RE: Confused

[Guest]

RE: Confused

Having carefully read and digested the replies to my earlier posting (confused). I feel a reply to you all is in order. Firstly thanks for your replies as usual it amply demonstrates the varied views and opinions held by the contributors to the site.

The reason for transferring to the sea having spent 30 years on the river Thames was to get the hours in to complete my Yachtmasters Practical having passed the theory a couple of years ago. So the comments regarding the collision reg’s were well received and understood even though there were some interesting variations and personal interpretations. I am glad that there are other people out there of a similar mind to my own.

With regard to behaviour in the fairway. I’ve spent many years observing the welfare of others on the water and I don’t propose to change now unless it’s really necessary. So providing my (in my opinion) reasonable manners aren’t abused too often we should get along fine.

Interesting how many people objected to the use of the terms left and right. Valid point Port and starboard are the correct terms but in general chit chat does it matter? Aircraft also have Port and starboard sides but the air traffic controller still tells them to turn left and right.

Most interesting of all is the reaction to the dingy sailors from all other boat users. You all hate them and mostly for the same reasons. Disregard of the rules of the road. As a member of an RYA regional committee I decided to ask our chairman what instruction was given in the area of collision reg’s at the dingy instruction courses. The reply was short and I must admit supprised me. The only instructions given, was how to avoid another dingy when playing on a lake on a Sunday afternoon. Nothing at all about using fairway’s, rules of the road or any thing that may avoid a collision.
So beware, the clot in the dingy has no clue what he is supposed to do and will react to you only with language and abuse. He knows not, what he does, or how close he is to meeting his maker.
The same problem has been addressed on the river by the ARA clamping down on bad behaviour and abuse, by punishing both individuals and clubs when a complaint is upheld. It seems to be starting to work. Maybe the RYA would like to take up the challenge both in the department of the incomplete education and the cleaning up of the behaviour of sailing in general, and before the toy’s leave the pram, I include motor boaters in the term “Sailing”.

Thanks again

S.

 

[peterg]

Surely it's the RYA's responsibility if not obligation to ensure anyone (individual and/or club) taking part in any activity supposedly 'overseen' by them in whatever way (and by that I mean supervised, organised or just endorsed) is provided with sufficient briefing to make them aware of what to do to avoid accidents to them or other people using the same bit of water.

I have taken part in Hillclimbs and Sprints in a road racing car and the one thing we all have to attend is a driver's safety briefing before the competition starts no matter how many times we may have heard it before.

I hope anyone who has connections with the RYA will endeavour to stress this to the powers that make this kind of decision for the future.

 

[robp]

I bought up the subject of understanding col regs., amongst dinghy sailors early on in your thread. Some response was, "that's known". Whilst many sailors of Motor and Sailing Yachts started on dinghy's, the sailors now beginning on dingys don't yet know both sides of the story. It's obvious to me that young dinghy sailors in the club I belong to, have been told these basics. They sail close to the marina lock channel and all seem very aware of the potential problems. It can't be that difficult for clubs and groups to simply advise "don't assume that powered, or just bigger boats should give way to you". As I said before. All that's needed is a degree of being reasonable, then everybody smiles!

 

[Guest]

An interesting post ruined by the referral to dinghy sailors as clots - quite a generalisation. In my experience dinghy sailors are far far better at 'sailing' than your average cruiser - i.e. using the wind to get somewhere. Their boat control is on a different planet along with the understanding of boat dynamics .

Do they know coll regs - no do they know diesel mechanics no, do they know how much chain to lay on an anchor no - are they clots .... no.

This is the kind of statement that makes dinghy sailors think of cruisers in the same way as cruisers think of dingy sailors.

 

[Guest]

Anybody that enters a potentially dangerous environment without the proper knowledge and training has something missing. Look at your own posting and guess where the safety aspect could come from. My assesment stands!

 

[Guest]

It's not usually the youngsters you have to worry about.

 

[chrisc]

I am suprised that there are such adverse comments on dinghy sailors and their
sometime lack of knowledge on some matters. Did not most of us start our sailing in
a dinghy ? and is not this where we started to learn the rules ?or is this no longer true ,
do people these days decide they would like to go sailing at ,say, age 30 go on RYA courses
for a couple of years then splash out 100thousand on their first boat ?

 

[chrisc]

I am suprised that there are such adverse comments on dinghy sailors and their
sometime lack of knowledge on some matters. Did not most of us start our sailing in
a dinghy ? and is not this where we started to learn the rules ?or is this no longer true ,
do people these days decide they would like to go sailing at ,say, age 30 go on RYA courses
for a couple of years then splash out 100thousand on their first boat ?

 

[robp]

Chris, I think that you're completely missing the point. Which is, that at busy times in Harbours or other restricted waters, Yachts and Power Boats find themselves in sometimes tricky positions that could be damaging to boats or dangerous to dinghy sailors. It seems to be generally agreed that these situations come about, either because of bloody mindedness, or lack of col reg knowledge. Surely constructiveness can improve the situation?

Over to you.

 

[chrisc]

yes i have to agree that safety should come first ,I was simply thinking that when I was
12-13 and messing about in my first dinghy,(in Poole Harbour) in admittedly a less crowded age,
I am sure I knew very little of Col-Regs . I think it a shame if this easy introduction to sailing is not possible
these days .Maybe you are right and it is just getting too crowded out there . The problem with trying to
control ,and inform these guys is that the ones that pose the most danger ,mostly to themselves ,are
the ones that just buy a boat,motor or sailing, and 'go and have a go 'with no experience or training.but
then the only way to stop this is more regulation -do we want to go down this road?

 

[Guest]

Regulation? No no no no no................! but the only way you can be sure that people know the rules is to licence them. God forbid.

You cannot rely on common sense. People do blow £100k on their first ever boat and sail it away from the boat show. I once sailed with a couple who'd taken delivery of a new Moody 31 (?) in Lymington, got as far a Bembridge and left it there because they hadnt expected the boat to tip over when they were sailing up wind! They had no idea of the Rules either.

The do gooders will say that people need to be protected from themselves (and each other) - License and be damned.

 

[robp]

Hi Chris. Just picked this up after a weekend away from Computers!

Absolutely agree, it should be possible to start with freedom. I'm not one of the advocates of compulsory training or licence. The UK's record proves that it's not necessary. But I guess that you, me and thousands of others didn't just start then head for other boats and insist that they get out of our way. Conversely to the discussion on learning col regs., I think that many dinghy sailors are told, "don't worry about boats with engines, or that are bigger - they have to get out of your way". That's where the problem lies.

 

[Guest]

Re: Dinghy Sailors

I'm sure most of them are fairly harmless but...

I recently had the pleasure of crewing on a delivery of a £1M sailing yacht to Lymmington.

This vessel had a considerable draught and was only just able to avoid grounding by staying firmly in the channel.

It was a very calm evening with the depth alarm loudly bleeping, when a small fleet of enterprises having a pleasant race out of the channel, expelled from within it's cluster, a lone enterprise which chose to adopt a collision course with ourselves.

As we were navigating a narrow channel, we were unable to deviate from our course leaving the misguided missile to alter course followed by a comment from it's helm 'that's a bit naughty.'

Let's just say I managed to remain civilised, but think of it this way, we may just have made landfall from an atlantic crossing or similar, to be greeted by a dinghy sailing toff calling for water. What sort of impression of the british does this leave ?

I had the great pleasure of learning to sail on a Leisure 17 -and I knew my colregs!