Chrissie
Well-Known Member
There seems to be a worrying practice of spicing up the motor cruise by a small minority of motorboat owners. The vast majority of responsible motorboat owners would be horrified and disbelieving of this practice, so hopefully will encourage boat owners such as the drivers of PennyLane in the Solent on Saturday afternoon, that what they are doing is dangerous as well as stupid and gives motor boat users a poorer reputation than they as a whole deserve.
The Solent was four miles wide in the area I was sailing, the winds were freshening and I was well heeled over in my little yacht.
A large motorboat appeared ahead of me, and lined itself up carefully, I was concerned as at that stage it could have easily avoided me completely by a simple 2 degree alteration of course, instead it was lining itself up, then came down my leward (side of boat dipped in water due to wind) side, really close, so close that I could identify all the occupants, the bow wave washed straight into my boat, swamping it, my handheld radio, my mp3 player and speakers, my glasses and my book, as well as my jacket, were left in a pool of seawater, and the occupants of Penny Lane were watching behind them, laughing and waving as they zoomed off.
I was left trying to keep the boat steady with one hand, I was still well heeled in the breeze, keep my ballance and grab all my belongings out of the pool of water filling the cockpit seats, with the other hand, only able to throw them into the main cabin. My book and MP3 player and speakers were destroyed, my handheld radio thankfully waterproof but now thrown into the cabin to get it out of the water, was now out of my reach. My coat was soaked through on the inside, I still had another four hours to sail, shivering because I was soaked through.
It might have been a bit of sport to them, livening up their boring motor home, but it is such a dangerous thing to do, I am hoping that the responsible motor boat owners that the majority of you are, will help the irresponsible drivers to realise that what they are doing is stupid and dangerous and does nothing to improve relationships between sailors and motorboaters.
(To Penny Lane, you owe me an MP3 player, speakers and a book)
The Solent was four miles wide in the area I was sailing, the winds were freshening and I was well heeled over in my little yacht.
A large motorboat appeared ahead of me, and lined itself up carefully, I was concerned as at that stage it could have easily avoided me completely by a simple 2 degree alteration of course, instead it was lining itself up, then came down my leward (side of boat dipped in water due to wind) side, really close, so close that I could identify all the occupants, the bow wave washed straight into my boat, swamping it, my handheld radio, my mp3 player and speakers, my glasses and my book, as well as my jacket, were left in a pool of seawater, and the occupants of Penny Lane were watching behind them, laughing and waving as they zoomed off.
I was left trying to keep the boat steady with one hand, I was still well heeled in the breeze, keep my ballance and grab all my belongings out of the pool of water filling the cockpit seats, with the other hand, only able to throw them into the main cabin. My book and MP3 player and speakers were destroyed, my handheld radio thankfully waterproof but now thrown into the cabin to get it out of the water, was now out of my reach. My coat was soaked through on the inside, I still had another four hours to sail, shivering because I was soaked through.
It might have been a bit of sport to them, livening up their boring motor home, but it is such a dangerous thing to do, I am hoping that the responsible motor boat owners that the majority of you are, will help the irresponsible drivers to realise that what they are doing is stupid and dangerous and does nothing to improve relationships between sailors and motorboaters.
(To Penny Lane, you owe me an MP3 player, speakers and a book)
