Menai Strait Problems....Radio Checks and Wash

savageseadog

savageseadog

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10 years ago you rarely heard them. now at weekend it's every 15 minutes. I have to wonder at the mentality of these people, why?

On the Northern section of the straits there are large numbers of power craft being driven at speed. The wash from these craft passes through the moorings between Beaumaris and Menai bridge. Perhaps they think it's funny to whiz past when I'm trying to board from my tender, they probably hoped I'd fall in, which I nearly did. The other week I was tied up at the pier and some clown in a 40ft mobo passes the end of the pier at 30-40mph. The wash had to be seen to be believed and sent us and a number of other boats crashing around and into the pier. Unfortunately it's not just one a day, it's over and over again. I would say the majority are from Conwy by the way.

I'm not one for more rules but some people just have no idea. Time for a speed limit perhaps?

Rant over.
/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
You have my sympathies, but do you think for one minute that the kind of people that do this sort of thing will be at all bothered about a speed limit........They don't on the roads.

It's ok having speed limits as long as someone is prepared to enforce them. That usually means a high speed harbour patrol RIB, and the crews to man it. A lorra dosh to lay out.
 
We went down the straits on Sunday to Port Dinllaen and had much the same experience. Radio checks seemed to be going on all weekend - surely if the VHF worked last week it probably still works this week!!! Also alot of the people asking for radio checks also spent alot of time talking to their mates on VHF so why bother the CG for a check???

Alot of high speed traffic at the top end, mainly day fishing boats in a great hurry to get out to fishing spots. It was a beautiful day on Sunday and this behaviour was a bit annoying for the sake of a few more minutes and a bit of consideration for other boats.

We also had to contend with the City of Cardiff dredger heading for Penrhyn at the same time as us - although I have no problem with him hogging the middle of the channel - it just made things a bit interesting when you have 400 ft of boat bearing down on you from astern!!!

Worst problem was the jetskis and speedboats hurtling around the anchored boats in Port Dinllaen. One jetski came very close to having a couple of empty beer bottles launched at him, but he seemed to get the message before we resorted to such unseamanlike behaviour !!!

Lovely afternoon there apart from those idiots, lifeboat open day with helicopter and RNLI displays, followed by a bbq on the beach with a few more beers.
 
See, even our remote little corner is starting to get like the d*mned Solent!

Straits is a lovely calm water area (like Solent) & ideal for Mobos, but simple common courtesy dictates not through moorings or near jetties & slipways, unfortunately that covers some 60% of the Straits.
 
Ah but out on the Solent last weekend we hadly heard a radio check.


Did get the weather forecast though so it is still receiving.
 
Maybe there are a lot of boats out for the first time and they want to know the VHF is working? I do that once a season and would also probably do so when taking over an unknown boat, say at the beginning of a charter.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Maybe there are a lot of boats out for the first time and they want to know the VHF is working? I do that once a season and would also probably do so when taking over an unknown boat, say at the beginning of a charter.

[/ QUOTE ]All you have to do is call the marina or another boat by prearrangement. What make you think that you are entitled waste the coastguard's time and taxpayers money by calling them? Words fail me.
 
We spent Saturday night at Moelfre and transited the straits on route to Porth Dinllaen Sunday. The conditions were great and the scenary as stunning as ever. Punctuated by my having to call "wash" at an alrming frequency. Are they ignorant gits or do they really know no better??? We witnesses equally disturbing, excessive mobo wash over Caernarfon Bar, too.

The next time, please do us all a favour and hurl the empty bear bottles. Just a few too many RIB's, speed boats and wasps being thrashed around the anchorage.

Nevertheless, a great 3 day weekend.
 
[ QUOTE ]
All you have to do is call the marina or another boat by prearrangement. What make you think that you are entitled waste the coastguard's time and taxpayers money by calling them? Words fail me.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ah - now there you have raised a small issue - if you're marina berthed then calling the marina from your berth is pointless - you could probably stick your head out the hatch and shout and they'd hear you ... so you have to call another marina - and they tend to use CH80 - so you can't always hear if the channel is free before calling ...

Then there's the "call another boat by prearrangement" ... well - generally friends tend to be berthed near you - so they (or you) would need to be aboard and away from the marina to make it worth while...

hence calling the CG becomes much more convenient .... if not always the best thing to do...
 
I still can't think of any justification for <u>any</u> radio check calls, not even one a year, to the coastguard. I think it smacks of arrogance apart from the other issues as well as a lack of seamanship.
I couldn't think of a better way of ensuring more government control of our sport than these radio checks. They must think we're all idiots. If you want to check your radio properly go to a service shop where they will test it properly on a dummy load and probably open it up as well to look for corrosion. They might also replace the internal battery that many models have. Don't forget the aerial, probably the biggest single factor in compromised comms on boats.
 
[ QUOTE ]
If you want to check your radio properly go to a service shop where they will test it properly on a dummy load and probably open it up as well to look for corrosion.

[/ QUOTE ]
Erm ... think about it - you're not testing the radio - you're testing the whole rig .... from power to antenna ...

Justification for Radio check - it is the NUMBER 1 method for raising assistance.

I agree that they do not need to be checked each week - however I have done 3 checks recently ...

1st was in the "new boat" ... we don't know how good/bad the VHF is - a quick call confirms we're transmitting/receiving fine before taking the boat on the delivery trip - I did call a friend first - but he was a little way away from his boat ...
2nd was in the club rib - couldn't raise the club (nobody there) and we'd had a spot of bother with the radio making funny noises
3rd was a repeat in the club rib when we missed half the CG reply from the second check (still problem with the cabling).

The problem with the club rib would not be picked up by a radio shop as it wasn't a problem with the radio - it was a dodgy connection ...

I will be doing another check when we replace the VHF on the boat - but I will try and do this as pre-arranged check with another vessel.

Perhaps we should have a schedule for different areas when forumites are available for radio checking....
 
Sorry, I still see no justification. Perhaps we should call NASA and ask if GPS is working and so on. I just don't see how we can continue to expect HM coastguard to pander to our whims.Let's face it we're just fooling about in boats for our own amusement, do we ring the police up and ask if it's OK to drive our cars? Why involve the authorities? I'm embarrassed for our sport. DSC has buggered up VHF to some extent anyway.
 
Should we start complaining and asking for a 5 knots limit on the straits from the start of the dogleg at the starboard buoy at beaumaris to the indefatiable moorings, and patrol boat to pull the offenders in, and slap a fine on them???

Since they all got chucked off windermere a couple of years ago, it has got worse year on year, even had a jetski, come past a couple of weeks ago, and try and swamp us, whilst we were getting back to shore from the moorings...

Before long there is going to be an accident caused by the irresponsible To*=*rs..

Or should we not bother, as before long there will be no moorings on the straits and just a shellfish bed...
 
Don't be daft - you already have to take a driving test and have your car checked annually ...

doing a "radio check" is standard procedure and is a good method of testing - with CG is convenient for many - but is abused by even more ...
 
I don't agree it's a good test. CG antennae and radios are sited in extremely good positions with optimum coverage Their radios will be the best there is so overall not necessarily representative of typical conditions. Come to that the radio might pack up in the half hour since we last asked for a check so why not ask for checks every half hour or every five minutes?

I still fail to see why we should expect the CG to do this for us, it's not their responsibility to "approve" our radios, it's ours.

As far as I'm concerned anyone asking the CG for a radio check is a fool and a bad seamen as well.Let's go about our pleasures using our own resources, let's not rely on other people or agencies. We're just letting others control us in the long run.
 
We're relatively new to boating, we've done Powerboat level 2 , VHF course etc. and no-one has suggested to us we need to do a radio check every time we go out. Personally, I don't understand the neccesity. Hopefully it's a fad that'll wear off.

We too have seen numerous boats being driven at speed close to the moorings between Beaumaris and Menai Bridge, we were on one a couple of weeks ago and experienced the wash. Some people just have no consideration for others wether it be boating, driving or anything else in life. Don't tar us all with the same brush though, some of us do show consideration for others. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
'Calm down Calm down'!

OK I have to comment tiss My back yard we are on about.

The Straits are/is (which grammer!) is pretty busy during the Season.
Yachts Mobos + canoes and Sea Lice.
Noticably more during the last 3 years imho.

The Mobo problem.
The Cruiser peeps who make wash.
They slow down-- they think, to 10 kts over the ground.
The peeps from the Conwy area are conditioned to this speed cos of the pole that tells em '10' kts max lads as they leave or enter.
So they think 10 is ok.
Trouble is, thats when they make big wash.

Then at the slipway in Menai the sea lice launch.
Why the feck don,t they feck off somewhere to play?
Cos they like to pose in front of the peeps by the slipway.
Last week was typical.
A bunch of typical North Western sea lice types.
Charging about the moorings.
Assisted by another lot in ancient (but quite nice) Fletcher with a 200 hp on the blunt end.
Watching from a safe distance I saw the 3 crew on the Jet Ski topple in.
The 'classic' Fletcher came to help.

All were clueless, it was embarassing!
But managed to sort themselves out.
Lots of wash going on.
A Raggie was trying to get ashore of His yacht.
No chance safely!!

I managed to attract the attention of the mobo jetty peeps and pointed out what was going on.
They were very apologetic etc etc.
However they had no idea what was going on around them.
They were abseolutly ignorant of other water users!

Whilst waiting to recover a vessel onto a trailer the other day at Menai I was confronted by a 'fleet' ? of canoes.

Nice peeps etc.
But it seemed to take ages for them to sort themselves out.
It transpired the most of the paddlers were disabled types, mentally or physically.
So that was OK.
It's Ok anyway normally, the paddlers are usually quite aware as to what's going on.
Thing is, the Place is getting busy, year by year.

The Wash thing and speed limits.
What I tell peeps when instructing mobo stuff in the Straits is how to go slow!
Sounds daft but taint.

What lot's of Motor Cruiser types don,t understand is 'semi displacement' and what the consequences are.

The 5 kt area at Dinorwic is classic.
So your belting along in Your Raggie whatsit, 15kts of West wind up yer chuffer (goose winged, I dunno I,m no Raggie) 4 kts of flood, tell Me your doing 5 kts /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

No chance of sticking to the speed limit but yer aint making wash, well a bit /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

When I explain to peeps it is not all about the speed its about the wash/ disturbance one makes about moored vessels etc they understand.

Tiss education that is needed not speed limits.
Some raggies are really absolute lunatics!
I once saw Searush doing 8 kts the maniac!
Plus I watched Him moor against Menai Pier last year in a Gale.
Nutter!!!!!

Straits is unique we all know that.



/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Cripes this is nearly a long serious post
Must Go /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I don't agree it's a good test. CG antennae and radios are sited in extremely good positions with optimum coverage Their radios will be the best there is so overall not necessarily representative of typical conditions.

[/ QUOTE ]
To be honest - I don't give a monkeys if I can't radio the boat next door - when the [--word removed--] hits the fan its the CG you need to be in contact with ....

yes - the radio can fail mid season - as our club rib one did - we routinely do a radio check with the club station every time the boat is used (as do the RNLI I hasten to add - not with our club mind - with the CG!) ...

Doing a check on kit that has been altered (mast down) or new to you is good practice. I assume you do not disagree with that?
 
Can,t say I have heard too much'traffic' ref radio checks on Our patch.
Lot's of inane banter.
OK, a few peeps requesting radio checks with Holyhead at easter when they all got ready to go nowhere!

Again, it's education.Like yer say, check with yer mates boat.
OK a call to the Coastgaurd if you intend to go somewhere.

Up here it's not quite like the Solent.
Cripes, I was there last Year doing a Commercial jobbie.
The Place is Mental /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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