There are some ignorant peeps around!

[Heckler]

In HH yesterday, chatting to my neighbour, sun shining, alls well with the world!
Notice a 40 footish blue boat coming in to a broken finger? Loads of oily geared and lifejacketed peeps on board, all holding lines and big buoys. Shout to the boat, dont go on that finger its broken. They continue in with the helm having that intense look on his face that says UNSURE! There is a short grey haired lady BARKING instructions at them all! There is no wind and no current so they are going v slow. I remark again, that finger is broken. They then start to come alongside the opposite finger. I step forward to take the line when the BARKER shouts at me, LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE DOESNT NEED YOUR HELP!
Ooh! I step back and think, feck em!
She then continued to BARK at all and sundry, then the finger is too short etc etc. We left them to it!
The concensus of opinion was, ignorant cow!
Then they backed out and turned around. We could then see the boom cover, must have been a school boat. I remarked to my neighbours, if they were the last ones on this earth I wouldnt go there!
What do the panel think?
Stu

 

[runswithscissors]

This member of the panel concurs with you :congratulatory:

 

[photodog]

Barking is bad.

 

[TradewindSailor]

Seems she was under a little stress. Obviously unsure of her ability to control the situation ...... brings back memories of my training on a school boat in a tight marina with lots of expensive Sunseekers about, but no shouting ... just a tight turn, quick reverse, and throttle forward away ..... one deck crew on duty with a fender, just in case I messed up ... no stress at all, except perhaps for the Sunseeker salesman.

 

[Quandary]

Here is the explanation, yacht on charter (cheap early season deal) one female on board that did a bit of sailing ten years or so ago so good to go, she is skipper for the week and worried witless by the responsibility so over reacts a bit.
An experienced instructor would not be so stressed?

 

[onesea]

Must admit it does not sound good, then again maybe it was part of an exercise?
To many kind people handling ropes and no one who would step ashore?
Maybe there was an instructor wanting to put some pressure on?
Maybe it was nervous charter etc etc...
Maybe someone was having a bad day?

If there was a lack of wind I would teach them to put a reef in, then get them to do it with the engine at full chat and all the noise I could make.

Then again I hate shouting / barking on a boat sometimes its required to be heard but on those occasions things things have not gone to plan and I apologies and we work out where we went wrong...

Maybe I am being to kind and trying to forgive shouting cause just occasionally it happens to us all....

 

[flaming]

Here is the explanation, yacht on charter (cheap early season deal) one female on board that did a bit of sailing ten years or so ago so good to go, she is skipper for the week and worried witless by the responsibility so over reacts a bit.
An experienced instructor would not be so stressed?

My thought exactly. Blaming the charter company is akin to blaming Avis for the prat who cut me up on the M25 last week.

 

[AndrewB]

I hate it when people offer to take my line. OK if they are experienced, but how can one tell? If not they stand there like a prune holding the end of the line and ignoring all exhortations to cleat it off, until 12 tons of steel drags them inexorably along the pontoon. Likely as not we hit the end and, if I'm not quick, swing into neighbouring boats. "Heavy, isn't it," they say ruefully.

 

[onesea]

I hate it when people offer to take my line. OK if they are experienced, but how can one tell? If not they stand there like a prune holding the end of the line and ignoring all exhortations to cleat it off, until 12 tons of steel drags them inexorably along the pontoon. Likely as not we hit the end and, if I'm not quick, swing into neighbouring boats. "Heavy, isn't it," they say ruefully.

We had a boat like that, in the end we came up with a cunning plan if people where around we had an extra mooring rope we could throw that could be used if they knew what to do. Yet we had back up if they started getting dragged around the pontoon...

 

[Victoria Sponge]

I hate it when people offer to take my line. OK if they are experienced, but how can one tell? If not they stand there like a prune holding the end of the line and ignoring all exhortations to cleat it off, until 12 tons of steel drags them inexorably along the pontoon. Likely as not we hit the end and, if I'm not quick, swing into neighbouring boats. "Heavy, isn't it," they say ruefully.

I agree with you. If someone offers to take a line for me I smile sweetly and say it's ok thanks, we're practising.

 

[rosewood]

I hate it when people offer to take my line. OK if they are experienced, but how can one tell? If not they stand there like a prune holding the end of the line and ignoring all exhortations to cleat it off, until 12 tons of steel drags them inexorably along the pontoon. Likely as not we hit the end and, if I'm not quick, swing into neighbouring boats. "Heavy, isn't it," they say ruefully.

I like it when people offer to help me

 

[Victoria Sponge]

I like it when people offer to help me

It depends though, how do you know they're competent to help?

 

[mjcoon]

It depends though, how do you know they're competent to help?

I was once standing on an almost-empty quay where the town drunk was lining himself up to take lines from an incoming yacht. Probably hoping for some booze-subsidy. I wondered if there should be a standard signal to indicate an unreliable helper. (Of course he might have been very useful when sober!)

Mike.

 

[BrianH]

I hate it when people offer to take my line.

Me too, it happens frequently and I always smile and refuse, hopefully in a diplomatic way.

Coming alongside a harbour wall I will always have fore and aft lines made off and a temporary central one ready to attach while I take the fore and aft ones ashore, long enough to lead back for adjustment.

I have a stern-to pier mooring and it needs six lines - two stern to the pier, two bow to the posts and a spring on each side. Their order of making fast depends very much on wind and tide so as I am usually single-handed I need to leap around a bit and offers of line-taking are just a distraction.

 

[RupertW]

I hate it when people offer to take my line. OK if they are experienced, but how can one tell? If not they stand there like a prune holding the end of the line and ignoring all exhortations to cleat it off, until 12 tons of steel drags them inexorably along the pontoon. Likely as not we hit the end and, if I'm not quick, swing into neighbouring boats. "Heavy, isn't it," they say ruefully.

Another agreement on that - even worse when you politely say, no thank you and they hover on the finger or pontoon just where you want to be. My only bit of damage in 3 years was due to me not realising that the helpful person thought they could hold a 42 boat against a 20 knot side wind without using the cleat by their feet.

We all park and unpark differently and therefore getting the help of even a competent stranger can lead to misunderstandings. I do like it when people help with fendering when going alongside them - except when they use feet, stanchions or boat hooks

 

[rosewood]

It depends though, how do you know they're competent to help?

I don't. But i am not so arrogant as to believe I am perfect

 

[ctva]

I hate it when people offer to take my line. OK if they are experienced, but how can one tell? If not they stand there like a prune holding the end of the line and ignoring all exhortations to cleat it off, until 12 tons of steel drags them inexorably along the pontoon. Likely as not we hit the end and, if I'm not quick, swing into neighbouring boats. "Heavy, isn't it," they say ruefully.

I always offer and generally acept offers. My thoughts are that if you are relying on the mooring warp to slow you down or stop you, you've got it wrong. Yes some times depending on the wind you need to attach quickly before wind / tide take you off again but direct instructions to the person offering will normally suffice and if they look unsure or take umbridge at the order, then crew reverts to plan A.

Why be anti-social? Have faith in your own abilities as help like this can lead to friendships and a good cameraderie?

 

[Victoria Sponge]

I don't. But i am not so arrogant as to believe I am perfect

You could have fooled me.

 

[Sandy]

What do the panel think?

Sounds like a Military crew...

 

[alant]

It depends though, how do you know they're competent to help?

But they are wearing sailing gear!