How many times have you been stopped

[DAKA]

How many times have you been stopped by jumped up little pip-squeaks ?
You can answer yes to all those that apply to you.

 

[Firefly625]

How many times have you been stopped by jumped up little pip-squeaks ?
You can answer yes to all those that apply to you.

mmm, I voted HM, but in reality he didn't actually stop me, just had a word... which I disagreed with even though I did see his point of view

 

[jhr]

I got pulled over by the fuzz once.

Bl**dy well hurt.

 

[timbartlett]

All of them (except the last option!) I must have accidentally unticked "military before I clicked on "vote now".

But in fairness to all of them, in most cases they had perfectly valid reason for thinking that we were "up to" something (magazine photoshoots can look pretty dangerous, for instance, -- a boat with four radars is bound to attract attention -- and a TV camera could possibly be mistaken for a gun!)

The only one that really annoyed me was the idiotically bad seamanship of a MoDPlod boat driver, whose antics ended up with us having to fish one of his colleagues out of the water.

 

[capnsensible]

French Customs off Ushant. On a Services Nicholson 55

Guardia Civil. Various power boats, Motor Cruisers and Yachts, mostly in or near the Straits. Once in Cadiz, noted for the fact that one of the 3 engines on the big Rib caught fire and we had to put it out, Guardia clueless!!

Moroccan Navy. Several times in Straits and Med. They are particularly twitchy when the King is staying on the coast near Smir.

Visited by French Customs in Camaret.

Search of yacht, including sniffer dogs in Lanzarote after delivery from Antigua....wonder why

Customs in Gib years ago to check all the fags I had bought were in a 'bonded locker' prior to sailing.

Been overflown by plane and helicopter (coastguard etc) taking phots in lots of places in West Indies and Puerto Rico.

Mebbe what is unusual in jolly en ger land is routine elsewhere....?

 

[DAKA]

Seeing as I am not the only one then, clearly being on the water there is a much greater chance of being victimised compared with driving a car.
I ve been stopped in/on my boat 19 times ,never prosecuted, (offered as proof of victimisation).

Ive done hundreds of thousands of miles on a moped/motorcycle/car and only been stopped 4 times, I admit I was technically breaking the law on most of those occasions although not prosecuted (but agreed fair to stop me) .

What is it about the jumped up little pip-squeaks on the water that makes them want to spoil our fun.

 

[capnsensible]

Jump Ups are great

 

[ari]

I ve been stopped in/on my boat 19 times ,never prosecuted, (offered as proof of victimisation).

How the bloody hell do you operate your boat to court that much negative attention...!?

 

[oceanfroggie]

Here we go, bring out the violin, the "oppressed minority" are at it again . . .

 

[Warpa]

I have been stopped about 9 times by the old bill for speeding in the 6 knott zone (this was from me teenage days, twice this year) have learned to keep a better eye out now and open it up maybe a tad before the limit ends.

harbour master used to stop me or at least shout out to me as i didnt stop, wondering what my intentions were when i just used to go in to look at the nice boats...again in my younger years.

 

[DAKA]

How the bloody hell do you operate your boat to court that much negative attention...!?

Its over a long time to be fair and probably averages no more than twice a year, very petty incidents and no prosecutions.

Falcon

Norfolk Broads, River Police 5 times "reports of a boat speeding in the area that looks like yours"

River Ancholme ,Water Bailiff (claimed , no ID offered) threw bin bags tied together with twine off a bridge in order to foul my props to stop me

Loch Long /Holy Loch MOD Police boat protecting nuclear subs violently rammed me into a rock face to stop me (no collision), did the same every day for 4 days as I tried to pass, they were recovering brand new lorries that had been contaminated and dumped by the yanks into Holy Loch , presume they didnt want me to see what was going on, I wasnt really interested, I was just trying to cruise west scotland.

River ancholme
Rowing club, woman shouting as their boats had been left on a concrete bank. no fenders.not tied up,held in place with the weight of an oar resting on the bank. 1 inch wash excessive

Changed boat as I matured.

Bayliner
Trent, narrow boat went broadside on to completely block the river in an attempt to stop two of us speeding in an unrestricted zone.

Corniche

Humber
Police launch on collision course , so I opened up to clear him,
RIB loaded with 6 armed ?military? in SWAT gear emerged from nowhere to cut us off (Operation sunshine), by now of course I was thoroughly trained , courtesy of the SBS in scotland , I did get away that time as it was too rough for them to hold on. I made a call to the CG to give a passage plan and explain I was being pursued by an armed RIB asking them to make VHF contact if they wanted me to stop, they slowed down and went back to the shelter of the humber.

lowerstoft
Survey vessel 6 miles offshore, 1 mile off my starboard bow very angry would I pass at 6 knots , another one who didnt like wash

Portsmouth

(Only time I was doing anything really wrong ) 25knots following several sports boats from the fort to the submarine gap.
Military police RIB unhappy and stopped me, first time I had been to portsmouth, I assumed the speed limit was at no4 buoy. I was 1/2 mile past that but arguably infringed on the 1/2nm from shore, let off with a warning.

Dungerness firing range ,police launch, would I stop to hear why I should detour 1nm when I was already outside the DZ.

Dover
customs board to check our log book and our lab hadnt landed in France

Princess

Hamble

stopped by HM twice, he thought I was trolling , me of all people oh really ;

Cowes

HM Cutting through trots (no boats on them) @ 7 knts, stern warning.

Langston

Towing a donut 10 m from ski zone



Come on all of you angels who voted never been stopped, you must have some sort of trivia like that you have been stopped for ?
Point being you get far more hassle in a boat than you do in a car, can you imagine a traffic cop stopping you on the A1 asking that you drive passed the next layby slowly as someone is sleeping in their car.

 

[Jim@sea]

How many times have you been stopped by jumped up little pip-squeaks ?
You can answer yes to all those that apply to you.

I have a friend who frequently travels between France and the UK towing an unusual American caravan and he says that his caravan is virtually singled out every trip for inspection on both sides of the channel. He reckons that they are just being nosy.

 

[DAKA]

I have a friend who frequently travels between France and the UK towing an unusual American caravan and he says that his caravan is virtually singled out every trip for inspection on both sides of the channel. He reckons that they are just being nosy.

Makes sense, I came to the conclusion that they were sat around all day in remote areas with nothing happening , at first sight of a pleasure boat they could practice attack and victimisation techniques.
As soon as a dialogue was offered on CH16* they usually scurried away , I cant imagine they would do that if they thought they had caught a terrorist/drug smuggler.


* some attempts were made to move to ch15/17 being a low powered private ch

 

[timbartlett]

Makes sense, I came to the conclusion that they were sat around all day in remote areas with nothing happening , at first sight of a pleasure boat they could practice attack and victimisation techniques.
As soon as a dialogue was offered on CH16* they usually scurried away , I cant imagine they would do that if they thought they had caught a terrorist/drug smuggler.


* some attempts were made to move to ch15/17 being a low powered private ch

Daka, the first part of what you say makes a lot of sense -- plus the fact that if they are in a remote area they are likely to be having problems keeping up with a quota of "stops" that was probably set by pi110ck in an office at Heathrow.

But I don't think there is anything sinister about wanting to switch from 16 to a working channel: it would be wrong not to do so. Nor is there anything sinister about using 15 or 17 (they are both valid inter-ship channels, to which the normal 25W limit applies). And using the lowest practical power for effective communication is perfectly good operating practice.

Can't fault them on any of that.

 

[DAKA]

Nor is there anything sinister about using 15 or 17 (they are both valid inter-ship channels, to which the normal 25W limit applies).
Can't fault them on any of that.

I think ch 15/17 are limited to 1 w and will not transmit 25w.
as such its a private communication which I have found they utilize to bully .

Insisting you remain on ch16 or at least ch6 ch77 and remaining on full power keeps the conversation public (and overheard by their base commander) and their whole tone attitude is very different.

ch15/17 1 w limit

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Moored up at HMS President years ago, river plice came by with a routine check. Very friendly and apologised for disturbing us.
EA launch at Windsor quite some time back. Came over to check while out in the tender. All crew with lifejackets, kill cord fitted, current licence plate. Went away happy.

 

[Nauti Fox]

Twice, first time near the wreck of the Montgomery en route to St Kats where they checked the boat (they launched from a large grey cutter) for I don't know what, and wiped the surfaces for drugs-explosives?
Later that day boarded by the police while waiting outside St Kats.
Both sets of boarders very pleasant and indulged in tea and cakes when offered.

 

[mitchc]

Only once by the river police on the River Crouch.
It was February, through the Burnham moorings, way past the 2 or 3 boats still on the mooring's.
I was in a 6mtr RIB, just on the plane at about 14knots making less wash than if I was at the 8kn speed limit.
Suddenly hear a loud whoosing noise, turn round to see a bloody great black RIB with two SAS look alike's aboard!
They come along side and ask what the speed limit is. I tell them and they say well can you stick to it....fair enough I say and do 8kn with big wash.
Once through the moorings I followed them out into the estuary at 40kn!!!!

They met up with a Police launch with a load of VIP's on board, took on 4 passengers and then wooshed around jumping the launch's wake.

Looked like they were having a jolly good time at our expense!! Perk of the job I suppose.

 

[Morpheous]

Ok I voted never but...

Returning from Watchet once a police rib approached at very high speed, got with a short distance then just waved us past. Bumped into them in the marina afterwards, they were intending to board but recognised us in the nick of time. They looking for drug smugglers. Clearly I need a bigger medalion

 

[ash12]

Ive seen that police rib a few times in the channel aswell, Morpheous.
I got stopped by the HM's launches in Bristol for going to fast in the tender and I quote " you have been spotted going to fast, do you know there is a speed limit? I said no. He said well there is." And then disappeared back to base.