Racing Hazards

jhr

jhr

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jamesrichardsonconsultants.co.uk
I borrowed a photo album of my Dad's, to scan some photos of old family boats.

A couple of pictures were taken on the 1950 Harwich to Hook race, and my Dad has added a note to the effect that the course went via the S2 Light Vessel "to avoid the minefields". /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

What unexpected hazards have you encountered when racing?
 
I chartered a boat out of La Rochelle a few years ago and heard over the VHF that a trawler not far from us had brought up a mine in its nets.

John
 
A few months ago, 2 Dutch fisherman were killed when an aircraft bomb was caught in the nets and detonated when it was hoisted on board.
The catch of bombs happens daily on the north sea but most fisherman throw the overboard again to avoid waiting times for the demining squad to eliminate the danger...
 
A few years ago I was on my competent crew course. We were approaching the Blackwater when a police launch came quickly past us and stopped at an inflatable rib with two men aboard. We assumed that they had been up to no good. Shortly after Thames Coastguard issued an all stations declaring a two mile no go radius. It seems a trawler had brought up a WW2 mine and the bomb squad were to blow it up, so we anchored up, went for a swim and then waited for the fireworks. It was quite a sight sending a spray of water 80 to 100 ft into the air, which seemed to take forever to come down. I have some pictures somewhere which I will try to put on here.

Kim
 
Not racing at the time but we did have a very close encounter with a fridge-freezer in the Western Approaches enroute from Penzance to Tregiuer last summer. It was spotted about 6 inches abeam to starboard soon after sundown. A foot or so closer and goodness knows what damage it might have caused as we were making around 7 knots.

Once we'd recovered from the shock we decided it must have been washed out to sea from the terrible Boscastle floods a few days earlier.

Sailorgirl
 
other boats ... mind you, my penultimate thrash ended up with a competitor giving up when wind got too much for him so include wind for owners of plastic pots ...
 
Was match racing at Rutland water last easter and one race had to be stopped, and other starts postponed because a very large hot air baloon with the name of a well known record label/train/mobile phone/airline/etc came straight down the course at an altitude of a couple of feet, burning all the time trying to stay out of the lake. Comittee boat had to up anchour sharpish and the umpire ribs followed it until it cleared the lake, clearly under the impression it was going to crash. Really wish I'd had my camera on me, as the sight of two boats under spinnaker with a massive red baloon chasing them was amazing.
 
me in a power boat!!!!!!!!!

got_to_move.jpg



well may be not.

ok_now.jpg
 
Re: me in a power boat!!!!!!!!!

Spot on! These mobile hazards in the Solent can appear at any time of year, steer well clear!
 
I was more than surprised when taking part in the Fastnet in 1959 when a sub surfaced about a cable away.
Also came across sub in mid English Channel some years ago about dawn. It put 3 men into a RIB, and then submerged leaving them heading towards the English coast about 20 miles away. Often wondered what naughtiness they had done.
 
" Once we'd recovered from the shock we decided it must have been washed out to sea from the terrible Boscastle floods a few days earlier.

Sailorgirl "

You're being charitable. We regularly get fidges floating down the Severn, no doubt thrown in by the pikeys up river. Cant be bothered to take them to the dumpit!
 
I've also come across a fridge midway between Cornwall and Brittany, albeit cruising not racing.

What was more scary was coming upon a genuine mine, horns and all, early one misty morning. Curiosity overcame discretion and we circled it in slowly decreasing circles, examining it very closely through binoculars. Considerable sighs of relief when we got close enough to read the legend "sand filled dummy". Even so, if we'd hit it, it would have done a lot of serious damage.
 
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I've also come across a fridge midway between Cornwall and Brittany, albeit cruising not racing.


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I know fridges go cruising, but didn't know that they raced as well! [/quote

So THATS what a frostbite series is... I always wondered!
 
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