sheerness to southend 8ft dinghy

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nyx2k

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i was pottering about off the coast at southend in my 10ft dinghy and 4hp outboard when i saw a small dinghy being rowed about a mile offshore. i went out to go and look as you dont see many small inflatables that far off the front. he told me he had motored from near sheerness and ran out of fuel.

the boat was a 2.3 mtr wetline with a 3.3mercury outboard. he had thought that an extra 3litres aswell as what was in the integral tank would be enough to get to southend.

apparently he had rowed for at least 2 miles and was very hot as he'd got no drinking water.
is this man completly mad or just adventurous. he had also come within a few hundred meters of the wreck on the sands with all the explosives in stil,l so im surprised the coastguard didnt come calling.

i gave him a tow to shore where he walked to the garage to buy a 5 ltr can plus his own and proceeded later to set off again to make the return journey. the sea was pretty calm but not a trip i fancy in my inflatable
 
Got to be absolutely stark staring bonkers , was he flying a white flag with a red cross on it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif , insufficient fuel is one thing , but to attempt anything like that with no water is insane
 
i would be very scared of those big ships in the deep channel. max speed must be only 5-7knts and the wash off those ships must be fairly big..
 
So he is going across two main shipping channels, the one out of Sheerness and of course the Thames one. I'm surprised that the PLA harbour patrol didn't descend on him.
 
i did express my concern when he went to return as i watched his boat whilst he went to get petrol. i even offered to drive him home but he wasnt worried at all...
 
He must be mad! apart from the shipping lanes, that piece of water can blow up very choppy in a short space of time and he would have been swamped or sunk!

This is the sort of thing that brings down heavy legislation on us all!

Barry
 
he got to me at dead on high tide.
i wonder how long it would take to get back and how far it is. i was imagining him having a very long walk over the mud and sand the other end at low tide.
 
an adventurer with either a death wish, or one of our sf lads completing a challenging day out /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
It is not the big boats you need to worry about out there when you are in a small boat. It is the IDIOTS! in medium size motor cruisers who come up the river and pay no heed to small craft as to their wash.

I put my 14ft boat in at Sheerness about three years ago for a one way trip to Lechlade. Just off Coalhouse Fort two PIGS! passed me at breakneck speed and it was only the fact that I turned my boat to face the massive wash the put up which literally took the boat out of the water that I managed to keep her afloat.

Yes you know who I am talking about! The boat names were noted. OINK OINK. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Regards.


Alan.


Shame really, I usually like bacon.
 
Ang on a bit. This is stuff, that your boat should be easily capable of. A nuecence yes, un thoughtfull maybe. But it's normal. A boat that cannot handle the wash off another boat, should not be at sea. Discurtiuosly as it maybe. Find a boating lake or stop at home. Maybe a better boat.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ang on a bit. This is stuff, that your boat should be easily capable of.

[/ QUOTE ]

Absolutely amazing, he puts to sea in an unseaworthy craft and complains bitterly when he experiences conditions too dangerous for his craft.
 
actually I think this is fine, as a teenager I (with a mate) went from Cowes to Calshot in a Tinker tramp with 4hp outboard, no lifejackets, we went to see J class endevour on the slip as she was about to be launched, it was middle of Cowes Week, no bother, bimbled across dodging things that got in our way.
 
im tempted to do something similar, just for the hell of it. i dont fancy crossing those busy shippingh lanes though. i might head off from southend towards the crouch somewhere.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ang on a bit. This is stuff, that your boat should be easily capable of. A nuecence yes, un thoughtfull maybe. But it's normal. A boat that cannot handle the wash off another boat, should not be at sea. Discurtiuosly as it maybe. Find a boating lake or stop at home. Maybe a better boat.

[/ QUOTE ]

You may like to note that the Thames Estuary is full of small boats, some smaller than mine, sailing dinghies, fishing dinghies etc. To recklessly plough past them at close quarters as these two idiots did to me smacks of irresponsible navigation.

Oh, and by the way, my boat, albeit small was designed for inshore, estuary use and despite being slung out of the water, survived. Many other craft may have been swamped. Safety on the water is paramount and we all have a right to be there despite what some people who think they are above us may say.


Regards.


Alan.
 
well I agree with you but would highlight that everything hinges on the 'close' in the context of wash.

generally within a very small distance (relative to boat size and roughly equivelent to it's length) the wake is fundamentally different - beyond that distance it will have basically the same impact for some significant distance - miles in calm conditions.

You shouldn't have to handle this - the craft should have given you room.

If the basic wash/wave then part of your considerations to the use of the water would be to expect this in open water so you should both be equipped and take appropriate action ie head into it in most cases.

However lines like 'I have your names' seem very antagonistic - just posting them as I did last week is less so.
 
I must agree with your comments, 2 years ago I sailed a 27ft yacht back from Shotley to Chatham, while around 3 miles of the Essex coast with not an other boat in sight when 2 large Motor cruisers at high speed passed either side approximately 30 ft apart both crews laughing as they passed as we were tossed around, tried to raise them on the VHF with no success.
 
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