Standing into danger...

Marmalade

Marmalade

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Was onboard this afternoon doing some maintenance work - had the vhf on and heard Dover Coastguard calling a vessel with a warning that it was running into shallow water on the Goodwin Sands. At one point he admonished the vessel telling the skipper (unheard) to consult his charts.
Admirable service, I thought; but does the coastguard normally monitor vessels and warn them about shallows etc?
Did anyone hear both sides of the conversation?
 
Tomahawk said:
I have never heard the CG say anything like that.
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I was proceeding upstream from the Thames barrier once and keeping well over to Stbd to avoid a large vessel coming down river when I got a call from the Barrier on vhf saying I was heading towards shallow water. I thanked them politely for their intervention.... (although I knew exactly where I was and where the shallow patch off Deanston Wharf is. )
 
Crossing the North Sea we have often heard CG on both sides advising pleasure and commercial vessels of dangers or restrictions if a vessel's movements were unsure ie stopping close to a submarine cable. AIS makes monitoring much easier and making a VHF call can save a lot of hassle if the vessel was unaware however this is not a fall back "service" for casual navigators.
 
RivalRedwing said:
not yet.... just wait..... "somebody should have told me.... I have AIS"
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AIS is a valuable tool - don't expect CG or anyone else to prepare plotting sheets for the sake of monitoring a pleasure boat's progress. It is Ramsgate Regatta week.......
 
Marmalade said:
Was onboard this afternoon doing some maintenance work - had the vhf on and heard Dover Coastguard calling a vessel with a warning that it was running into shallow water on the Goodwin Sands. At one point he admonished the vessel telling the skipper (unheard) to consult his charts.
Admirable service, I thought; but does the coastguard normally monitor vessels and warn them about shallows etc?
Did anyone hear both sides of the conversation?
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No - we heard what you heard. Did make us laugh tho.

FYI - We also heard you radio check your new VHF. We were at Waldringfield on the Deben at the time.
 
We had one of the RNLI Ribs attempt to head us off when approaching Ryde sands at last years RTI shouting and waving at us to turn around. We politely ignored them and carried on only for their colleagues in another Rib to come charging across our bows a few minutes later. We did rather chuckle when they hit both outboards so hard it nearly fired the crew over the bows.......I suppose they weren't to know we only draw 14" with the board and rudder up........ I did pause just long enough to ask them if they needed a hand!
 
Going into Scheveningen marina a new, and apparently wrong way, I had the privilege of being solemnly Uniformed by a classic steam passenger vessel on its foghorn!
(The passengers on her varnished decks thought it was all part of the show, little realising the life-and-death importance of the deafening blasts..)
 
Triassic said:
We politely ignored them and carried on only for their colleagues in another Rib to come charging across our bows a few minutes later. We did rather chuckle when they hit both outboards so hard it nearly fired the crew over the bows.......I suppose they weren't to know we only draw 14" with the board and rudder up........ I did pause just long enough to ask them if they needed a hand!
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Yes - that sounds like a complete laugh that someone working for the RNLI, attempting to assist was almost injured. Perhaps rather than ignoring, you could have called up to advise of your intentions. Just a thought.
 
I was on a friend’s boat some years ago doing an overnight crossing from Harwich to Ostend. As we approached the shipping lanes as it was getting dark, we noticed the nearest ship, which we would pass comfortably astern of, flashing at us with a signal lamp. U U U U. The skipper went below and switched on the VHF , to hear the ship calling him to alert to the fact that he had no navigation lights!!!
 
kayenox said:
Yes - that sounds like a complete laugh that someone working for the RNLI, attempting to assist was almost injured. Perhaps rather than ignoring, you could have called up to advise of your intentions. Just a thought.
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Seriously? You really need to get out more.
 
Leighb said:
I was on a friend’s boat some years ago doing an overnight crossing from Harwich to Ostend. As we approached the shipping lanes as it was getting dark, we noticed the nearest ship, which we would pass comfortably astern of, flashing at us with a signal lamp. U U U U. The skipper went below and switched on the VHF , to hear the ship calling him to alert to the fact that he had no navigation lights!!!
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crossing the shipping lanes with no lights and the VHF switched off... jings, one of 9 lives lost, I would have considered coming back on the ferry ;-)
 
RivalRedwing said:
crossing the shipping lanes with no lights and the VHF switched off... jings, one of 9 lives lost, I would have considered coming back on the ferry ;-)
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Fortunately because of the ship’s warning we were suitably lit as we crossed, but yes, potentially very dangerous. I can’t remember whether there was any sort of radar reflector fitted. Other than this episode the skipper was a very competent and experienced yachtsman.
 
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