Poor coastguard.

[prestomg27]

Just sailed a boat from Portsmouth to the East Coast yesterday and today.

When we were getting close to Eastbourne we heard this exchange over the radio. The 'master' of vessel mathilde said his side in a very curt and grumpy tone.

Mathilde. "This is Mathilde is the coastgaurd there?"

Coastguard. "Mathilde, Coastguard, do you have a problem"

Mathilde. We are new to this but our engine has stopped working can you tow us in.

Coastguard. Mathilde, coastgaurd. How many people on board and what lifesaving equipment is being used.

Mathilde. 3 people 2 lifejackets. We are under beachy head.

Coastguard. Mathilde, coastguard, how big is your boat and are you anchored.

Mathilde. 7m i'll see if we have an anchor. Do you want us to use it?

It went on like that and i think the rnli towed them to eastbourne in the end. They werent even under beachy head as we scanned around there as we passed.

Scary stuff though, and they could have been in real trouble if it had been the usual onshore wind instead of yesterdays onshore. I do feel for the coastguard, and rnli, and you could hear the shock in the coastguards voice as mr. Grumpy said they didnt have enough lifejackets.

People with clearly no experience and no concept of learning to do something safely with potentially serious consequences if it goes wrong.

 

[Wansworth]

Just sailed a boat from Portsmouth to the East Coast yesterday and today.

When we were getting close to Eastbourne we heard this exchange over the radio. The 'master' of vessel mathilde said his side in a very curt and grumpy tone.

Mathilde. "This is Mathilde is the coastgaurd there?"

Coastguard. "Mathilde, Coastguard, do you have a problem"

Mathilde. We are new to this but our engine has stopped working can you tow us in.

Coastguard. Mathilde, coastgaurd. How many people on board and what lifesaving equipment is being used.

Mathilde. 3 people 2 lifejackets. We are under beachy head.

Coastguard. Mathilde, coastguard, how big is your boat and are you anchored.

Mathilde. 7m i'll see if we have an anchor. Do you want us to use it?

It went on like that and i think the rnli towed them to eastbourne in the end. They werent even under beachy head as we scanned around there as we passed.

Scary stuff though, and they could have been in real trouble if it had been the usual onshore wind instead of yesterdays onshore. I do feel for the coastguard, and rnli, and you could hear the shock in the coastguards voice as mr. Grumpy said they didnt have enough lifejackets.

People with clearly no experience and no concept of learning to do something safely with potentially serious consequences if it goes wrong.

And they make it so irate members of parliament want to bring in laws to stop whatever or insurance rates go up…..here in Spain you have to pay to be rescued

 

[LittleSister]

C'est la vie. It's part of the Coastguard staff's job to deal with numpties, and remain professional and focused while doing so. It seems from your report that the particular coastguard did that admirably in this case. (Your thread title could be misleading in that regard!)

I think that a shortage of lifejackets is unwise, and taken with the other things mentioned does indicate a gross lack of preparedness.
(Who knows whether it was blind ignorance for which it's hard to blame someone - many people have no idea what they're doing in many aspects of life - or recklessness, for which it's not.)

On the other hand, and at the risk of being shot down in flames, it has for some reason just occurred to me that a riposte to the RNLI's sensible slogan 'Lifejackets are useless unless worn', might be 'Lifejackets are useless unless you actually end up in the water'.

 

[Wansworth]

It shows disrespect for the sea and nature and those that go down to the sea prepared

 

[LittleSister]

It shows disrespect for the sea and nature and those that go down to the sea prepared

Are you suggesting that those who more usually go down to the sea (such as those on this forum, for instance) are all very respectable?

 

[Wansworth]

Are you suggesting that those who more usually go down to the sea (such as those on this forum, for instance) are all very respectable?

I know wot I mean….present company accepted

 

[LittleSister]

I know wot I mean….present company accepted

Do you know your onions, too?

 

[Wansworth]

Do you know your onions, too?

As well as any other marinero….

 

[Daedelus]

On a visit to the coastguard in the days when they could actually have a chat in between calls I asked them how they kept their temper when faced with dozens of idiots asking for radio checks, interrupting mayday calls etc, CG smiled and said you can't hear what we say then the press to talk is off. "Loud and stupid" was an unheard riposte to a repeated request for a radio check.

 

[Alicatt]

On a visit to the coastguard in the days when they could actually have a chat in between calls I asked them how they kept their temper when faced with dozens of idiots asking for radio checks, interrupting mayday calls etc, CG smiled and said you can't hear what we say then the press to talk is off. "Loud and stupid" was an unheard riposte to a repeated request for a radio check.

Now that button was describe to us as the "release to listen", not the "press to talk"

 

[ronsurf]

There's nothing like being 'rescued' by the rnli and confessing to not having enough lifejackets for everyone to discourage someone from going to sea ever again. Hopefully.....

 

[Daedelus]

Dunno why but it reminds of the Admiral's inspection of one of HM warships and in his wander round he came across the deck sentry who admitted being there for MOB, the Admiral asked what he would do in the event one of his fellow sailors went over the side and the matelot rattled off his actions to the manner born.
The admiral then asked him what he would o if an officer fell overboard, there was a pause and the matelot replied "which one sir?"

 

[[194224]]

And another one in a similar (and equally apocryphal) vein...

Same Admiral on inspection, comes across a matelot on the upper deck. The Admiral takes his cap off and places it carefully on the deck and says to the rating "That's a bomb, what are you going to do about it?" Jack says nothing but with a mighty heave kicks it over the side.

"Right lad, How are you going to recover that man overboard?"