Marina entry....right of way?

D3B

D3B

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www.cutting-solutions.co.uk
Last year when in Holland we approached a couple of marina's with narrow entrances. and in one case a nasty cross tide and wind.
we cautiously entered without radioing for permission.
I dont recall any other boats radio for permission to enter.
who has right of way for entry if a boat is leaving the marina? I know of one East Coast marina where this could happen....Levington.

1. Should we have radioed for permission to enter (given that there may be a possibilty these foreign johnies wouldnt understand the queens tongue)

2.Is there a col regs type rule that says who has right of way....looked in the almanac and cant find anything.

Common sence /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif would suggest boat in marina waits but....


this was an accompanied trip and I had sea school instructor on board and he didnt say anything about it.

Doug
 
On river (say approaching a bridge or a narrow cut) then boat going downstream has priority (no such thing as "right of way" in colregs but I won't go down that road;) less steerage etc. Makes sense for this to apply in other situations as well.
 
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Common sense would suggest boat in marina waits but....


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Don't know about that. Especially if there isn't much room for manouvering inside.
 
I dont know the answer to your query but many French ports have free flow and have dispensed with locks.

Craft waiting to enter wait and give way to craft leaving.

This also happens in Holland inland marinas, Honfleure Bridge and Poole Bridge.

The idea is to wait for the boats to leave to avoid congestion inside the marina and when busy there will not be enough room for you until the other boats have left.
 
Not much danger of those 'foreign johnies' not speaking English, at least in Holland. Most of them speak better English than you (or I). Were you not carrying Deel 2 of the Wateralmanak? This might have given the harbours VHF calling channel in which case I would have given them the courtesy of an initial call. They would probaby appreciate that anyway.
 
Think what i mean here is that you are say 30 yards from entrance
tide and wind pushing you sideways so you are aiming for the wall one side or the other when another boat appears in the entrance.
On the entrance to Levington for example there is a narrow channel marked with stakes. it would difficult to change course because the channel is quite narrow and shallow.

Doug
 
You're meant to radio in for Beaucette, Gurnsey. First time I went i didn't and was greated by someone who did a great impression of Hitler.
 
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Think what i mean here is that you are say 30 yards from entrance
tide and wind pushing you sideways so you are aiming for the wall one side or the other when another boat appears in the entrance.

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Very much like conditions in my marina. It seems that local convention is that you give way to the outgoing vessel, but mainly because once throught the entrance there is a ninety degree right turn and it also seems usual for passing vessels who find themselves close once through the entrance, pass starboard to starboard.
 
Its common courtesy to call up harbour office and ask for permission to enter. This is because they may be able to see vessels (large or small) that you cannot. In fact its mandatory at some ports.
Outgoing vessels always have priority.
When entering vessels should pass port to port. Not as has been suggested here by somebody else that it should be starboard to starboard!
Think of it as continental driving, you drive on the right hand side of the road when abroad and also when at the helm of your vessel you keep to the right, thus passing port to port.

Barry
 
I'm not surpised. Beaucette entrance is very "interesting". The new owner of the marina has a bloody great Fairline Squaddie. Meet that in the middle of the entrance and you'll spoil his whole day! On my first visit they even sent out a little "follow me" boat. They must have heard about my ability to manouvre in tight spaces!!!

Still very worth a visit though. We pulled into Beaucette for a couple of nights last summer and ended up spending the week there. It's also the first port of call on our Channel crossing trip this August. Berth already booked.
 
yikes - booked?

we went in late last August and were the only visitors on the pontoon area to port as you enter (apart from that yacht being rebuilt right in the corner!)

should we be concerned about booking? only 7.5m so we can fit most places!
 
Hang on Barry, I didn't suggest people should go Starboard to Starboard, I said that in our marina people go Starboard to Starboard because it is the natural course.

On the picture below, the harbour entrance can be seen under the canopy of the Star Queen pleasure boat. Across the entrance you can have up to an 8 knot tide at times. If an entering boat does not keep to the left, he cannot see if anything is coming up the marina channel from behind the photographers left shoulder. All incoming boats tend to come in close to the yacht that is in the centre of the picture, so most people pass Starboard to Starboard otherwise it would be chaos, especially if someone was also coming out of the right hand spur at the same time.

There is no point in calling the harbour master as he is based at the lock, which is behind the houses and cannot see anything.

You have to accept that some harbours have developed a sensible and unwritten way of operating and I can assure you, if you are new to this place you naturally keep to the left. I have watched hundreds of boats going in and out and all of them seem keep to the left.


152450553_0daf6cdb4e.jpg
 
I have found that boats do pass on the opposite side in France.

Thats not the opposite side to how we pass in UK just the opposite [--word removed--] side to which ever you expect. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
What I reckon Major, in your case. As you enter The Marina and 90 right the berths are mostly to port,the exiting boats can hug their port side and do not need to make a starboard manouver leaving the entering vessel an opportunity to dive onto their pontoon without too much SPS (sweaty palm syndrome). /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif Therefore the unusual starboard to starboard situation.
 
Posted a reply before I saw the picture! etc!. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif The New Haven Sea Warrior in the foreground,is the boat I recentley took to Ireland,not the one bow to us tother one! Be posting the tale shortly! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Why is the picture so big? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Its down to the pain in the a*se that posted that over-size photograph. Probably the sort that passes starbord to starbord too /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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Its down to the pain in the a*se that posted that over-size photograph. Probably the sort that passes starbord to starbord too

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Because some of you blind bu&&ers wouldn't have spotted the marina entrance in the smaller size. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

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The New Haven Sea Warrior in the foreground,is the boat I recentley took to Ireland,not the one bow to us tother one!

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Which one? The grey one to the right. Doesn't that begin with 'M', which you would be able to see if you allowed me to keep up the original large pic, before you moaned. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Fair comment Major. But since I've had my cataracts done, I can almost see into the future! 'Head for that buoy over there' says I. 'I can't see any buoy' says SWMBO. 'Its about 2.5 miles dead ahead' says I. He...he. I feel like the Bionic Man /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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