Noobs Bouncing Around The Marina

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Baddox

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I’ve always taken the approach to my pastimes that I’ll try it and learn as I go. Lessons, qualifications and training are for other people unless mandatory, including any boating driving test.

After watching and listening to a new boat bouncing its way around the marina today, I’m not so sure now. The "skipper" on a flybridge shouting orders to two crew who were literally hanging off the stern of the boat as first he hit one boat on the way to meeting the marina wall, before hitting another boat then going back for more. With the help of several other concerned owners, we eventually took a line from him and roped him into his berth; moving him 90degrees, from his resting position against the stern of last boat he used as a fender. “That was harder than it looks” was the skipper’s only comment. “I’m pleased he’s on the other side of the pontoon to us” was muttered by more than one of the helpers.

Sadly, I’ve seen worse and am beginning to think that some sort of formal competency requirements may not be such a bad idea.
 
Baddox said:
I’ve always taken the approach to my pastimes that I’ll try it and learn as I go. Lessons, qualifications and training are for other people unless mandatory, including any boating driving test.

After watching and listening to a new boat bouncing its way around the marina today, I’m not so sure now. The "skipper" on a flybridge shouting orders to two crew who were literally hanging off the stern of the boat as first he hit one boat on the way to meeting the marina wall, before hitting another boat then going back for more. With the help of several other concerned owners, we eventually took a line from him and roped him into his berth; moving him 90degrees, from his resting position against the stern of last boat he used as a fender. “That was harder than it looks” was the skipper’s only comment. “I’m pleased he’s on the other side of the pontoon to us” was muttered by more than one of the helpers.

Sadly, I’ve seen worse and am beginning to think that some sort of formal competency requirements may not be such a bad idea.
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Nah, a nugget like that would just go out and buy one - kinda like a driving licence for a car. There are PLENTY of imbeciles on the road with a bit of paper that says they can drive....doesn't make them any safer.
 
I have been around boats all my working life and from younger.
I didnt matter if we put a few scars down the side of a rigid raider or combat support boat, there were no other peoples pride and joy to bounce off.
The first thing i did last year when i bought my own pride and joy, was to book on a course. A bloody good refresher for all the bad habits and the rest...
Money i think that was well spent. Even though i was a little nervous parking up a 36footer, single handed, the course has definitely made it far easier.
 
I think mobos are particularly problematic in this regard. It's knd of intuitively obvious that learning to manage a boat with sails is not that easy to learn by trial and error, but a big mobo? Just like a car, innit?
 
That’s true, just like a driving test. On reflection, what we need is a marina without crane-in facilities but with a tight zig-zag entrance that requires some competence to manoeuvre through.
 
Baddox said:
That’s true, just like a driving test. On reflection, what we need is a marina without crane-in facilities but with a tight zig-zag entrance that requires some competence to manoeuvre through.
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Competence is good, but did anybody report it to the Marina Office? Damage is not immediately obvious. My boat was out of the water for two weeks and my insurance company covered a £1000+ claim as the result of somebody hitting my boat while it was on its berth. Not grassing - just helping out your fellow berth holders. remember it could happen to your own boat sometime.
 
LadyInBed said:
A course teaches you the basics, but it is only practice that makes you competent!
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Agreed. But with a decent instructor, you can learn in a few days what it might take months to learn by trial and error. I'm not in favour of compulsory training, but I think it should be encouraged - for the sake of all us boat owners and users!
 
It would be outrageous to abandon the British tradition of being not terribly good at things. The incompetence of skippers provides half the entertainment in sailing. One good cockup can provide pleasure to hundreds. My tiller came off in my hand and I sailed up the beach at an utterly deserted spot late on a cold October afternoon. Within ten minutes at least a hundred spectators appeared and got cheering entertainment on an otherwise boring day.
 
Well boating is a pastime where we can mostly learn by our own mistakes. Compared to learning to fly a plane there is a greater range of slopiness of learning that can be tolerated. Here where I am there is a mandatory Recreational Skipper' s Ticket for any power boat operator. It was instigated mostly to try to reduce the loss of life at sea. The practical course is generally given and tested in 5 metre o/b powered trailer boats. There is an element of boat handling for arrival at jetties. But this would be quite different to your case of big Mobo trying to manouvre in a tight spot. Conditions may have been such that an experienced skipper would not have tried to get in under those conditions. There must be a reason people fit bow thrusters?
Anyway by standers can easily criticize a bad outcome. I see simialr often. Yes the bad skipper should make amends for damage caused but I don't think any mandatory skipper's licence would avert this situation. good luck olewill
 
KenMcCulloch said:
I think mobos are particularly problematic in this regard. It's knd of intuitively obvious that learning to manage a boat with sails is not that easy to learn by trial and error, but a big mobo? Just like a car, innit?
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Not so convinced about that! Unless you are parking your sailing boat sailing they are also motorboats. I would think intuitively a big boat with a flybridge would look to be much harder than a typical sailing boat. I am guessing in busy areas it is hard to find somewhere quiet to practice.
 
gordmac said:
Not so convinced about that! Unless you are parking your sailing boat sailing they are also motorboats. I would think intuitively a big boat with a flybridge would look to be much harder than a typical sailing boat. I am guessing in busy areas it is hard to find somewhere quiet to practice.
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This started me thinking about if time spent before a ship's simulator could help such people gain basic ship manoeuvring skills. This was because I had just returned yesterday from the good fortune of having two hours practical instruction on the ship's bridge simulator housed in the Basel Maritime museum (http://www.verkehrsdrehscheibe.ch/ausstellung/veranstaltungen/simulator/ - sorry, only in German). This is a full mock-up of a ship's bridge with full controls and instrumentation, including both ARPA and ECDIS monitors, with a large projection screen that could be switched from straight ahead through 360 degrees of vision. The response of the ship to rudder and engines was very realistic and, according to the professional instructor, authentic.

I was able to take a 90m freighter out of Hong Kong terminal 2 to sea, meet a storm with 9m waves, return and dock safely. Less successful was the control of a frisky 20m, 33 knot, twin-engined, pilot cutter following a container ship out of Göteborg harbour to take off the pilot at 8 knots. I am afraid I rather smashed up the guardrail on the port side while closing - or perhaps even crushed the pilot to death with the impact.

It all gave me renewed respect for commercial deck officers - and for mobo drivers, if their craft are anything like the Swedish pilot cutter with its twitchy response. It also made me look for what PC ship simulator there might be for home training, similar to the MS Flight Simulator. All I could find by a cursory search is NAUTIS Maritime Simulation, a serious and very desirable package but $4000 a pop, and VSTEP's Ship Simulator, which is not so serious and, while inexpensive, very much a game oriented package.

Has anyone any experience of what is available and how realistic is it?
 
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