Someones really p***ed of the QHM Portsmouth

[jimi]

Respect

I for one am glad that you've taken the trouble a)to shove your head above the parapet and b) to treat many of the comments in the mood they were intended. Many thanks and I for one would feel priviledged to buy you a pint were the opportunity to arise.

enough of this crawling

Mister QHM I feel you really do'nt have a full grasp of the true powers of your position and feel obligated to educate you. You are allowed to hang people, you know! Just catch 'em torching the naval dockyards and black cap etc.., I feel that a few frame ups would sort things out ... cattch 'em in the main shipping lane, pick 'em up, dump 'em in the dock yard,"have you a light" you enquire politely and its off to the gallows for wee Timmie. Word would soon get around and you'd soon find all regaulations impeeccablt obeyed. The ballast bouy would be rounded everytime!

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[Observer]

Respect

Yes, well done QHM and welcome to the forum. You join a number of representatives of "the authorities" (Mike Martin for example) whose contributions here are, in my opinion, not only very welcome but informative and constructive.

Now you're on-line, can I ask a question? I regularly call in at Gunwharf - sometimes in the RIB and sometimes in the Nimbus - usually to drop my wife and daughter off to spend some more money while I have some fun with the boys. As per LNTM xx, I conscientiously call your team for permission to cross between Ballast and Gunwharf. However, for example on Sunday last (when I crossed four times in the space of a couple of hours), I observed many craft which I'm pretty sure didn't call, including several crossing in either directions well south of Ballast in the narrowest part of the entrance.

The question is - do you actually want/expect all craft, regardless of size and circumstances, to call on every occasion? Or is this rule honoured more in the breach than the observance?

Oh and I did see your new patrol vessel. Very pretty but why white? Would be more conspicuous in orange or summat, which I'd have thought would help keep people on best behaviour?

Cheers.

p.s. Peppermint actually wrote "old buffer" not "old duffer"



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[zefender]

Re: Respect

"p.s. Peppermint actually wrote "old buffer" not "old duffer"

Is a buffer just a duffer with a 'b' in his bonnet?

Welcome to the forum QHM.

On the subject of 'permission to cross for retail therapy', when I call I get not a "yes" or a "no" but a "caution" response. Does that mean 'yeah, trundle across, carefully mind' or 'watch out, there's a bloody great ferry up your transom' or even 'you can cross but don't blame me if something hits you, cos I'm not entirely sure what's going on out there'?

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[jhr]

Caution

...surely means "don't let SWMBO loose in Gunwharf with your credit card....

;o)

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[Ohdrat]

Re: Prosecution v Education etc

"As to what I am doing about it - the very last thing I want to do is go round prosecuting people. My strategy is to educate and assist"

Well I can't see how the tone of your letter is educational or even or any assistance.. I deplore irresponsible neglect of rules where it causes confusion, and or danger etc

However if no one prosecutes rule breakers you end up with less adherance to the law .. that is why we have police and the legal system and even it may be argued prisons.. why is the maritime environment so different from the land.

The License option is not neccessarily the way forward as I can't see it making any difference to the way people handle boats, as it certainly seems pretty ineffective on the roads. The issue is responsibility and not capability. Driving licenses do not seem to mean that a holder is responsible. How do you license responsibility?

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[qhmportsmouth]

Re: Respect

What the Port Control Assistants are saying is "Yes cross but with caution because ........" . In other words we are happy for you to cross but you need to bear in mind the extra information we have passed you when making the crossing.

One of the functions of VTS is to ensure mariners are aware of all the relevant movements information and at the harbour entrance with the high volume of traffic this is very important. Your call not only allows you to be alerted to the presence and intentions of other traffic but they will now also be aware of your intention to cross and the fact we have granted permission. Thus you are now factored into everybody else's plan.

Hope this helps, enjoy the shopping - I had a long lazy lunch and afternoon there today with the harbour movements team (not including those on watch!).

The Old Buffer!

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[qhmportsmouth]

Re: Respect

Dear Observer

Thanks for your kind words and yes I really do want the everybody to call and the number of people correctly doing this is growing all the time. There are still a some who do not know the rule and cross using the incorrect route or the incorrect procedure or both but I am confident that with continuing education (from the Harbour Patrol) and the example of people who do it properly that this number willl continue to reduce.

Gunwharf (and the Camber) are attracting ever increasing trade both from visiting yachts and commerical enterprises (Blue Ocean Power Boats for example) and thus this discipline becomes even more important. However, as I think I mentioned yesterday, we seem to have had fewer near misses so far this year than last so I am happy the new rules are working.

Thanks for your support , I think our patrol boat looks pretty good (picture at http://www.qhmportsmouth.com/images/harbourpatrol01.jpg). Orange certainly would make a statement but this particular model only comes in white or dark blue. So there you have it.

The Old Buffer

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