Pot markers

[jimi]

Is it just me or is the standard of marking these falling? Near Christchurch ledge close to Lambeth buoy spotted three with no flags in smooth seas, In rough weather no chance.

IMHO the guy dropping pots on the north side of the Thorn channel in the Solent is criminally deranged, the whole area is awash (sic) with unmarked and semi - submerged pot buoys. I thought there were regulations in place to stop this?

 

[pessimist]

Dream on! I could post pillocks on the Dart 3. The entrance of the Dart is always cluttered with small, half submerged, almost invisible pot buoys.

I've not noticed any attempt by the authorities to deal with the problem.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

There were quite a few just off Cork Sands Yacht Beacon just outside Harwich entrance at the weekend... mostly 5 litre white/clear plastic bottles, and the odd weed/green slime covered round buoy.... all mostly submerged.... if they were out there Saturday in the strong wind, they would almost certainly have been completely invisible.... and thats right on the preferred yacht track out of Harwich.... the wind direction thankfully was blowing away from the big ship channel.... but could so easily have been 180deg opposite...... food for thought....

 

[Gunfleet]

They are a real pain, but I can't imagine who could control potting out there - it's five miles approx from Harwich pierhead. That's the trouble - it's not as if harbour patrols aren't already busy.

 

[jimi]

here's one on Christchurch ledge, the size of a small football

 

[Evadne]

Stealth Pot markers

I came across a new one between Chichester and Langstone harbours: an orange ball (a small fishing float) that was so covered in seaweed it look black and couldn't be seen anyway.

 

[AliM]

We didn't go out as far as Cork Sand on Saturday, but there were certainly plenty in the preferred yacht track further down the coast off Walton, Frinton, Clacton. Yes, you are right, they were pretty difficult to see. Someone is putting them out with flags on - that is much better.

 

[cjepearson]

Our pilot boats are forever tripping over these things. As they then have to go ashore at Shotley Marina for replacement props, my guess is that its a deliberate plot. Its not funny coming up all standing from 27knots I can tell you.

 

[Fill]

Least favourite was the one I narrowly missed at the top end of the Alderney race. Wretched thing was pulled just underwater by the force of the tide. Hate to think of being held by that thing with 8 or more knots of current pulling against it. Might even be a chance of being pulled under?

 

[bob_tyler]

Hit an unflagged one between Fowey & Falmouth on Wednesday. Turned round, lifted it a bit and cut it off. Hope the sod who laid it lost all his gear. I must admit that most of those I saw were properly marked with fluorescent flags

 

[ditchcrawler]

The worst pot marker I have seen was off the Deben & it was a flask.The sort from Boots,red about a foot long with a white plastic top.There are alot of pots going from Deben up to Orford Haven this year.I gave up trying to navigate through them last week & stood further out to sea.

 

[nicho]

I thought some had improved. Around Calshot, several had decent markers with flags, but they were interspersed by others that were the usual plastic bottles. Don't know whether this is fishermen going halfway, or whether some are complying and some not. The worst consisted of three tiny fenders strung together, that were submerged by the tide. That was a bit too close for comfort, and could only be seen as it passed close by our port side.

Still a very long way to go I think.

 

[Robin]

Jimi

If you spotted 3 then you must have missed the other 97! These are courtesy of Black Can Man or his partner Blue Can Man and are liberally scattered across from Christchurch ledge to the Shingles with a smattering in the very entrance to North Channel too on occasion as well as down to Lymington entrance.

We came across channel from Cherbourg yesterday in W6 wind against tide and rain and (just) missed 2 big orange ones with separate pick-up buoys on 30ft or more of floating line exactly held by the tide across our track, the marine equivalent of the police 'stinger' to take out getaway cars?

Robin