the single handed sailors' fender dilemma

[dylanwinter]

so...





I am in the habit of leaving my fenders out when winter sailing on the Humber

The reasons...

as a single handed sailor in the winter where my survival time in the water is limited then I try to minimise my foredeck time

I reckon that the fenders would be a jolly useful should I fall overboard as they might give me something to grab and give myself a chance to devise a method of creating a a rope loup to help me get back aboard- mainsheet around a cleat would be my best bet

being up a river means that there are more boats around with their fenders out so it is not such a sin as when at sea surrounded by other yachties

of course being the winter time there are no boats around to see that I have not brought them back aboard

In the summer I am the sort of bloke who brings them in and chucks them all in the stern locker

at Brough I have up to eight fenders that I need to deal with

I also left them out when going up the Nene and through the many locks along the way

 

[johnalison]

Who are you apologising to, the sea-gods or a bunch of miserable gits on the forum that you feel you need to please?

 

[dylanwinter]

worse than that

Who are you apologising to, the sea-gods or a bunch of miserable gits on the forum that you feel you need to please?

they think I owe them beers

this could become a socially very expensive habit

and I think you should always care what other people think

it is what drives a polite society

Dylan

 

[Tomahawk]

Frommthe look of the fils, it appears that you are standing up on one side of the cockpit ...

You can just as easily fall over from there...

Perhaps you should try a man overboard on yourself.. but have someone in the boat just in case... It would also be OK to wear a good wet suit for the purposes of the experiment?

All else being equal it would make a good KTL video

 

[dt4134]

That's why you shouln't sail singe-handed. You've no crew to blame when another sailor draws your attention to the fenders being over the side.

 

[sailorman]

That's why you shouln't sail singe-handed. You've no crew to blame when another sailor draws your attention to the fenders being over the side.

Stow the fenders.
if you go over the side when bending them on, Salute & go down like a gentleman

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

they think I owe them beers

this could become a socially very expensive habit

and I think you should always care what other people think

it is what drives a polite society

Dylan

No, no no. That's what drives a society obsessed with trivia. Don't mistake trivia for manners.

Pandering to irrational prejudice just makes it worse.

What you propose is that you will care about what other people think yet those very people clearly do not care about what you think. That may be the British way ,but it is absurd.

If you feel safer with 100 fenders surrounding your boat then go for it. You aren't physically harming anyone and the sort of people that are offended by your actions really need an attitude adjustment anyway.

The word "offend" should be banned from our language.

I am overweight, losing my hair and over fifty. If someone calls me a fat, bald old git I am supposed to the offended. Why FFS? They are only saying what is true. If that upsets someone then they really learn to suck it up and spend their clearly limited brainpower on something that matters.

Rant over. I am off to hang a few fenders out around my car. The drivers aroud here are rubbish.

 

[Zagato]

I am off to hang a few fenders out around my car. The drivers aroud here are rubbish.

Chuckle....

Great idea for the school run If only their husbands new, bet they blame the dents on the supermarket

 

[Searush]

Chasing the poofs up the river? I never expected to see that Dylan . . .

 

[PhillM]

To me good seamship is identifying risks and reducing them to the point where you can make a good passage.

So, if leaving out your fenders is safer, S/H and in winter conditions, then that is the seaman like thing to do.


But, hey, I'm a novice, so what do I know?

 

[SimbaDog]

Frommthe look of the fils, it appears that you are standing up on one side of the cockpit ...

You can just as easily fall over from there...

Perhaps you should try a man overboard on yourself.. but have someone in the boat just in case... It would also be OK to wear a good wet suit for the purposes of the experiment?

All else being equal it would make a good KTL video

We could set up a competition on the mobo forum with the winner getting to push him over the side

 

[prv]

Bring 'em in. If it's so rough in harbour that the deck is a risky place to be, why aren't you down the pub instead?

Pete

 

[jerrytug]

Use marker pen to do grinning smiley faces on your fenders,then nobody will mind!

 

[lenseman]

they think I owe them beers

this could become a socially very expensive habit . . . . . .

Tell them to all park their boats under the Starlings night-roost on Otmoor. That will keep them busy the next day cleaning with less time to complain!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH-groCeKbE

.

 

[Stuck in France]

I always leave 2 fenders either side, once out of bert but still in port I roll them on deck, then once just inside the next port I roll them off.

If conditions and entry are such that I can get more out I do, but I never sail with then over the side. That would tell everyone else I'm clueless, and I prefer to keep that as undercover as possible!

 

[Tomahawk]

We could set up a competition on the mobo forum with the winner getting to push him over the side

No Way.... (Therefore I am stand on vessel....)

If there is to be any Mobo involvement, it has to be by way of picking a dripping wet and cold DW out the dink... Ribbing, teasing, posting lots of jucy comments can come after... In fact I suspect that DaKa would be the ideal partner to assist our DW as it is clear are having some sort of relationship

 

[FishyInverness]

No Way.... (Therefore I am stand on vessel....)

If there is to be any Mobo involvement, it has to be by way of picking a dripping wet and cold DW out the dink...

Cue a soggy mental image of DW in a (hopefully correctly inflated!) LJ - bobbing serenely and watching the approach of his orange/blue stinky rescuer....thought bubble appears...

"Now, here comes one of the "other" Humber users, is that speed really necessary?...tut tut"

 

[macd]

The word "offend" should be banned from our language.

Thought that was just military-speak for "fend off".

 

[Lakesailor]

Stop trying to please everyone. I's not possible.

Get some Man-sized fenders, or go for a pretty array like the ferry boat at the top of the pic.

 

[FishyInverness]