Red over white.

[Graham_Wright]

Reading the Admiralty Biscay Pilot last night, "when entering French ports, vessels are required to show the quarantine flag until ……………".

Agreed but "when entering French ports during darkness, vessels are required to show two vertical lights - red over white".

That's a fishing boat (when fishing).

I suppose that if a fishing vessel forgot to douse his red over white and was then boarded for quarantine reasons, when returning to port, it might be sufficient encouragement not to forget again but it seems like an opportunity for confusion.

Comments?

 

[Seajet]

I was taught ' red over white, fish tonight, white over red, Pilot in bed ( white hat over red nose ) '.

I'd be slightly amazed if anyone responded to a quarantine signal by day or night !

 

[Graham_Wright]

I was taught ' red over white, fish tonight, white over red, Pilot in bed ( white hat over red nose ) '.

I'd be slightly amazed if anyone responded to a quarantine signal by day or night !

Red over green, sailing machine,
White over red, pilot ahead,
Red over white, fishing tonight.

I hope someone else is going to join this wagon. The red over green one was most rewarding!

 

[prv]

White over red, pilot ahead,

That's a bit of a rubbish one, because the operative word ("pilot") is not part of the rhyme so you could replace it with anything else and still sound plausible. "White over red - tugboat ahead" or "White over red - dredger ahead" would work just as well, and once you have all three buzzing around your brain how do you know which is right?

I was taught it as the pilot's official white-topped captain's hat over his angry red face (That image actually works better for harbourmasters than pilots, who aren't known for being angry, but I suppose to some degree we lump all official port people together!)

Red over white, fishing tonight.

See again, you could swap "fishing" for "dredging" and still have a plausible rhyme. But "Red over white - frying tonight!" works, because "frying tonight!" is a stock phrase so the words stick together as one unit and that unit is used in the rhyming.

It handily also applies to trawlers - "Green over white - frying tonight!" - and the difference between them is that with general fishing you have no idea where the gear may be, so red for caution, whereas with a trawler you know his gear is behind him, and if he's moving then it's way down deep anyway, so green for less scary.

Pete

 

[Danbury]

I was taught it as the pilot's official white-topped captain's hat over his angry red face (That image actually works better for harbourmasters than pilots, who aren't known for being angry, but I suppose to some degree we lump all official port people together!)

I always thought he had a red face from drinking too much ??

 

[prv]

I always thought he had a red face from drinking too much ??

Heh, maybe. Again, I'm sure real pilots are sober as a judge when on duty, but the idea of a drunken pilot weaving a ship all over the place is amusing enough to stick in the brain, and that's the important bit.

Pete

 

[Sandyman]

Reading the Admiralty Biscay Pilot last night, "when entering French ports, vessels are required to show the quarantine flag until ……………".

Agreed but "when entering French ports during darkness, vessels are required to show two vertical lights - red over white".

That's a fishing boat (when fishing).

Fishing boat indeed but only red over white when actually fishing & how many are going to be doing that when entering harbour ?

 

[Graham_Wright]

Fishing boat indeed but only red over white when actually fishing & how many are going to be doing that when entering harbour ?

………as I suggested - forgetfulness.

NEXT?…………

 

[MASH]

How many fishing boats (as opposed to vessels engaged in fishing) - esp French ones - have baskets permanently wired into their rigging? 24 - 7- 365?

 

[Seajet]

I've never seen a fishing boat hoist or lower the ' I'm fishing now ' basket in the rigging so I'd not be too amazed to see one with ' I'm fishing now ' lights on all the time inc tied up in port...

PRV Pete,

well as for the memonics one can swap any word if it's not in the rhyming bit, terminator instead of SWMBO if you like, it's the scenario which counts; so ' fishing tonight' and ' Pilot in Bed ' work well for most mortals.

 

[johnsilver2]

I suspect most of us would have a red face after climbing a 40 foot vertical rope ladder to the main deck and then trying to follow a fit young cadet though the accomodation and up all the stairs to the bridge!
Have you seen the height of the bridge over sea level on a VLCC in ballast?

 

[Seajet]

I've sometimes wondered why Pilots stick to dodgy centuries old technology like rope ladders; the SBS have much more effective ways of getting onto big ships quickly, it's a shame they don't seem to feel able to share them.

Personally if someone asked me to go up the side of a big ship I'd require a really good reason or say ' get stuffed ' !

 

[alanch]

I always thought he had a red face from drinking too much ??

May have been true when they were self employed, but now we can be sacked for that!

 

[MASH]

I suspect most of us would have a red face after following a fit young cadet though the accomodation

You speak for yourself, ducky!

 

[alanch]

I've sometimes wondered why Pilots stick to dodgy centuries old technology like rope ladders; the SBS have much more effective ways of getting onto big ships quickly, it's a shame they don't seem to feel able to share them.

Personally if someone asked me to go up the side of a big ship I'd require a really good reason or say ' get stuffed ' !

Have you seen the SBS? They are all short, fit and young, whilst I am the opposite. As for the really good reason, it's better than going to sea and my wife has expensive tastes.

 

[Graham_Wright]

I've never seen a fishing boat hoist or lower the ' I'm fishing now ' basket in the rigging so I'd not be too amazed to see one with ' I'm fishing now ' lights on all the time inc tied up in port...

So I enter port showing the red over white like a good boy and not expect a visit from Mr Douane. Sounds like an idea.

 

[Woodlouse]

For the quaint memory rhymes I was taught 'red over white, smells like sh*te'. Works equally well for trawlers too. Then 'white over red, pilot in bed'. Never had one for red over green, but then I'm yet to see that combo used in anger anyway.

I've sometimes wondered why Pilots stick to dodgy centuries old technology like rope ladders; the SBS have much more effective ways of getting onto big ships quickly, it's a shame they don't seem to feel able to share them.

I suspect the rope ladder is still a very much used tool in the SBS's arsenal when it comes to boarding ships.

 

[Mariner69]

You could have the red over a flashing white, which is......................

A brothel with a revolving door!

I'll get my coat.

 

[Daydream believer]

when actually fishing & how many are going to be doing that when entering harbour ?

Well there are a few d..ks who like to lob crab pots in the main fairways of harbours so i suppose that counts as fishing ( for propellors etc)

 

[Daydream believer]

I'll get my coat.

Don' t you mean flasher mac