Thelma VI Chichester Harbour noon today.

[Moonshining]

If you were in command of this, rather beautiful, vessel:

ploughing serenely past the Winner bouy at about 12:00 midday today, you, sir, are an idiot and a disgrace.

I'm unsure how you managed to avoid spotting the fleet of racing dinghys amongst whom you caused chaos, but it appeared that somehow you did, in one of the worst pieces of seamanship that it has been my misfortune to witness.

 

[peterb26]

The owner is a certain Mr or Mrs Newnham.

From the ITU database

 

[[2068]]

Errm, perhaps you could expand on this incident a little more.

Could it be that the vessel was proceeding in an orderly fashion along the correct side of the channel, and was surrounded by a horde of far more manoeuvrable racing dinghies? And if so, exactly where were they supposed to go? Upwards, or sideways onto the shingle?

The "power gives way to sail" rule was not intended to allow a racing dinghy that can do 20kts to force a motor driven vessel (restricted to 8kts by harbour limits) out of the channel and aground.

dv.

 

[hlb]

In Col Regs. There is no such thing as a racing dinghy. Or racing anything else. Unless you can explain differently. It was a vessel, restricted in it's ability to manuver. There for the dinghys give way. To put it into perspective, nearly any boat trancversing a chanel, has right of way over dinghies just messing about.. The power giving way to sail rule, is an illusion, which dinghy sailors have latched onto.

 

[RogerRat]

[ QUOTE ]
ploughing serenely past the Winner bouy

... in one of the worst pieces of seamanship

[/ QUOTE ]

I find it hard to believe that one can cause so much disaster if doing anything 'serenely past the winner buoy' /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I would imagine the race officer was more to blame or the dinghy helms', who can often be seen sailing across the channel not looking out and many are incompetent sailors as well. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Moonshining]

There was plenty of water at 12:00 and Thelma VI had ample opportunity and space to slow and go behind the group of dinghys. Instead he chose to plough through them.

I first noticed him because he decided to overtake me on a converging course, causing me to have to turn to port to avoid him.

 

[fireball]

[ QUOTE ]
It was a vessel, restricted in it's ability to manuver

[/ QUOTE ]

At the narrowest point the channel (by West Winner racing mark) is 500' wide ... there are no moorings along that stretch - so the Chi harbour definition does not come into effect. If you cannot turn your boat in 500' then you'll need tugs to get your boat into a marina berth!!

The number of Mobos that seem to think they are restricted in ability to manourver is astounding. perhaps they should go and have a brushup to powerboat skills that they are sorely lacking.

 

[peterb26]

I'm not sure which side to support here?

I can see the logic of 500 feet being wide enough to turn the above vessel, and therefore the vessel not being "constrained".

However, as a frequent user of Chichester Harbour, it does seem to me that there is (on occasions) a singular lack of consideration as to the location that is used for racing.

(Incidentally I can remember a similar thread on here about a very similar vessel (in Beaulieu River?) not so long ago, but cant find it for love of money).

Looking at the vessel above, I presume the wake was absolutely immense if it was doing 8kts or so up the harbour. And I think thats the significant factor overall.

Boats of that design do tend to have massive wake - as I know from following Havengore around the Solent this week on a Rib!

The skipper should have been aware of this and should have made efforts to minimize his wake - if that meant slowing to 3 knots then - slow to 3 knots.

(5 mins later)

Found the thread I was looking for but its nothing like the vessel above.

Beaulieu River Wake Thread

 

[Argonautical]

Not wishing to add fuel to a fire..........I am quite new to this boating malarky but I too would have to say, being a Sparkes regular, I too have many times whitnessed half whitted dinghy sailors not giving a flying F, about anyone else, seemingly blind and deaf!

Believe me some of the kids left to their own devices around the sailing club bay, could also do with a crash course of common sense, let alone sailing skills!
Jas.

By the way if you are one of the three aboard an RS 200 type dinghy a few weeks ago, as we came back into Sparkes at low water, get yourself a new flippin hearing aid battery!

Incidentally, I am not just moaning some of these guys are daft in their dinghys! Some I am sure are daft in their Power boats too, but at 3 - 4 knots you cannot be considered irresponsible in a power boat around the sailing club approaches.

 

[Poignard]

[ QUOTE ]
However, as a frequent user of Chichester Harbour, it does seem to me that there is (on occasions) a singular lack of consideration as to the location that is used for racing.


[/ QUOTE ]

Agree with you there. Trying to pick your way through one racing fleet after another spread across the fairway can be a nightmare. Maybe there are just too many nowadays?

And, as someone else has pointed out, just as the ColRegs don't recognise racing vessels, many racing vessels don't recognise the ColRegs!

 

[fireball]

Perhaps there are just too many non-racing boats nowadays .... /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Whitelighter]

The really interesting thing is that whenever there is an incident involving a racing fleet it is nearly always HISC.

I wonder why?.....

 

[fireball]

Because they are based at the entrance to the harbour ... where there is a maximum concentration of traffic.

Which reminds me ... a couple of years ago we had a visiting RO for a weekends racing - committee boat start in the body of the harbour - he wanted to lay the start line right across the main channel!! I refused cos I knew the M25 would start up (free flow at Chi marina) - so layed the line in the shallower water ... sure enough the M25 started during the first race ... now - where's that Smug icon ... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Poignard]

[ [ QUOTE ]
Perhaps there are just too many non-racing boats nowadays ....

[/ QUOTE ]

In fact, just too many boats! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[fireball]

perhaps we should ban any boats over say .... 15 years old? /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[Poignard]

Hmm!