Is the freedom (and fun) of sailing in the UK a thing of the past

One of the few perhaps - sorry if you are offended .. however the majority do tend to be ...............

Met a white one in Portugal - boughthis way into the RYS ..... (had boat delivered, scared stupid of it....

Red looks much nicer and better accepted (legal) o/seas?

Ian
 
Probably is true for white as a reflection on financial "superiority", but blue when accompanied by the RNSA burgee reflects its membership of ex RN personnel.
Burgee.jpg


I think that the Royal Fleet Auxiliary would probably dispute that the blue ensign is not recognised around the world.

It tends to get up your nose when you have fought for your country and then when you wear the blue ensign as a mark of that service, you then see posts saying that people should not bother talking to you.
 
Re: Jeez!...

Mirelle,
how sad that you have fallen out with the Orwell and it's charms, after all that Suffolk B.C. have done to encourage and advance the cause of boat ownership. Why else did they build the A 14?.....and modify the dock/lock etc... it's just to get the non-locals to come and spend beer tokens! and buy the houses. You are ignoring that other centre of seamanship just up the coast where traditional values still survive. Where the oyster's are!, the mud is thicker, and the water a rather peculiar shade of browny/grey. And according to the last investigation, 65% of participants live within 15 miles of their moorings. I believe that on the S.Coast 78% lived more than 50miles away!.So when they get there, they have to spend money on looking good & enjoying themselves. Besides now that the Port of Colchester has closed we don't have the commercial traffic that you lot have to put up with when traipsing between Ramsholt & the Butt!
 
You can make sailing as simple or alternatively as complex as you like. Quite simply it's entirely up to you. Don't like the crowded Solent? Don't sail there, or as Old Harry said' sail in the less busy season. Electronics too complicated ? Switch them off and sail by dead reckoning and running fixes etc. Nosisy VHF ? The last couple of sails I had in the Solent I forgot to turn it on. By the time I remembered I didn't turn it on as I was enjoying the Pea and Queue too much. I've never reported a passage plan to the coastguard in nearly 30 years of sailing. Why ? I feel safe enough in my boat not to bother. Much of sailing can be enjoyable as it was 25 years ago. You've just got think really hard about what you want to get out of sailing. Then get on with it. Blue ensigns ? People have got various reasons for flying them. There's an element of snobbery in there somewhere as equally there's an element of snobbery in those who prejudge a boat and its skipper by the fact that it's flying one.
 
Left Cowes last week ( Wednesday) at about 9 am going back to Gosport on a beautiful morning. Saw two other boats in the Solent - one of them was stuck on the Brambles. The Solent can be ratty sometimes but at that time it was just like the old days. It made me remember why I started sailing and why I still do.
 
[ QUOTE ]
....The right coloured "Ocean" sailing gear worn in the Anchor pub in cowes with Dubarry boots tucked in....

[/ QUOTE ]

Sooooo last year.

Now Dubarrys are worn with shorts and not worn on the boat as God forbid they may get wet and salt stained.

Giving rise to the phrase "Cowes is full of "Dooberries" today" - i.e. loads of charter/weekend sailors wearing their new kit (including lifejackets) ashore. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Is the freedom (and fun) of sailing in the UK a thing of the past............................................. Just thinking about some of the aspects of the Solent waters and some of the moans and groans expressed on here.
Ian

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry to disillusion you, but "sailing in the UK" does not equal "Solent waters", any more than London = UK. If you dont like the Solent, why are you there?

Its a funny thing but these forums seem to be populated by Solent sailors moaning about their lot - yet the only alternative they seem to consider is France. Why?
 
We certainly do have a common liking and approach ...

Chichester Hbr is actually a very beuatiful hbr to explore in its own right and a weekend can be had just in it alone !! But as you say - day sail to a number of very good bolt-holes ... one of our favourites being Newport ... which I hope will be many a year before the development ruins it ...

The solent is what you make of it .... keep to the popular haunts saturday / sunday and you are surrounded by Hooray henrys .... be a bit more individual and there are places that you can enjoy without too much hassle ....
 
Birdseye

Think you should know that your correspondents boat is currently in the Canaries en route Carribean. He loves the Solent with a passion.

Sorry to disillusion, don't really see any Solent sailors moaning just reflecting. As to France and 'why?' try pulling out a chart.
 
Stop being so touchy!

The majority of blues are not flown by ex service, they are flown because the skipper has joined a club and applied for it.

It is sad to say, this does give said skipper some feeling of superiority over their perceived lesser manky red flyer's.

Stop fighting it, it will hurt more, once you face reality, you too can smile at those snooty blue flyer's too. If you do take it too seriously you will just get angry every time you go out.

As the merkins would say..... Chill!
 
I have great respect for ALL ensigns ... Red, White and Blue ...

Having sailed under the Red commercially as well as under various other flags ... Bahamas, Liberian, Singapore, Cyprus etc.

I can honestly say that it is not the Ensign at fault - but the few idiots that fly them ...

I know some excellent people with Red, with Blue, and with White ... but I have met and encountered some real awful people who fly R. W, B as well .... but why does it seem that the Blue has the greater %age ?? I think because some apply for it as a status symbol ... thinking they should have extra privilege or respect ...

I don't knock those who have genuine right to any of the above ... I applaud you for your service to Country etc. It's the others who often are sitting on YOUR backs ...

MOBO hogging a narrow channel forcing me out of the channel and risk of grounding ... guy on fly-bridge didn't even acknowlegde the fact I was there ... Blue

Nicholson 38 hard pressed rail under exiting Langstone Hbr ... forced me into the bank, his spreader twanging my shrouds - he cut so close and his boat on beam ends ... Blue

Large sail-boat in Cowes ... crossing everyone with no regard to hbr or Col-regs etc. - obviously spied a pontoon slot and was determined to grab it ... forcing me and others to do round turn / stop / astern etc. - White with Services logo

I think that many can relate other incidents as well ...

YES Red's do it as well .... but there are far more red's on the water so %age ratings apply ....

Rant over !!!
 
I go boating around the Solent , probably more than a lot of peeps, I never get bored with the Solent, I tend to have to stick to the more easily accessible places, due to nature of what I do, I can be in the same harbour a dozen time but it is alway a little different, The Solent is great for weekending or week long boating trip, So idea for many peeps. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Not distressed, merely pissed orf when I have to keep repeating something! If I do it often enough perhaps people might look at the burgees and recognise the difference
 
I grew up sailing in the solent in the early 1970s through to about 1981, when I was an instructor at Joint Services, Halsar. Parts of the Solent (West Cowes, Hamble, Lymington to name a few) were always hopelesly 'yottie' only in those days it was yellow wellies (why?).

There were always nice quiet places. My brother and I used to love the quiet mudflats of Newtown creek. No channel marked in those days, we had to sound in our RNSA 14, which we used to sail from Portsmouth, with a boathook. I hear it's changed a bit now?

Went back in the early 1990 for a couple of days. Even then I reckon you could walk across the decks to the island. I've transferred to the east coast.

I've just come back to sailing and I'm amazed with the amount of gadgets that are considered the normal necessities on a small boat.
Is it really necessary to have GPS, VHF, radar etc for crossing the channel or any other weekend sail? I appreciate that they can make things safer and easier but what about the cost? What about common sense and sea knowledge?
A chart plotter costs more than my boat did!

Does the mix of very sensitive components, 12 volt electricity and salt water really make sense?

To be honest, I have to mess around with computers and talk on the phone all day at work. I go sailing to get away from the damn things!

As for oilskins, aren't they just waterproof overalls?

Cheers
Duncan of 'Squire'
 
How very refreshing to hear the views of some body "coming back"
Perhaps we have all accepted these gadgets as "necessary"
because ever one seems to have them.
I know I have banged on about Charlie Stock before
but I am sure others must have had the same thoughts
Whatever happened about the "Back to Basics Cross Channel
Trip"?

Regards Briani
 
Ensigns and Electronics

Interesting points of view!

I am a techie fan, not too experienced out in the big blue wobbly thing but gaining it quickly and going to live aboard next year with SWMBO. I love to have good gadgets, but have also swotted hard and like real navigation too, especially since I'm RAF aircrew and can "do" charts'n'drift'n'stuff. We won't go anywhere without a chart plan, a log record, and a pilotage plan for each end. However, we'll be doing it all on a chartplotter too and will use that as the No 1 means until it packs up, whereupon we'll just carry on with the paper one.

I would like to have had a Blue Ensign by joining the RAF Yacht Club, or whatever it's called, but don't think I could stand the abuse from the ex-navy Blue ones! (Talbot, I don't include you, you sound too sensible) Therefore I'm sticking with the red one and flying it only when outside UK waters, well, soon anyway, I still rather like it there at the moment! But I'm not a tourist, honest!

I say do what gives you fun, play with whatever toys you like, know how to sail properly and be prepared to navigate with a clock and a pencil when the toys pack in. I just like being on the water, and have never tried the Solent.

Good luck all and happy sailing

Pops
 
Im sure this has been covered before but who exactly is entitled to a blue ensign?

I believe serving and retired RN officers but does it extend to the other branches of the armed forces . Are non commisioned officers entitled?
 
I can't find the full references but THIS sheds some light.
AFAIK being a serving or retired member of the Royal Navy does not entitle you to fly a blue ensign on a private yacht without being a member of the RNSA and having a warrant for that boat.Being a member of the RNSA is not dependent on rank.
If you want a defaced blue thats easy,join the Cruising association or an entitled club,buy a warrant and ensign and fly one to your hearts content.Lists of clubs entitled to fly Blues,Defaced Blues and other special flags are listed somewhere in Admiralty Regs and have been linked on the forum but I can't find them.
The RYA do an excellent little book on flag etiquette for very little money.
 
interesting the bit about a certain well known company "reserving" spaces for wunch of bankers, are they allowed to do that or could we do what we did in fiscardo, aim for the pitch, drop the kedge and tell the bankers to kiss my aspidestra. in fact it was quite interesting when a dutch banker started to curse his english girlfriend in a version of the english language which consisted of mostly anglo saxon words, i told him that id he used that word one more time in front of my children i would come on board his boat and knock his block off, he was inclined to argue the point with my 14 stone being, however when my good buddy george, 18stone and ex navy boxing champ, uncoiled himself and informed him that he would be doingsome knocking of blocks off as well said cloggie all of a sudden retreated below and continued to harangue his poor swmbo in terms which we couldnt quite hear, it was also interesting to see him being hauled off by the port police a little bit later cause he had attempted to bully a local greek into submission.
goodies one, plonkers nil
stu
 
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