Licence for Estuary question

[Serin]

And this level of seamanship is displayed in a country with testing. Rather undermines the whole argument you are making for regulations in our country doesn't it?

Certainly not a good advertisement for regulation, but, to be fair, the poor OP wasn't really making an argument - just a throwaway remark.

 

[Tranona]

To be honest I know nothing about stats between the countries, it was only an observation. I've never seen so many Catania and passengers drunk, one guy fell over 3 times on the slip then off he went in his Ute!
As someone mentioned the coastguard are very busy due to chancers, running out of fuel etc.
Whilst returning back from a fishing trip we nearly hit a tinny anchored up with no lights in a really busy part of the ocean near Freemantle.
I'll leave it there.....

Just because there are problems in other countries does not justify having any regulations here. The problems you describe simply do not exist in UK. The vast majority of boaters are sensible, risk averse people who generally take the voluntary training commensurate with their type of boating and equip their boats appropriately. It also helps that boating in the UK is far more demanding because of the weather and tidal waters which means boaters have a healthy respect for the risks involved.

As already stated, such comparisons that have been made show that boating in UK is generally "safer" than elsewhere, therefor no need for any kind of compulsory licencing or inspection.

 

[Bridgo]

All agreed, I never meant to start an argument trust me, to be fair I'm in Chichester as we speak and I've left my boat in Staffs!
I will however be on the broads over the bank holiday!

 

[Leighb]

The Broads at a Bank Holiday is a whole different can of worms, lots of people on hire boats who have no idea at all about boat handling, tides, currents how to moor etc.
We had a couple of near misses with non-boaters during our trip on the Waveney/Yare, and that was in June. One lady after we had helped them moor up astern of us at Brundall said to my wife. "I didn't realise there would be all this palaver, I thought you could just park it like a car" The worst near miss was at the Berney Arms, we were moored waiting for the worst of the ebb to pass so that we could cross Breydon and get to the Yarmouth bridges to go to sea at slack water. We saw this Broads cruiser heading towards us uptide and upwind obviously intending to moor up ahead of us. It was travelling pretty fast with the current and there was a lady on the bow with a shortish bit of rope. Their intention presumably was that she would manage to tie this to a post as the bow reached the bank a few yards ahead of us.

My wife ran up towards them and suggested politely that it would be a good idea to go past, turn around and come back head to tide as it would be so much easier. "Thank you so much" they said. We watched them as they continued down towards Breydon, trying and failing to turn the boat round, not sure where they got to but at least they didn't ram us.

 

[Bridgo]

Funny!
I tend to stay around Horning away from the hullabaloo at Wroxham??

 

[jac]

All agreed, I never meant to start an argument trust me, to be fair I'm in Chichester as we speak and I've left my boat in Staffs!
I will however be on the broads over the bank holiday!

OOh - brave man.

Assume the hire boats are deliberately out to get you in the most creative way possible and you won't be far of the mark!!!

I used to sail on the Yare at school and the number of boats that would blast through a small fleet of dinghies with kids sailing them was terrible.