Moan Moan Moan

[jimi]

Returning to the Solent yesterday the entry proved a sign of things to come, entering the Needles Channel with the Bridge cardinal less than 10 metres immediately to starboard a Targa 35 shot between me and it at an estimated speed of 30 knots, clearance between me and him was less than 2 metres and less than that between him and the buoy (there was over 100m of clear water to right of it and only a couple of vessels in the Needles Channel .. why?

Later on in Soton Water whilst standing on the coachroof dropping the main an elderly gent in a heavy displacement craft roared past me passing within 3 metres, again tons of room. He seemed upset wehn I remonstrated loudly that he ought to have more awareness and consideration for other water users.

IMHO due the preponderance of fast craft in confested waters the inevitable serious accidents waiting to happen will happen before speed limits and compulsory licensing will be introduced. I for one would support such moves in the Solent. Not required elsewhere from what I can see.

 

[graham]

Sorry Jimi but I disagree.Licensing will turn idiots into licensed idiots .

i know what you are saying though ,some peoples inconsiderate actions are unbelievable.I dont know the solution,if in fact there is one.

Approaching Cardiff locks up a narrow channel in the dark I recently had a power boat roar up behind me until I was convinced that he had not seen me.Frightened to turn one way or the other for fear of him overtaking me on the side I turned towards I shone a powerfull torch at his wheelhouse windows and he slowed at the last minute.

in the lock he made it clear I was panicking over nothing as he had seen me .My reply was something along the lines of "well thats ok then old chap have a pleasant evening ." /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[jimi]

Mmm .. perhaps regulation and policing required in confined areas ie speed limits, safe distance etc?

With some its education cos they are just not aware but others are quite simply yobs

 

[BobE]

Thats exactly why I try not to go anywhere near the bloody place especially during holiday periods.
Do admit to the odd visit to Yarmouth, Keyhaven and Newtown River when others insist...( I'm really quite easygoing)
Cheers Bob E

 

[tcm]

the silly solution would be big licencing project. A better solution would be go straight to the teaching, with some rya posters and stickers and all the rest about sensible boating. Not stuff that is there if you look (as RYA is at the moment) but forced at you like the country code and so on. Needn't cost loads. It *could* be done in conjunction with a "self-licencing" scheme, faily easily and cheaply. In fact, very cheaply if it was done on the web - and after saying yep, i am indeed competent (and have paged thru the info incl safe distances etc you get a licence.

Solent policing wd not be too spensive. Loads of potential volunteers out there yerknow, qv portsmouth harvbour volunteer patrol.

 

[Vagabond]

Hi Jim,

I've had the same problem and I'm in a MOBO!

Cruising along at 9 knots enjoying the sun and a Sealine comes so close I read their chartplotter!

Solution.

I now have a box of eggs that I keep in a locker on the flybridge. If they come close enough to get hit by one they are tooooo close!

 

[tcm]

sealine training school

ah well, that is part of the training i believe: one excercise requires them to plane all the way up to the "no wash" signs on entry to the Hamble, regardles of number of boats in the area and with a minimum of deviation from straight line course. There are extra marks if this takes you through a group of sailing yachts with under 20yards clearance on either side

 

[mikemacdonald]

Re: sealine training school

just been given a huge 3 person slingshot for firing waterbombs. Suspect if I use it I'll get done for assault, but will hang it in the rigging anyway, anybody annoys me I can at least go through the motions, mght just put the wind up them!!

Multi mad /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[graham]

[ QUOTE ]
the silly solution would be big licencing project

[/ QUOTE ]

Im glad I am not the only one who thinks that way.i think licensing would just create bureacracy and not improve the situation.

Compare it with drink driving.This has been illegal for donkeys years but only in the last decade has education made it socially unacceptable to most.

 

[tcm]

Re: sealine training school

tempting i am sure, but this is a simple case of lack of education. An earlier post in this same thread ilustrates the point too. Fact is that unless you do aa fair bit of sailing, you don't see this. So lots of mobo drivers are indeed fine - but you don't see them cos of course they're somewhere else, looping a long way around the stern frinstance.

It is not known or taught to powerboaties that if they use an autopilot in a crowded solent, then they're almost certainly holding one sailing boat or another exactly on the bow, and it's blimmin frightening. Have they seen me? Soon enough, the mobo can and (always 99.999999% anyway does) prod a few buttons and take a detour, but it all contribites towards the understandbale anger felt by raggies towards mobo's in the solent - cos the safety of their boat and crew during the approach is ENTIRELY in the hands of the approaching mobo. Nearly nowhere else does this apply.

 

[jimi]

Education will help the educatable .. but its yobs just treat it as a bit of a hoot I'm afraid that the only answer to that is some form of regulation and enforcement.

 

[tcm]

yep, tho many who have their errors pointed out do not react badly. So, I wd support policing thruout the solent PROVIDED that jimi is never ever permitted to be a volunteer cos it will likely get very horrible.

 

[jimi]

Drat! Was hoping to man a policing motorboat with Nicho now he's out the closet again!

 

[Vagabond]

It's down to education.

It's not just MOBO's though.

I think a 35ft yacht tacking up the Itchenor reach on a busy Sunday afternoon is just as inconsiderate.

At a guess I would say that the Itchenor reach is 150 ft wide.

 

[tcm]

Agreed, tho a big issue is what a boat seems it could do if early signs of its behaviour are not promising - and a powerboat of the same size wd like cause more danger than a tacking sailing boat.

It sounds as tho there wd be no shortage of volunteers! I still reckon jimi shd be banned from it tho.

 

[tcm]

Jimi the Cop

well, okay but i think you would have to be restrained, possibly gagged and chained to the police boat so that nicho can talk to transgressors and explain the errors of their ways, whilst you act as bulging-eyed deterrent straining to rip their head off. Yes, that might work quite nicely...

 

[Guest]

Local Party Games shop ...... or Camping / Sporting goods shop.

A suitable catapult with some suitable rotten eggs etc.

Catapult sits in winch handle pocket ready for that quick grab and egg passed up from the box .... Wham - SPLAT thank you mam !!!!

Think they would get the hint ??

Now Jet Ski's and inconsiderate boats ... rag and Mobo .... are prime candidates in my opinion ....... having had large raggies tacking through narrow channels with all the traffic etc. .... Jet skis blasting through, Mobo's cutting up ....

Trouble is I'm a coward at heart and don't fancy some bruiser on his Jet Ski re-arranging my face .... !!!!

 

[machurley22]

Re: Jimi the Cop

Think you could be on to something here tcm.

 

[tcm]

Re: Local Party Games shop ...... or Camping / Sporting goods shop.

They won't get the hint. They didn't hit the sailing boat nor were they (in their eyes) "even close" and from the helm of a powerboat doing 20-30 knots in the solent, all sailing boats seem near-stationary, so missing them by 10-20 metres is seen by many as overtaking someone on the inside lane of a near-empty motorway using the outside (3rd) lane - with a spare lane in between. *Plenty* of space!

I once agreed to cruise in company with another mobo to somewhere twenty miles away. Jeez, he sat alongside about 20-30 metres away, and v dodgy it felt if there was the slightest steering prob. This was someone experienced enough with boats to have been a waterski champion.

 

[tcm]

problem solved

that wd definitely work.