Lysander Motorboat ( Solent ) - Tender being used inconsiderately

[Rlindsay]

Hi Fender,

I completely take your opinion on board. I have thousands of hours of experience of operating fast vessels of many sizes, and I am confident it was safe. However,in my opinion a huge part of being a good skipper is making sure everyone on board feels safe and also other vessels around you feel safe, so I have obviously miss judged the situation as I have made you feel it was unsafe which is a bad day out for everyone!. All I can do is apologise again. Comments noted and taken on board, I will ensure that we operate slower through the anchorage. I have a dented pride and am sad to have caused an issue. Enjoy your boating!.

 

[Fender!]

Hi Fender,

I own Lysander and have just been Made aware of your post .

Im hugely apologetic that we have caused you not to enjoy your day in Totland, it’s one of our favourite places too and when someone anchors nearby who isn’t considerate it’s hugely frustrating, oddly enough we had a Rib anchor next to us on Sunday with hugely loud music which drove us mad so I do appreciate your pain. I would like to stress though that I genuinely do t think we were causing risk to anyone, we were nowhere nearthe swimming zone and not once were we near anyone else in the water. The kids in the ringo were all wearing safety gear and I too obviously wearing a kill cord. I also have a tracker in the tender and have checked the speeds I was operating at going through the boats to get out to open water, none of the speeds were unsafe. One of the problems towing is that going to slowly causes the donut to submerge so it’s a bit of a balance. All of this said I’m hugely apologetic it caused you concern and had an impact on your day. We actually found a perfect spot towards the pier which we will ensure we use from now on and I’ll be certain to cause no wash etc. Please do PM me if you would like to discuss further. Again, apologies and we won’t disturb you again.

Afternoon , As you touched on Totland bay has the safe swim area and I think is also covered by local bylaws limiting speed to 8 knots out to 200m from the shore, however any anchorage irrelevant of its location/distance to the shore/number of boats etc is going to have the associated swimmers, kids, paddle boards in the water - I feel rightly or wrongly in amongst anchored boats out of common sense and respect for other peoples safety that speed is kept to a minimum. Thank you for the apology and maybe having read this thread it might make a few other people think twice before opening their throttle up around boats, there's plenty of open sea if you want to go fast

 

[gordmac]

It is an interesting discussion. As far as I am aware, whilst everyone thinks they have priority I don't think there is a hierarchy of water users. Is it reasonable to say person A cannot do their activity because person B wants to do theirs? Maybe first come gets priority? Not really so much of an issue out with crowded areas but bound to cause friction in crowded ones.
As someone above posted, they struggled with 30kn progress whereas the instructor, being used to it, didn't. An experienced person will have a better judgement on what is safe compared to one with little or no experience or knowledge of that particular activity.

 

[Fender!]

It is an interesting discussion. As far as I am aware, whilst everyone thinks they have priority I don't think there is a hierarchy of water users. Is it reasonable to say person A cannot do their activity because person B wants to do theirs? Maybe first come gets priority? Not really so much of an issue out with crowded areas but bound to cause friction in crowded ones.
As someone above posted, they struggled with 30kn progress whereas the instructor, being used to it, didn't. An experienced person will have a better judgement on what is safe compared to one with little or no experience or knowledge of that particular activity.

Not sure about the above, if there's swimmers etc around boats ( and that's 100% expected in a anchorage ) then a craft speeding / planing in amongst the anchored boats is wrong, nothing to do with priority and every thing to do with common sense

 

[gordmac]

If someone is messing about in a small boat, would you go swimming where they are doing that and expect them to stop?

 

[Fender!]

If someone is messing about in a small boat, would you go swimming where they are doing that and expect them to stop?

No, but that's not what's been discussed is it.
I was in a Solent bay over the weekend, probably 100 boats at anchor, many, many swimmers inc lots of kids in the water, paddle boarders, kayakers, snorkelers etc etc ( like most anchorages around the UK on a nice summers day.... ) Would you think is was appropriate to be 'messing about in a small boat' amongst the above? To be honest, from the tone of your reply's you seem to want to justify speeding in a anchorage or have I read into your responses wrong, I REALLY hope I have

 

[gordmac]

I suspect few anchorages out with an area of the South coast would be even remotely that busy. Certainly way different to my experience, I would avoid anywhere busy.
I am not sure the op was a discussion rather than a bit of a rant. I am not interested in trying to justify any behaviour, particularly since we seem to have completely different views from the op and the person with the boat. All I am suggesting is that nobody has any more, or less, right to use a bit of water for their particular pastime and maybe a bit of give and take is needed. I can't see anyone being able to do much with the level of crowding you are talking about, maybe the council needs to segregate areas for different activities?

 

[LittleSister]

All I am suggesting is that nobody has any more, or less, right to use a bit of water for their particular pastime and maybe a bit of give and take is needed.

Nobody has the right to carelessly put others in needless serious danger.

There is a significant difference in that regard between swimming etc. and piloting a boat at speed in an anchorage .

(I stress I am talking in general terms, and not about the particular 'incidents' discussed above, of which I have no direct knowledge.)

I am all in favour of a bit of give and take, but there are limits.

 

[gordmac]

I would agree someone shouldn't endanger someone else, or themselves. That would surely include swimming in the vicinity of moving boats, even ones going slowly?
Do people swimming around where boats could be moving tow a brightly colored float for visibility down there? Quite common here where there is no crowding.

 

[sarabande]

I suggest there's an analogy to the new Highway Code, which recognises that pedestrians are softer than vehicles and , accordingly, gives them priority at points of possible intersection such as corners.

If there are areas of concentrated swimmers such as popular beaches or coves, then it becomes incumbent upon boats, whether sail or motor, to give priority to soft-shelled swimmers, to anchor away from the swimzone, and to keep their tenders (whether low or high power) out of the area. There such be no self-excusing on the grounds of experience or " I always drive carefully".

This should be a matter of commonsense; if it requires definition and legal enforcement, then we will lose another of the freedoms which make UK boating so attractive.

 

[Wansworth]

I suggest there's an analogy to the new Highway Code, which recognises that pedestrians are softer than vehicles and , accordingly, gives them priority at points of possible intersection such as corners.

If there are areas of concentrated swimmers such as popular beaches or coves, then it becomes incumbent upon boats, whether sail or motor, to give priority to soft-shelled swimmers, to anchor away from the swimzone, and to keep their tenders (whether low or high power) out of the area. There such be no self-excusing on the grounds of experience or " I always drive carefully".

This should be a matter of commonsense; if it requires definition and legal enforcement, then we will lose another of the freedoms which make UK boating so attractive.

Swimming areas are buoyed off here in Spain…no boats allowed

 

[gordmac]

Swimming areas are buoyed off here in Spain…no boats allowed

That is a sensible approach.
It makes no sense to put a boat into an area occupied by swimmers. Equally it makes no sense to swim in an area where boats are moving about.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

That is a sensible approach.
It makes no sense to put a boat into an area occupied by swimmers. Equally it makes no sense to swim in an area where boats are moving about.

But swimming, and paddleboarding, and similar activities are expected, and should be anticipated in a favoured beach anchorage. Zipping about in powerboats takes a distant second place. The wash alone, let alone the noise nuisance would be putting my back up. I’d be reading them their family history never mind the swimmers.

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

One of the problems towing is that going to slowly causes the donut to submerge so it’s a bit of a balance.

This must be the lamest excuse I have ever heard for speeding in an anchorage! The donut won't submerge if you are doing it correctly.

My entire family was very nearly wiped out by an out of control speeding mobo at Totland so I'm a bit sensitive about it. Just keep the speed down in anchorages.

 

[gordmac]

But swimming, and paddleboarding, and similar activities are expected, and should be anticipated in a favoured beach anchorage. Zipping about in powerboats takes a distant second place. The wash alone, let alone the noise nuisance would be putting my back up. I’d be reading them their family history never mind the swimmers.

What makes you believe those activities should take priority over other activities? You believe as soon as a paddle board appears everyone else (bar swimmers) are no longer allowed to enjoy their activities? That is a completely selfish and unreasonable view in my opinion.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

What makes you believe those activities should take priority over other activities? You believe as soon as a paddle board appears everyone else (bar swimmers) are no longer allowed to enjoy their activities? That is a completely selfish and unreasonable view in my opinion.

Like I said, its mostly the moored boats that put paid to pissing about in a fast powerboat. Theres plenty more water for that, to do it through an anchorage is the selfish part.

 

[Davy_S]

Swimming areas are buoyed off here in Spain…no boats allowed

A lot of Greek swimming areas are the same, plus you will be wearing handcuffs if you decide it does not apply to you.

 

[gordmac]

Like I said, its mostly the moored boats that put paid to pissing about in a fast powerboat. Theres plenty more water for that, to do it through an anchorage is the selfish part.

I would agree it could be a bad idea to rattle about at speed about moored boats. On the other hand though why would you anchor in an area where people are rattling about on boats?
I suspect the only real answer is, like they seem to do in other countries, organise separate areas for different activities. You seem to have a lot of people wanting to do different things in the same bit of water, each one thinking they have priority over all the others.

 

[colhel]

This must be the lamest excuse I have ever heard for speeding in an anchorage! The donut won't submerge if you are doing it correctly.

I thought the same when I read it. Surely if the donut submerges, slow down not speed up ?

 

[KevinV]

People on here really can be like dogs with a bone at times - the guy had the balls to come on here and apologise, graciously, twice, for an "offence" that is 90% about perception. He didn't need to.
Can't we just be grown ups (like the OP and the owner of Lysander) shake hands and learn from the experience without people not directly involved wanting to pick over the carcass?
If I was the almighty admin here I'd have closed the thread after the apology was made and accepted, which was an edifying moment.