Red Eagle car ferry - Solent

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maxi

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I am a great admirer of the skippers of the Solent ferries, Red Jet in particular, in the way they deal harmoniously with horrendous small boat traffic.
But - it seems that Red Eagle has a new skipper, and we have watched appalled over the past few weeks, as he has repeatedly put his ferry into conflict situations with yachts and, this weekend a container ship.
He seems to try and mitigate his actions with much use of the whistle and a series of crash-stops.
Solent users should be aware that, in Red Eagle at least, they cannot be assured of the usual high quality of navigation and seamanship, rather someone who uses his ship as a blunt instrument to bully smaller vessels.
 
Have you tried complaining verbally or in writing to the company? Perhaps a word in the offending skippers ear from them would work wonders? If it doesn`t, a word to a higher authority would do it.
 
Re: Red Eagle Again eh!

I had a run in with him in Southampton Water last year. He came out of the, empty, deep water channel and passed so close down my port side that we were swirled around his stern. He was the overtaking boat and the captain was staring at us for some time before the incident.

A complaint to Red Funnel, Capt. Ferrier is/was the fleet manager, resulted in a quite laughable series of excuses. While admitting they had come closer to my boat than they would have wished it was, of course, not their fault. They left the channel to avoid a large ship with engine trouble. That was a stealth ship then cos the channel was bare. Why had I altered my course by 10 degree's, I had done but while Red Eagle was still at 1 to 2 miles range and still shaping to be out of the deep water, and so on.
I asked why, as the captain was concerned by any action on my part, he hadn't used a sound signal. No answer.
They do have voyage recording equipment so it is possible for them to check on claims pretty quickly. It's just that once they check the excuses start.
 
Re: Red Eagle car ferry - driven by a Jetskier?

Oh dear, its spreading. There have been complaints for several years of the same tactics by skippers on the Portsmouth - Fishbourne ferries, with whom I have experienced an almost identical run in.

Various ways of responding it seems to me: writing to the owners does not work - as you found. Lame excuses department to the fore...

Perhaps having identified a particular offender we all call them up on VHF as they approach each of us in turn inviting them to 'pass ahead' or 'pass astern', and if they get close, a further call asking them to 'clarify your intentions please'. At least VTS and HMCG would become aware of a 'rogue skipper' on the loose.

VTS maintain a radar watch, a call to them each time you feel threatened?

QHM has an online 'Incident reporting scheme' - which he asks us to all use so that he can identify where things are going wrong within his waters. His statistics would very rpaidly identify individual skippers on 'Frightlink'

VTS at Southampton could also be notified. I believe they have a recorded radar watch similar to that used by HMCG in Dover, and would be able to factually substantiate any 'near miss' situation.

These guys are just downright dangerous - I have had one pass within 20 feet of me a few years back - and watched it happen to some other poor guy just a couple of weeks ago. If we pester the 'powers that be' enough, just possibly they will be brought to book.

Finally in extreme situations if the ferry is at dangerously close quarters - would a 'Mayday' call not be considered reasonable if you believe you are in serious imminent danger of collision? Or at least an urgent call to Solent Coastguard to report and log the incident, bringing these episodes formally to the attention of MCA? 'They have the power.... ' and actually closed down the Fastcat Portsmouth - Ryde service for a couple of days over safety issues last week.

Complaining to the ship owners is a waste of time, but play them at their own game on the water with VHF etc, and we might just get them back in line.

But how sad that these few guys are spoiling the record of fine seamanship and courtesy always previously displayed.

Maybe they drive Jetskis in their spare time?
 
Re: Red Eagle car ferry - driven by a Jetskier?

Do the skippers and crews only use one particularl ferry? I would have thought they are rostered on to which ever vessel is most suitable for the timetable. So your man could be on Eagle one day, Falcon the next, etc.

Personally, I find it easier just to keep out of their way altogether, on the basis that they are probably pretty disenchanted with life, and the multitudes of amateurs who get in their way.
 
Old info ....

It used to be said that you had to be "in the family" to get a job on them .... literally dead-mans shoes.

I knew a crew guy who left deep-sea to work on them ... he was steady on one only while I knew him - but that was many years ago ... He told me one day that his Skipper was so p.....d off with small boats. Reckoned he had a death-wish for all yotties !! THIS WAS SOME YEARS AGO ....

I don't condone any scare tactics or playing chicken with yachts etc. by anyone .... Just passing through my mind ... surely it must be pretty boring to just go back and forth across the solent like that .... after a while you know all the currents / flukes etc. that affect you when turning / docking etc. You have small boats crossing .... all over the place - you have to admit that the old joke about walking to the island at weekends across all the boats out there is not far off it on occasion !!

Don't get me wrong ......... I don't agree with bad seamanship etc., but it must get a bit gutty now and again !! and let's be honest - not all small boats play properly .................. I remember my father being chased into Cowes by a Ferry ....

I for one am like BigNick ......... I try to stay well out of their way .... and not give'em any chance to play chicken with me ....
 
Re: ferries in general

I've not had run ins with these ferries yet, but have noticed that the big cats from France do not stick to the buoyed channel between the Nab and the Forts ... perhaps its because the captain has a woman in every port and values every second ... or perhaps it is so the small boat owners cannot anticipate their move and not keep out of their way..... worth a call to QHM?

I did nearly give a small ferry 5 blasts on Cowes Fireworks night ... as he motored towards my stern giving no indication of intention to alter course and with plenty of clear water around us.....
 
Re: ferries in general

The deep water channel in from the Nab is maintained for deep drafted VLCCs heading in to Southampton and gives them a guaranteed minimum depth at any state of tide. There is deep water to the south of it, and many ships cut the corner going straight from the Forts to the Bembridge Ledge buoy, quite legitimately. Their choice is then to go on to the Nab, or turn south and cut inside the Princessa shoal off Whitecliff Bay. You will also have noticed that many smaller ships use st Helens as an anchorage while waiting for a berth.

Cross channel ferries evidently gain worthwhile fuel/time savings by keeping close to the Island when the tide is heading them on the crossing.
 
Re: ferries in general

yer - but when the cat comes in at 25 knots (a friend noted on his AIS unit) .... it can make it tricky to keep out of their way
 
Re: ferries in general

Poor old Val de Loire has not got a cat in hells chance of keeping to time when struggling against an ebb tide across the Channel. Last trip tide turned against her as we left the Race around lunch time and was low water springs when we reached the NAB, hence she had to enter right over by NAB instead of cutting the corner. Result?
30mins late into Portsmouth.
 
Re: ferries in general

[ QUOTE ]
perhaps its because the captain has a woman in every port and values every second

[/ QUOTE ]

You may find that it's because one of the skippers is a woman /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

(Ducks & runs for cover)
 
Re: Red Eagle car ferry - driven by a Jetskier?

Ah, this must be the same guy that tried to chicken us out in the small boat channel going into Portsmouth on Saturday.
I am almost certain he altered course to head straight at us, pretending to cut the corner to the transit.
 
Re: Red Eagle car ferry - driven by a Jetskier?

Oh I agree.
Give them plenty of room, after all they are in effect only doing their job.
Only in this instance I had nowhere to go.

There must be at least one good skipper.
He was coming out alongside us some time ago.
Gave us a whistle from his bridge to attract our attention and indicated he wanted to turn soon. So we just slowed up a bit and let him go across us.
No problem, no hardship.
Must have lost all of a few seconds.
We just need more like that.
Mind you, dare I say we need more like me, prepared to give and take a bit.
 
Re: Red Eagle car ferry - driven by a Jetskier?

Possibly an inflammatory view but...

Maybe its a case of us 'pro' skippers getting pi$$ed of with apparent lack of the existance of the collision regs in some yachties/mobs eyes?

In past 2 weeks I have lost count of the times I ve had to take avoiding action despite being the stand on vessel... in confinded areas and open waters. One yachtie even altered course by about 40 degrees too make me the overtaking vessel when I made a horn signal and then had the nerve to hurl abuse to the same effect, despite him still breaching local harbour regulations.

W.
 
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