Why did they have to bang them up for 10 hours??? I guess the boys in blue wanted to teach them a lesson!! Dont want to comment on what the sailor chaps did though!
Quote from the news item.
"Mr Clark said the MCA was trying to minimise unorthodox crossings of the Channel because of the danger to themselves and other vessels
"It was just stupid - big ships are not to be messed with," he said.
He said it was essential anyone who wanted to cross the Channel, which is used by up to 500 ships a day, sought permission from the authorities on both sides."
Is he seriously saying you need permission to sail a yacht across the channel? I do not sail in the UK but was under the impression that no permission was needed, but that telling the coastguard where you were going was sensible.
[ QUOTE ]
He said it was essential anyone who wanted to cross the Channel, which is used by up to 500 ships a day, sought permission from the authorities on both sides.
[/ QUOTE ]
Does that include us lot in our well found boats? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Pity they don't spend their time and energy stopping all the illegals that are flooding across the Channel day by day. One presumes they haven't sought 'permission' /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
I suggest that as he has nothing better to do we all email him for permission to cross the channel every time we go. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
"Mr Clark said the MCA was trying to minimise unorthodox crossings of the Channel because of the danger to themselves and other vessels
"It was just stupid - big ships are not to be messed with," he said.
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't get carried away.
I think the key thing here is unorthodox crossings: bathtubs, amphibious pushchairs and the like. The coastguard include swimmers and such in their information broadcasts on CH11. There must be a limit to how much of that they can fit in.
I think the key thing here is unorthodox crossings: bathtubs, amphibious pushchairs and the like. The coastguard include swimmers and such in their information broadcasts on CH11.
[/ QUOTE ]
And aspiring queens like Kate Middleton, steering a dragon boat full of posh totty. Although I believe the young lady has been instructed to withdraw from the crossing and the MCA have so far 'refused' to give 'permission' for the rest to cross.
Anyway, good on the Teutonics and the froggie. Good show.
The boats that accompany swimmers seem to be well organized: lights and shapes, radio and radar, and I guess, though do not know, that they liaise with CG in advance.
Don't get me wrong. I doubt anyone needs permission and I certainly don't believe that anyone should.
Actually, I would think that, if you really wanted to cross the Channel in a raft and had a boat showing appropriate shapes equipped with a working radio and so on accompanying you, then you would most likely get CG co-operation. It looks as if such co-operation is being wrongly described as permission. If you read the whole article substituting "co-operation" for "permission" it all rings true. I know the word permission was used, but I don't think that was what was meant.
All that said, it may be better all round if they went off and crossed the Pentland Firth instead.
I wonder how long though before some well meaning person points out that the BBC quote said permission therefore we must need permission.
How would you then feel if your insurance company then started playing silly beggars because you couldn't prove that you had permission - and as was clearly reported on the BBC website the MCA say you need permission to cross.
I don;t know if it's sloppy reporting by the BBC or bad wording by the MCA's official spokesman but would be nice to get the MCA to offically confirm what they mean by permission.
Pity the BBC didn't pick up on that word as it has a lot of connotation behind it.
Just ignore it, you don't need permission to cross the channel in any normal boat.
Though the french sometimes get a bit upset about small motorboats crossing the channel as they have different rules for miles offshore and qualifications.
Never personally experienced it, but know people that have.
It all sounds like excessive interference from officialdom to me. Like the Health and Safety that have persuaded Liverpool Council to cancel their out door music events. Here
If it all goes tits-up then someone will be called to order, but to start jumping up and down "in case" there is a problem is all a bit nosy for my taste.
On the Book Quiz tonight Giles Brandreth said "too much legislation" I don't cosy up to people like him too often, but he has a point.
"heading" must be pretty much undefined for a raft, and hence I suppose "...shall cross on a heading as nearly as practicable at right angles..." doesn't mean a lot either.