace the curly brackets with square brackets

eg
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.YachtingUniverse.com>http://www.YachtingUniverse.com</A>

 

[Neraida]

We were in Cowes Saturday and Sunday, contemplated leaving with the tide for Yarmouth Sunday morning and asked the yacht haven what time the racing was taking place, when told between 10 and 11:30 we decided to stay put. As for the Sunsail lot, they moored up near us and lots of other boats and some of them decided to keep half the marina up till 4:30am screaming various songs at the top of their voices. I woke up at about 4 to a rendition of "Delilah". Next morning about 50 of 'em climbed on one of the yachts for a photo, was left wondering how the deck didn't collapse.

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[Chris_Robb]

My brother was out single handed in his Hunter 27 - near the Needles - very little wind - buzzed by about 4 powerboats - got hit on the head with the boom and knocked himslef out for a short while.

He was taken completely by surprise - no radio warnings - or anything.

I remember last year watching from a safe anchorage - and being buzzed by someone who had obviouly lost their way. Again there were no warnings or publicity of any sort.

When Plymouth hosts the Class 1s the port control and channel 16 are constantly broadcasting warnings.

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[Guest]

There is racing and racing, without to much risk to anyone, a lot of people take part in cycle road racing on public highways, to the best of my knowledge only Monaco and parts of Le Mans in France allow full blown high speed car racing, then the roads are shut to the general public, with all neccessary safety precautions taken.

Now, if it is good enough not to allow F1 cars to race on the M25 (ok I know cars dont even move on the M25), a public highway. Then were is the difference with the Solent? Although not a road is it not under the control of the Dept of Transport?

IF, IF you are unlucky enough to get hit by a yacht at Cowes Week, etc it will be at low relative speeds. How the hell can a helmsman (or is it pilot) of a F1 powerboat at 50 + Knt even see what is in front!!!



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[l'escargot]

Why not intuitive for those outside the UK? e mail will reach you (or your club) quicker than anything else.

I steered clear this year, but have passed through in previous years, without relying on being stewarded. You would have to be totally oblivious to your surroundings to not know what's happening.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think any boats should be permitted to pass through what was probably the highest density of pleasure boats on the busiest weekend of the year at such speeds. But as long as they are, everyone has their own responsibilty to navigate safely around them without relying on others to do it for them, or keep out the way altogether.
The speeds of the AmCup allowed for more effective marshalling - there isn't a marshals boat that could keep up with the power boats and it would be of no use to a sailing boat making 5 knots crossing the course if it did.

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[qsiv]

It would reach you - but only if you knew you needed to ask, and didnt get flooded with yet more junk the rest of the year when you werent bothered. I wasnt there, but I would have thought that a navigation warning from the coastguard would reach more people who might have needed to know.

The NTM said there would be marshalls - if they couldnt provide them in suitable numbers then I suspect they shouldnt have run it. They opatently werent there in suitable numbers as non participants strayed onto the course.

I was in St Aubins day the day a small race boat, hit another competitor (not a bystander), and the propeller damage to the helm of the other boat killed him, just shortly before his child was born - but at least they were consenting participating individuals, not innocent bystanders. I'm a huge fan of most types of racing, believing that improves the breed - I dont much mind if competitors kill themselves (I sail and race singlehanded), providing they don't put other peoples lives at risk - even to the extent that I was brought up in the school that yachtsmen who get into difficulties should 'die like gentlemen.'

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[Birdseye]

Not at all sure that the M25 analogy is one we want to follow. Solent speed cameras, parking wardens, traffic calming (ie false islands to narrow the fairway).

There's a whole lot of potential fun here for Sir Humphrey.

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