Raggies speed judgement

iangrant

iangrant

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So there were we doing 7 knots GPS speed down the harbour, (actually 6 knots on the log) waved at a raggie who shook his head and held up 8 fingers, I took it that wasn't a friendly wave back.

So his perception of speed/wash was wrong.

I was very tempted to spin round and argue the point but then hey, so what.

Ian
 
I can understand his judgement maybe wrong but presumably your wash was unacceptable to him, it would be better if we had no wake zones rather than speed limits, I guess a Nelson at 7knts or 8knts produces a fair old wash, however some raggies will still grimace at mobos regardless.
 
iangrant said:
So there were we doing 7 knots GPS speed down the harbour, (actually 6 knots on the log) waved at a raggie who shook his head and held up 8 fingers, I took it that wasn't a friendly wave back.

So his perception of speed/wash was wrong.

I was very tempted to spin round and argue the point but then hey, so what.

Ian
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Totally separate issue really Ian but I have noticed they dont have any concept of high speed either.

I was out with several sports days heading through the submarine gap not far from Portsmouth.

we were all keen to get back for free flow and had left it a bit late, not to mention first back gets to the fuel pontoon first so there we were neck and neck for the gap.

We were clearly visible from several cables away all on a direct and obvious track but still several ragies thought they could squeeze through the narrow channel at the same time.
I couldnt understand why they didnt just ease off for a minute, they cant mind wash as much as they make out on this forum.
 
Is it true that on the east coast they have an 11 knot limit and the raggies can still hold up the requisite number of fingers?
 
iangrant said:
So there were we doing 7 knots GPS speed down the harbour, (actually 6 knots on the log) waved at a raggie who shook his head and held up 8 fingers, I took it that wasn't a friendly wave back.

So his perception of speed/wash was wrong.

I was very tempted to spin round and argue the point but then hey, so what.

Ian
Click to expand...

par for the course. if you had been doing 12 knots (?) in a sailboat he would have waved with a smile.
 
iangrant said:
So there were we doing 7 knots GPS speed down the harbour, (actually 6 knots on the log) waved at a raggie who shook his head and held up 8 fingers, I took it that wasn't a friendly wave back.
Click to expand...
He was telling you off for not doing the speed limit ... you could've opened up a little!! ;)
 
Chris_d said:
I can understand his judgement maybe wrong but presumably your wash was unacceptable to him, it would be better if we had no wake zones rather than speed limits, I guess a Nelson at 7knts or 8knts produces a fair old wash, however some raggies will still grimace at mobos regardless.
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Given the hull length of Ians Nelson, i bet 6 knots through the water barely makes a ripple.

My 8 metre boat on the other hand............ pushing some tide, it leaves a Tsunami behind it.
 
Yeah, my old deep V hull was pretty bad at the wake thing. I just used to tootle it into the inner harbour at walking pace. The point before it reached the plane was tsunami territory but once up at 30kts was fine. I get the whole wake thing in harbours, but not out at sea, where some yachties still complain?? Don't like waves, don't put out to sea :)
 
DAKA said:
(snip)
we were all keen to get back for free flow and had left it a bit late, not to mention first back gets to the fuel pontoon first so there we were neck and neck for the gap.

We were clearly visible from several cables away all on a direct and obvious track but still several ragies thought they could squeeze through the narrow channel at the same time.
I couldnt understand why they didnt just ease off for a minute, they cant mind wash as much as they make out on this forum.
Click to expand...

Is this another DAKA wind-up? Or a Freudian glimpse into your true bullying psyche? You are holding course & speed so you expect others to give way? It seems to me that you were the overtaking craft and have an obligation to keep clear of slower boats - raggies, mobos or canoes - YOU give way.
 
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Searush said:
Is this another DAKA wind-up? Or a Freudian glimpse into your true bullying psyche? You are holding course & speed so you expect others to give way? It seems to me that you were the overtaking craft and have an obligation to keep clear of slower boats - raggies, mobos or canoes - YOU give way.
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Thats a bit unfair.
We are not talking about col regs.( I know better than that ;) )
No risk of collision exists.
this thread is about wake issues and sailing boats heading into wake that some perceive as an issue.
 
If he held up 8 fingers because he thought you were doing 8 knots but, in fact, you were doing 6 knots, you should have held up 6 fingers in reply, followed by 2 fingers to balance the numbers
 
Hi All,
I'm a rather newbie to the forum.
I have often wondered about this situation. Yachts are wind powered unless they have got the engine on, wind creates waves, some of which can be very big ones that most yachts are quite happy to sail through then we come to the wash created by cruisers that can be mere wavelets compared to natures waves. Can someone please enlighten me as to why some raggies take offence to the wash from cruisers even although they are travelling well within the speed limit? After all a few bumps and its over in 5 seconds.
 
jimaxum said:
Hi All,
I'm a rather newbie to the forum.
I have often wondered about this situation. Yachts are wind powered unless they have got the engine on, wind creates waves, some of which can be very big ones that most yachts are quite happy to sail through then we come to the wash created by cruisers that can be mere wavelets compared to natures waves. Can someone please enlighten me as to why some raggies take offence to the wash from cruisers even although they are travelling well within the speed limit? After all a few bumps and its over in 5 seconds.
Click to expand...

Out in the open sea, few raggies are likely to worry much - no-one gesticulates at Ferries or Tankers which can create massive wash. When the sea is confused, everyone is hanging on & taking great care with what they do. The problems tend to happen in sheltered spots where people are caught unawares - and the wake can travel for miles.

I'm sure even you wouldn't condone this behaviour; :eek:

The other issue is that when travelling at speed, your wash is at a shallow angle to your course & moving relatively slowly. By the time a dinghy is swamped, or a crewman thrown overboard while working on the cabin top, or SWMBO badly scalded pouring a kettle below, you are long gone & won't even know you have hurt someone.

Please consider other water users & stay within speed limits & at speeds to minimise wash in sheltered water (this might be WOT on the plane for your boat). Just above hull displacement speed probably creates worst wash, and probably wastes most fuel, so a bit slower or faster benefits you & other water users as well.

Incidentally, I am a Raggie just in case you are really new on here.:D Please enjoy your boat & let others enjoy theirs.

edit; Please PM me if you want more examples of wash problems I personaly have experienced. I won't bore the general readership by the repeating stories.
 
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jimaxum said:
Hi All,
I'm a rather newbie to the forum.
I have often wondered about this situation. Yachts are wind powered unless they have got the engine on, wind creates waves, some of which can be very big ones that most yachts are quite happy to sail through then we come to the wash created by cruisers that can be mere wavelets compared to natures waves. Can someone please enlighten me as to why some raggies take offence to the wash from cruisers even although they are travelling well within the speed limit? After all a few bumps and its over in 5 seconds.
Click to expand...

There's a few areas where it's really a problem and other times when it isn't.

The first is in harbour when working on the boat etc and unexpected rolling causes all sorts of problems. This should affect MoBos too but doesn't seem to quite as much, perhaps because of the extra beam. You'll be long gone before your own wash causes problems, but if you look at what happens when somebody else comes by you'll get an idea of the effect.

The second is when the wash is unexpected and comes at an inconvenient time, for example when a crew member is on the coach roof flaking the mainsail on the boom as it is being dropped, or bringing up a cup of tea.

The time when I could quite happily lynch a mobo'er who buzzes us is when racing in light airs. Without going into the boring intricacies of racing sail trim when there's bugger all wind, it takes a lot of effort to get a race boat moving but once it is going the speed can be maintained with a bit of concentration. MoBo wash can stop the boat and a few minutes can be lost before the boat is really going again. On the other hand a bit of wash from astern with the spinnaker up can be pretty helpful.

When a sailing boat is already heeling 20 degrees or so it is pretty stable with the weight of the keel keeping it balanced against the heeling forces. It's when they're upright that they're tender. You're unlikely to get complaints of excessive wash when you're out in a F6.
 
searush, dt4134,
Thankyou for those indepth responses. No way do I condone irresponsible seamanship which could cause distress to other boaters after all the sea is there for all boating enthusiasts to enjoy however there will always be a minority who will ruin a perfectly good day out for somebody due to inconsideration for the other boater.
 
OK SO....

jimaxum said:
searush, dt4134,
Thankyou for those indepth responses. No way do I condone irresponsible seamanship which could cause distress to other boaters after all the sea is there for all boating enthusiasts to enjoy however there will always be a minority who will ruin a perfectly good day out for somebody due to inconsideration for the other boater.
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A tight channel, it was blowing 20kts so I kept "speed" for control. after the pillock who knew no better and waved his fingers a tri thing raced for the gap between boats and I did a crash stop to let him through, drifted, struggled bit, he had no idea and just plundered on with his 1/2 hp outboard, thanks.

So Alice is 12 tones with a big black strip all around....should I worry?

I've done the raggie thing (more than the harbour/solent creepers may I say), I do understand what they moan about (but it didn't worry me when I was there) maybe they should see the other side? Consideration - look both ways!!!

Ian
 
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