How can I avoid pots and fouled lines?

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Gus_Honeybun

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Is there anything I can do to avoid getting tangled in fishing pot lines? The fishermen are only trying to make a living and if they mark their pots then it seems only fair that I should try to avoid damaging their gear with rope cutters etc. Has anybody tried using cages around props or wires attached to the skeg to deflect ropes? Do they work?

Maybe PBO could do an article on the subject, as a follow up to the feature in this months magazine about what the fishermen are doing to keep us happy!
 
You keep your eyes open especially at night - and keep a sharp knife handy in case your eyes fail you.

In truth - I've found most yachts will sail over such lines - only if you've got the engine going are you really at risk of picking one up round the prop / shaft.

And a wire twix forefoot and keel or twix keel and skeg sadly will not help - you'll find it will collect more weed than you need.

Cheers
JOHN
 
As Swagman rightly pointed out, you will sail happily over most pot and net lines. The danger zone is directly around the marker buoys themselves where the lines reach the surface. The majority of nets are set on or just above the seabed and so there should be plenty of clearance above them. So if you spot a buoy, look for a second and either avoid both or head for the middle of the gap in between.

There is very little you can do at night really, except trust your luck. One of our local netsmen made his own radar reflectors for his dan bouys but most use large round floats which are just about impossible to spot at night.

Fitting a rope cutter may help, the RNLI use them after all.
 
I'm afraid that, whilst I admire your generous view on this, I can't share it.

Far too many pots are thoughtlessly laid and very badly marked. I'm sure that boaters don't go over the things deliberately, and if the lines do get cut the fishermen have only got themselves to blame. This is a real problem and a safety issue.
 
I had a friend who actually abandoned a voyage up the West Oz coast because they got caught on too many cray pot lines. Several in one night with extreme difficulty escaping from each. In that case the pots were set beyond the outer edge of the reef. Some time back an inventor built and presumably tried to market a device where the float and line were reeled in at the pot. It had an ultrasonic receiver and would only release the float to the surface on coded command. I think the plan was to avert people stealing the pot or contents but the ofshoot was safety to other boats. But you guessed it , it never took off.
When sailinng the rudder seems to be most vulnerable so a swing up transom mounted rudder would have some benefits.
In other words I have no helpfull suggestions at all. olewill
 
Sir,
When fishermen are laying there pots it is done in a certain way for reasons of depth, sea bed contures, if they are using what is called a bush rope they should be avoided at all costs as there are as many as 20 pots per line. if this goes into your prop it will cause serious damage to your shaft and prop. also it could be problem if the fisherman see's you going over his lines. So i would advice great caution if you are going through a area that is used for crabbing.
Keep a better look out this normally works best
 
[ QUOTE ]
I had a friend who actually abandoned a voyage up the West Oz coast because they got caught on too many cray pot lines. Several in one night with extreme difficulty escaping from each.

[/ QUOTE ]

When we used to race offshore in WA craypots were a menace at night especially going south. When sailing once on another bigger boat, the skipper decided his dues for untangling one set of lines from the rudder were the pot content so we hauled it on deck and all enjoyed crayfish for breakfast!

But I must have picked up / clipped / bumped possibly 100 over the years - and the worst it got was spending 10 minutes with boathook and having to resort to cutting lines which would not come free. Small price to pay really if we all want lobster / crayfish / crabs on our restaurant menus.....

JOHN
 
One problem is that fishermen and sailors look at pot markers from a different perspective, many crab boats have a foreward cuddy, and the helm is usually standing or quite high up, looking down on pot markers and with an engine able to stop quickly and pick up their pots. So its understandable they dont see them as a problem.

Perhaps they just dont understand what its like helming a yacht 12m from the bow and usually closer to the water, our view in a yacht is restricted especially when looking for small bouys and sticks that can easily be hidden from view.

Its this that should be passed on to the fishermen by the MCA, its interesting or ironic that the MCA advise the use of rope cutters for safety in fishing boats.
 
If you see badly marked or laid pots and nets then send a report to CHIRP (and I think the RYA still ask for them but check first).

Nice to get feedback on here but the reality is you,re not talking to the right people to get anything done (not meant nastily so don't flame me please!!)
 
Some boats will sail over them happily and others will not - but even a long-keel boat can pick up a line under power or with the prop spinning (another reason to lock the propshaft when sailing). A short fin keel with a P-bracket and a spade rudder is probably the worst combination, though their owners may disagree. A shaft-mounted rope cutter is the first line of defence, a snorkel mask and a bread knife is the last.
As has been said they are usually laid in lines and nearly always in the same places, so observation and experience will help.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Sir,
When fishermen are laying there pots it is done in a certain way for reasons of depth, sea bed contures, if they are using what is called a bush rope they should be avoided at all costs as there are as many as 20 pots per line. if this goes into your prop it will cause serious damage to your shaft and prop. also it could be problem if the fisherman see's you going over his lines. So i would advice great caution if you are going through a area that is used for crabbing.
Keep a better look out this normally works best

[/ QUOTE ]

Mmmmmmm. I take it that you are a fisherman and would be interested to hear about this from your point of view.

However, I think that you are missing the point. Sometimes the pots are laid in inappropriate places (i.e. inappropriate for reasons of safety) and frequently they are very badly marked. All too often they are not clearly visible at night, in heavy weather or in a strong spring tide. I suggest that you look at the forum on "Fouled sterngear" on this site to get a flavour of the degree of the problem. Too often boats are endangered as a result of this.

I'm not sure what you meant about the a problem if a fisherman sees me going over his lines but, if you are saying what I suspect you are ...........All I would say is that, if the fisherman who laid the lines which got caught in my rudder last year, had shown his face and got lippy it would have led to a very interesting discussion indeed! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif


AFAIK there are guidelines on how these things should be marked. Do you know why they are ignored?
 
Interesting article in PBO that looks at pot marking. Unfortunately, other than a mention of the duties of the harbour authorities, it does not mention the primary legislation that speaks to this.

From PBO p119, speaking of an incipient EC directive "inshore pots need not be marked".

Surely the fishermen have a duty under HSWA S3, to ensure that "persons not in his employment ... are not thereby exposed to risks ..."

Perhaps PBO could clarify this.
 
Anybody been through the (slot) at Portland bill recently. Last time we went through it was awash with pot markers and they were definitely a "hazard to shipping" it would seem that the instructions from the authorities dealing with these matters are totally ignored.
Rob
 
they seem to be prolific almost anywhere.headlands and offshore shoals over rocks seem to attract them but others are in places of no apparent significance.

Its one time that I am glad to have an outboard engine.Clearing the prop doesnt require a dangerous trip over the side.

I would think seriously before doing any inshore passages at night these days.The pots in West Wales waters all seem to be marked with a round orange fender with a smaller float nearby presumably attatched to the pick up rope.No flags at all.

i believe part of the problem is the accuracy of GPS ,they used to have to mark them well in order to find them again./forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
"And a wire twix forefoot and keel or twix keel and skeg sadly will not help - you'll find it will collect more weed than you need."

And will be destroyed by osmosis within a month.
 
< Osmosis on wire? >

Yes, osmosis as in galvanic corrosion discovered long before grp was ever thought of.
See also electroplating and reverse osmosis.

"Osmosis: a subtle or gradual absorption or mingling: He never studies but seems to learn by osmosis.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997"
 
I've always understood that Osmosis referred to the passing of liquids through a membrane, but I'm sure that there are others more qualified than we are to comment on this.

Personally, I find it easier to refer to corrosion as............corrosion! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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