QHM Volunteer patrols.

jamesjermain

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Hmmm... I was speaking from memory in part, but I have just seen the east side sanctioned in an old 2003 Reed's Almanac, so it must have had some official status (no mention of Camber or asking permission).

YM are doing trials on three older family cruisers - see press for details.
 

bobgosling

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[ QUOTE ]
Well I can tell you they were pretty stupid today. I was entering the harbour this morning and there were a large number of yachts exiting; Cowes, sunshine etc. The only problem was those exiting were not in a line but were spread out beyond the width of the small ships channel.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hear , hear !

I am constantly astonished by the number of yachts which overtake an already overtaking yacht, thus making a phalanx of 3 abreast, in such a narrow channel.

There should be a no overtaking rule in the small boat channel.

I also agree that the plaques with sailing instructions on are too small to be of any use. I hate to suggest it but I think that a keep-left style streetsign would be paid more attention.
 

wizard

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It actually covers this in the harbour regulations for small boat users ...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
g. Small Boats should remain on the Starboard side of the Small Boat Channel and should adjust their speed to remain within the Small Boat Channel rather than overtake and be forced into the main channel.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If the harbour patrol reminded everybody of this rule we would all be safer entering and leaving the harbour entrance
 

dom

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You are right it used to be allowed and yachts used to take that route if they were using the town keys. I think after 911 all has changed though. Basically pleasure craft must now keep away from the military side - i.e. the East -unless crossing to Gunwharf for which you must approach directly from the Balast Bouy following permission from QHM.

I look forward to your review and hope you get some decent weather!
 

Chris_Robb

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I agree with you here. So often I have been faced with people driving on the English side of the road exciting the harbour, and finding that you were the only one using the french rules and driving on the right! Must happen some 50% of the time entering and leaving. It would be useful if the volunteers insisited on the colregs being observed by ALL.
 

Chris_Robb

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I don't think it is about a paid professional service, it is just about using common sense. Enforce the port and starboard rules on boats existing and leaving - otherwise the volunteers are effectively compounding a situation into becoming dangerous. QHM should read some of these replies - IMHO
 

dom

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Fair point I was a bit imprecise /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

What I meant was the East where all of the active/semi actice vessels are moored - i.e. East side between Gunwharf Quays and the International Ferry Terminal. I wonder where they are going to put the new carriers.
 

rwoofer

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I couldn't agree more that it is about common sense. I can't help but feel that any official monitoring, volunteer or not, doesn't actually achieve anything meaningful in the long term. Common sense isn't instilled by ticking people off for straying ambiguous distances from the western shore.

I also thought that common sense means hugging the western shore when the tide is rushing out and no-one is leaving the harbour (typical sunday afternoon). The number of people I see sitting in the full tidal stream with engines on WOT (Sunsail fleet favourite) making 0.5 knot over the ground and therefore clogging up the entrance, would make environmentalists turn.
 

Poignard

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You're right about that. Reed's almanac used to state that a few years ago but no longer does so.

I once telephoned the QHM's office to get an official ruling on entering on the East side but the man I spoke to didn't seem to know anything about it, despite my pointing out that it was hardly likely that Reeds would have just made it up. I meant to put my query in writing to the QHM but never got round to it.
 

Giblets

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From LNTM 15/05

3. Small Boat Channel. The Small Boat Channel is shown on Admiralty charts. Its northern and southern extremities are at Ballast Beacon and No 4 Bar Buoys respectively. A tide pole is fitted to Beacon BC4. Small Boats are reminded that they are extremely difficult to see and the harbour entrance is a blind bend to larger vessels. The following rules apply:
a. Small Boats must enter and leave the harbour through the Small Boat Channel. b. All craft fitted with engines, when navigating in the Approach Channel to Portsmouth Harbour, are to proceed under power between No 4 Bar Buoy and the Ballast Beacon.
c. The Small Boat Channel may only be entered or exited by vessels approaching from the east at its northern or southern extremities.
d. A traffic pattern is established around Ballast Beacon; Small Boats entering the harbour are to pass close to the east of Ballast Beacon and those exiting close to the west.
e. Small Boats crossing the harbour entrance may only do so to the north of Ballast Beacon or to the south of No 4 Bar Buoy.
f. Small Boats, save those listed below, are not to loiter in the Small Boat Channel.
g. Small Boats should remain on the Starboard side of the Small Boat Channel and should adjust their speed to remain within the Small Boat Channel rather than overtake and be forced into the main channel.


7c. Commercial vessels under 20m in length and vessels belonging to other recognised groups based in the Town Camber, which are specifically registered for this purpose with QHM, may enter and leave the harbour close inshore on the eastern side. They are nonetheless still to request approval to proceed giving their intended route and license number (See para 11). If any of these vessels are not fitted with VHF radio, fixed or portable, then they are to be scorted by a marshalling craft or accompany another vessel so fitted. When on station a QHM Harbour Patrol Launch or Volunteer Harbour Patrol Launch may undertake this task.
 

Poignard

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Thanks for that Giblets

I hope to see Rule 3g being enforced because a lot of skippers seem unaware of it, despite it being part of the IRPCS.
 

davies

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I hope that the volunteers (who do an excellent job) will do something about vessels inbound from the Inner Swatchway that pass between blockhouse and the beacon S of it. Leaving the harbour last week I was confronted with 3 incoming vessels on the wrong side and almost abeam of each other (1 yacht, 1 mobo, 1 fisherman). I gently pointed out to the yacht helm as I squeezed past that incoming vessels should leave the beacon to port - his response was "Why don't you clear off, mate?".
 

Goldie

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Reminds me of the time a good friend asked me if I was sailing over the coming weekend. Having replied "no, 'cos the weather forecast is cr*p" he corrected me saying that "the weather might be cr*p, but the forecast is excellent!" I should have expected it - he's a forecaster for the Met Office /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 

neilfs

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The problem is simply that everyone is in too much of a hurry and going far too fast for that area.

Who's fault is that? The answer is simple, the wider boating community, you're complaining about yourselves, educate your own.

The VHP is there to educate and assist, we will talk to as many as we can as is possible and educate them, if you've been forced to go on the wrong side maybe you should have hung back until the entrance wasn't as busy before squeezing through!

Remember, it's a sunny weekend, relax, take your time - if you want to go fast you've got the whole of the Solent to go fast in, but when going through the narrow entrance just hang back and follow the boat in front - which may require you to travel far slower than 10 knots.
 

Gunfleet

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<<which may require you to travel far slower than 10 knots.>>
So we're not discussing sailing boats? Because 10 knots is beyond the hull speed of most leisure yachts.
 

neilfs

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Hence why I said the above, ie sailing boats will require other boats following behind which could travel up to and far faster then 10 knots to "travel far slower than 10 knots".
 

ShipsWoofy

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[ QUOTE ]
Hence why I said the above, ie sailing boats will require other boats following behind which could travel up to and far faster then 10 knots to "travel far slower than 10 knots".

[/ QUOTE ]

Easy for you to say
 
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