I sometimes wonder ...

[Gludy]

Out on Saturday inside the cardiff barrage and had an incident that was a bit extreme.

I was doing 5 knots and slowly overtook a yacht some distance to my port side. Eventually I was passed him and he was behind me and still well to port with the 22.5 degrees abaft.

I then saw him again catching up on me (he had sail up and motor going ) and he slowly caught up with me and started overtaking me .. when almost past me he suddenly cut right across my bows - I had kept a straight course throughout the whole episode.

I had to rapidly slow down to avoid hitting him and he then positioned himself right in front of me.

Now my understanding of the rules is that the overtaking vessel has to remain clear and in no way impede the boat being overtaken regardless of overtaking vessel being under sail or power - in this case he was under power anyway.

Having avoided hitting him I realised why he had done what he did - he was in a race for the visitors pontoon hammerhead. As it happens I went well to port of him and managed to get the only pontoon space big enough for me anyway and he found himself with insufficient room ... some sort of justice.

My guess is that some raggies think that if they put the sail up they can do anything ... mind you I had an even more dangerous experience with a high speed 35 foot mobo just outside Watchet harbour entrance - I had to do a crash stop to avoid him ....

Both of these sailors clearly have no understanding of the rules of the road ... I mean zilch. So it raised within me the possibility of some sort of basic compulsory training .... but then we have that for cars and there are still the same idiots on the road.

Maybe the trick is to never let it spoil your day ...

<hr width=100% size=1>Paul

 

[Talbot]

No excuse for a total lack of common sense whatever sort of boat they are helming.

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[Althorne]

As I understand it any raggie with his engine going is subject to exactly the rules that you are because by doing so he becomes a mobo. Or am I wrong?????

<hr width=100% size=1>http://colvicownersclub.mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk

 

[Gludy]

You are right BUT even if he was on sail alone and was overtaking from abaft a mobo he still has to stay clear of the mobo. The vessel doing the overtaking, no matter what must stay clear of the vesel being overtaken. I think many raggies do not understand this.



<hr width=100% size=1>Paul

 

[Talbot]

You are right, both that the overtaking vessel should remain clear even if a raggie, and that it is not well known amongst raggies.

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[Dave_Snelson]

You are spot on with your rules of the sea. Apart from anything else, he clearly doesn't have a head for Colregs either. And another thing....Where was his inverted black cone that is required to be hoisted on the forestay when sailing with mechanical assistance (i.e using the motor).

With a Squaddie 59, you could have sliced him in half

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[tome]

Perhaps you're right about him not being aware that sail gives way to power when overtaking, but all raggies know that they are a motorboat once the engine comes into use.

It's common bad practice to ignore the inverted cone (guilty, m'lord) though not helpful to MoBos unless it's obvious they are motoring. It's definitely bad manners to force an overtaken boat to take avoiding action, and it's against the rules.

It doesn't directly affect you, but sailing boats have a different rule when crossing. The boat with the wind to starboard has right of way. If both boats have the wind on the same side, the one to windward stays clear. I often see sailing boats ignoring this and assuming that the motorboat rules prevail.

So there are some ignorant raggies about, but then you know that!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Gludy]

A agree. It seems that most know about the under mechnical propulsion rule makes them a mobo but it seems at least some think they can overtake a mobo if they are under sail and force him out the way.

I also agree that the twits are on both sides of the fence.

I was appoaching Watchet Harbout - a norrow entrance with a lot of chop in it and had a 35 foot mobo on my port side going faster and faster in what turned out to be a race for the entrance. I was clearly the stand on boat and he, I thought would have to give way, I held my course and speed but he even acclerated to try and come across my bows at the entrance and so get there first - I had to take avoiding action and he got into the outer harbour first.

I was left with no speed being thrown all over the place outside the harbour entrance - I waited for him to prodeed into the inner harbour (marina) but no he just held himself in the outer harbour that I then entered and had him obstructing my turn to get into the inner harbour/marina.

This was more dangerous than the raggie problem at Cardiff ... so it seems that some moboaters do not even understand the most basic ROR.

On each of these occasions I just swallowed and left it at that - I go out for leisure not arguments and try very hard not to let such things spoil my peace and enjoyment.

<hr width=100% size=1>Paul

 

[tome]

Agree with your sentiments, it's meant to be fun after all - best not to let bad manners ruin a good day.

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[Gludy]

I do not know many raggies who bother with the inverted cone .. that in itself would not worry me to much if they then understood the main ColRegs.

I could have sliced him in half right up from the stern - in fact there was no more than 20 to 30 foot in it when he cut across my bow and then proceed to straighten up right in front of me. If I had maintained my speed I would have hit him at his rear starboard side.

I dropped back a bit because I did not know what the next stunt was going to be but then when I realised what it was all about, a tweaked my throttles a tiny bit and, it was no surprise when I was able to overtake him well to his port side and get to the pontoon.

In fact to enter into a race with me would have been a bit absurd as I had a lot more horse power under me than him and the event took part where there was no speed limits - so it would have been so easy to touch up to say 15 knots and leave him wallowing in the wake but such actions can escalate and bad manners are not best met with responding bad manners.



<hr width=100% size=1>Paul

 

[wakeup]

errr there is a dead slow limit in the waiting area outside the marina and the barrage locks so he shouldn't have been accelerating above dead slow anyway..

<hr width=100% size=1>As independent as resources permit.

 

[Bergman]

I sympathise

There have been a few posts like this recently and I suspect that it is not so much that they don't know the rules rather that they don't care.

Ill mannered, selfish louts are common on the roads and apparently are now taking to the water and bringing their ugly behaviour with them.

Very sad really, moreso because I fear that it will end with some sort of legislation which will spoil decent peoples pleasure and will fail to solve the problem.



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[BrendanS]

All over hyped I fear. 99% of people on the water never seem to have any problems, but 1% of us seem to make up for it and find problems at every opportunity

<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[[2068]]

From however-many-hundreds-of-registered-users there are, if a set go out in any weekend, 99% will return without posting "Everyone on the water was really polite and considerate". If 1% of trips end in gnashing teeth, you would expect occaisonal posts that illustrate this, which is pretty much what we get.

The general standard on the water is still much much higher than on the roads, which is why it stands out like a sore thumb when it happens.

dv.

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[Tomsk]

Without wanting to annoy forumites who boat on Windermere, but we are seeing an increasing number of vessels around Fleetwood that have come off Windermere due to impending speed restrictions, and I am quite horrified at some of their antics.

I would have thought that having come from a 'closer confined' lake to the open sea would have given them far more respect for other water users, but this unfortunately would appear not to be the case. And then there are those that think sea boating is no different to life on the like.. "What the f**k is that? Oh it's a wave!".. "Errr why are we drifting so quickly..." /forums/images/icons/mad.gif



<hr width=100% size=1>Tomsk -

Can I leave the planet please.. this one is broken!

 

[Bergman]

Yes you are probably right.

Perhaps it would be better if we tacitly agreed to suffer in silence and avoid giving the wrong impression.

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[Alistairr]

Yes , i know exactly what you mean. A lot of the sailing in Loch Lomond is atrocious. I could honestly say about 90% of them wouldn't have a clue about Col regs.

Only on Sunday there, i saw a boat pull out of its berth and come round for fuel in our marina, as he came past me his engine cut out. He tried and tried to restart it but nothing was happening, so i went to the end of the finger and shouted to him did he need help, 'Yes he replied', I said throw me a line and i'll pull you in. He said and i quote "I don't have any rope!! and to be perfectly honest i don't have a clue what i'm doing!!!!"/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif. Do you have any fuel in the tank, "don't know, its not my boat"he said. Fortunately there was a jet ski coming in and i said could he shunt him up the back so as he drifts onto the fuel pontoon, and i'll catch him.
Once tied up i said is the fuel cut-off switch turned on, "Dunno" he said.
So i went and got one of the Marina staff, told him he needed fuel, didn't know if the cut-off was turned on, and he had his wife and 2 young kids onboard and didn't have a clue what he was doing, And to please have a word with him.
Its people like that, that end up as just another statistic.
And does spoil the fun for the rest of us!!!!!/forums/images/icons/mad.gif.



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[Aardee]

I agree, some people seem to take great pleasure from finding something to complain about...or stirring up the raggie/ mobo thing (which doesn't really exist in the real world).

Never quite understood why people feel the need to write a post saying "Somebody cut me up yesterday..." - So what!! It happens. No damage was done & no-one was hurt. People make mistakes, even usually colreg-perfect forumites.

Get on with your short lives /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.

<hr width=100% size=1>"I am a bear of very little brain and long words bother me" - A A Milne.

 

[Dave_Snelson]

What you moaning on about now Alistair - you only do your boating on a titchy boating lake...

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[Alistairr]

Whats that your saying Dave_Snelson

, And its not a LAKE ITS A LOCH!!!!!!/forums/images/icons/mad.gif



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