Please help us with your reports

[janetp]

Hung on pop bobber

June 2001 we were sailing Grande Greve to St Peter Port across the spring tide. Log reads.................................................. Half way across Big Russel it started to rain. We were broad reaching at 7 - 7.5 knots and passing a bobber to starboard were brought up short. We hadn't seen whatever we'd caught. It was pouring with rain and blowing 24 knots and we were firmly held stern to wind. The tide of about 1.5 knots was also holding us stern to sea. Oh dear! The sails were flapping and filling as the swell caught us this way and that - impossible to sail off. Furled sails with great difficulty and tried locating obstruction at stern with boathook. Too dangerous to lean over sugar scoop as water would be waist high in pounding swell. Too dangerous to launch dinghy. Soaking wet. Made cup of tea and examined options. Afraid that turning on engine to reverse might make matters worse. Not one boat on the horizon when we needed one. Called St PP radio to ask for anyone in the region and the Jethou flyer rerouted and took line and turned us 90 degrees. Wind howling, rain stopped. Out popped a square polystyrene bobber covered in black tar and weed. No obvious damage and sailed back to St P .............................................
It could have been worse - we could have been stuck there all eve until the tide turned. Our first encounter in over 12,000 miles I hope it's our last. In spring tides bobbers don't always sit on top of the water and tar & weed make them very difficult to see even in calm conditions.

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[Guest]

Hi Kim,

I take my Dad's Princess across from Poole to the Channel Islands regularly.. On at least 4 occasions we have ended up with fishing gear around the props - one time resulting in two pulled out P brackets and the stbd 6 cylinder TAMD41 left sitting on it's side in the engine room.

There is a real problem out there....

Hope to see you at the Boatshow! - Rgds - James Hortop

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[sailorman]

WHAT R THE R.Y.A. doing about this or r they all taking early retirement @60
membership No 000W46547 Since 1974

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[henryroscoe]

I am saddened to see that it appears to be only those who sail in the more popular parts of the seas surrounding our coastline who bother to take the time to report poorly marked fishing gear. I also note that reports feature "buoys" encountered in daylight! Yes I do know that it is more difficult in the dark, but it is also more of a problem in the dark as well.... On 21st November (when Jonny and the boys were busy wresting the rugby world cup from the Aussies) My friend and I sailed from Scarborough at midnight to deliver my Pegasus 700 to Hartlepool prior to being sold. It was a dark night with a clear atmosphere and we followed the coastline for the entire 40 miles. All went well until the 0400 watch change when I rose to find my watchman standing like a guardsman at the stern with a grip of steel on the tiller. He told me he had just missed a five gallon drum making approximately four knots into the tide! Couple this with our six knots through the water and you have a converging speed of ten knots which is very fast in the pitch dark. If it had not been for the loom from the land lights of Teesside he would not have had time to take avoiding action. The drum was not drifting nor was it marking any crab pots, as the potting season was long passed ending for the year. We can only assume that it was marking an underwater obstruction or a diver's find! What is the solution to this nightmare situation, apart from slowing to a standstill or waiting till daylight and the attendant weather change?

<hr width=100% size=1>Any fool can take the helm when the sea is calm!!!
AYE AYE

 

[Becky]

Picked up a large piece of fishing net coming out of Beaucette marina in July, but could still maintain some speed and was short of time because of tide in the Alderney Race;and I couldn't dive well enough to clear it there, strong tide taking us towards rocks, and about six hours later picked up a large tarpaulin in the shipping lanes, right in front of a ship. Managed to motor back to Poole where crew cleared the prop. Loosened one of the engine mounting bolts as a result of this as it was running almost flat out. Have a photo but not sure how to include it.

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[pugwash]

Mevagissey

Approaching Mebvagissey one evening late last July I saw a small fishing boat crossing my path and laying out a long (sat 500m) thick line held on the surface by intermittent floats. I couldnb't see the hooks. No way could I cross it so I had to go right round the end. Then I saw there were a number of these floating lines in parallel. I didn't go ashore in Mevagissey soo I couldn't discuss it with any fishermen but I rang Falmouth Coast Guard when I got home and they were quitre unperturbed; said it was within their rights. I thought it was a death trap for deep-keel boats like mine.

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[BigART]

We had a tangle on three occasions in 2003, one was a plastic bag round the prop outbound from St Vaast, the second was a length of blue floating line round the prop in mid-channel, the third was a pot buoy tangled round the rudder in a F6, lumpy sea between Ploumanac and Treguier. The marker had been towed under by the tide. None of them were much fun to sort out, involving a dip in the sea. We have now purchased a shortie wetsuit for these occassions.

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[Robin]

Plus a crash helmet?

I seem to remember there was a yottie killed a few years back off Anvil Point I think. He was in the water trying to free the pot line from prop or rudder on a Konsort, it crashed down on his head in the swell. We too carry a wetsuit on board 'just in case', but it would be a very last resort unless flat calm!

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[maxi]

Re: Plus a crash helmet?

In addition to the wet suit, why not carry a canoeists helmet, very light & easy to stow, but really does work to protect the head from just the injury that you refer to.

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[maxi]

Have also been fouled by the rudder between Ploumanac & Treguier - downwind & downtide, no fun at all. Also, same thing again approx 7 miles outside Les Sept Isles but with a pot riser of approx 25mm diameter, a serious freeing problem, particularly as competing in the YM Triangle Race at the time.

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[Robin]

Good idea nm

.

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[BigART]

Re: Plus a crash helmet?

I like that idea. I shall get one. It will also stop my head going a bright shade of anti-fouling blue.

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[BigART]

I have just remembered another one. About 4 years ago, we had just started a race off the entrance to Portsmouth Harbour (we were outside the main channel, I promise). Great start, best of the series and we were leading for once. Two minutes later speed drops to nothing, steering unresponsive, us scratching our heads with nothing obvious over the side. The rest of the fleets slides by grinning at us. Took 5 minutes of flopping about before we started moving again and a marker pops up behind. We were v cross. Finished second last.

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[mike_bryon]

I fished and sailed at different times and yes I have caught lines and once the rope cutter failed to deal with it and we had to be towed in, but big deal.

I have had gear dragged by other vessels that cost me money and caused some difficulty in recovering it- rising sea, gear full of rocks. I am sure that some people have had worse experiences, damage to boats, injury to crew even, which should be avoided whenever possible I accept.

But it is rather predictable how this line of enquiry was going to go: Sailing folk having a go at fishing folk - it risks not being very constructive.

There will be gear in the water and at night it is hard to spot so be prepared for the fact and do not go overboard to clear it unless you know what you are doing and sail a vessel that is designed for the possibility - even if that means not winning the round the island race.

Eat more fish, but give a though to the individual who hauled it, he got paid very little for it. Instead of complaining of gear at sea why not complain to the supermarket about the price gap between the amount you paid and the few penny's paid for the catch then maybe the fisherman could afford new gear.


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[WayneS]

Don't think that anyone is saying that you may not fish. Just do it with due diligence. Mark this appropriately and there will be no issue.

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[Chewbacka]

We had a whole collection of debris off Bayona Spain, on a very dangerous coastline, most seemed to be net, buty had afloat attached.
My thoughts are similar to other precautions for safety. For instance if you use a cooker you carry a fire extinguisher, if you choose to rely on a motor for safety you fit a rope cutter. New cutters are being developed all the time for all types of drive, our problem however wouldn't have been helped by a cutter as the net had fouled the folding blades and they wouldn't unfold!

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[ebbtide]

Re: SELSEY - LITTLEHAMPTON

OBSERVED YESTERDAY 27/08/06:
At W end of Looe Channel, 2-3 small round seaweed-covered floats.
Off Bognor: several lines of small inconspicuous floats presumably supporting long nets.
CJH

 

[blueglass]

fouled both props between St. Vaast and Le Havre last summer. long runs of floating line between unmarked black pot bouys which I saw too late. Too lumpy to go over the side (how often IS this a good idea?) Eventually broke free after shunting up and down and limped into Le Havre on one engine where I got a lift out to have it all cut off. This was on a direct and obvious transit between cardinal markers off Point Barfleur. Totally irresponsible.