Those Thoughtless Few...?

Kilter

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Just back from a weekend at sunny Conwy; time spent mainly on the mooring catching up with some maintenance, which gave me a chance to observe what was going on on the river. Our mooring is close to the Conwy Marina entrance so we get a good view up and down the river.

First observation is how much more busy the river is these days, heck of a lot more boats and in particular mobos, especially since Windemere went slow.

Second observation was how polite and considerate the vast majority of both Raggies and Mobos are. Of the larger 30'+ boats saw only one yacht way to close to the parked ones and only one 45'ish mobo pull a big wave through the moorings.

Third Observation is that of the smaller boats all the yachts behaved themselves nicely while most mobos did but a number of smaller speedboats, mainly driven by young males, were passing too close and too fast. One nearly hit us when he was shifted sideways by the wash of above mentioned big mobo; he did appologise and agreed that staying further off was better for all of us.

Fourth there are more RIBs about and three of these were pushing the speed limit and pulling big waves behind them. One did this the other day when I was just launching our work RIB and darn near dumped me back on the trailer...that raised my pulse rate!

Fifth there's loads of PWCs around the river now and it's far easier to say I saw perhaps half a dozen being driven respectfully while all the rest behaved in varying degrees of sloppiness through to downright stupidity and aggression! HM says they are becoming a major nuisance and are doing all they can. They ask that anyone behaving badly should be reported to them at the time and they'll respond at once.

Finally there must be some parents on the river who don't want to keep their children given that i saw some quite powerful boats and PWCs being driven by children as young as 10 and saw 3 & 4 teenagers at a time on PWCs. HM stopped one PWC with four up on it.

Seems to be a lack of respect, knowledge, skill and sense (I'd say common sense but it aint that common and often aint that sensible either /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif ) amongst the latter groups.. I do feel for those that use their machines properly as it must be horrible to hear the rants abou their bretheren and beiong tarred with the same brush by default!

A BIG thanks to all those who were so pleasant and friendly and handling their boats of whatever persuasion so well!

Robin
 
It was suggested to me just recently that there is a simple solution to the PWC issue. Licences should be issued to their owners. If the owner has tattoes and a shaven head, he cannot have a licence. Do you think that would work?
 
a well presented 'picture' that would apply as much to Poole as it did to Conway.

I am starting to form the view that we should in fact be lobbing the harbour masters to take more drastic action with the unsafe, lawbreaking and inconsiderate - but suspect that we would see a comensurate rise in harbour dues before results........
 
[ suspect that we would see a comensurate rise in harbour dues before results........

[/ QUOTE ]

To be fair to Conwy HMs they are on to it actively.

No rise if they are given some sort of right to fine transgressors, which is fine by me!
 
I think I was passed by the same 45+foot mobo yesterday morning in the channel near the Perch Light. Not only a huge wash very close but he had a smaller mobo slipstreaming him that made turning into his wake a dangerous manoeuvre - and the shirtless bloke next to the helm actually turned and watched us rocking about as he passed. Oh - and the boat name was obscured by the inflatable slung across the stern!
 
A good balanced view and a subject I was going to air today after an experience yesterday.
We were anchored up for lunch in Hope Cove just east of Torbay, along with about eight other yachts and MOBOs. Everone was enjoying a swim and lunch in the peace and quiet on a calm day, when a small leisure cruiser piles through the anchorage with wakeboard in tow. This was in a small bay and close inshore. Fine once, but they kept on following the same slalom course through the anchored boats, creating confused cross wakes and making all the boats jump about rather dramatically. They eventually left, but with everone standing in their cockpits staring at them.

The second one was a rib with wakeboarder, coming within about 10metres of most boats. they nearly swamped a small anchored Mobo. Most boats had their anchor balls up. I tried to get their attention and eventually did it by lobbing an apple at them as they came past ( only thing to hand!) They left after I pointed out how many people they were directly affecting and that it would be just as good for them another few hundred metres out. There were various insults flung at me as they left, including by the father of the children who were inthe boat.

I was not rude and am all for people having fun on the water .I cannot tolerate lack of consideration and empathy. The interesting thing about this is that usually people sit back and just get angry. I just pointed out what most people were probably thinking and it made a difference. the pont was not to be rude, angry or aggressive.

I feel that the majority if people using the water are considerate and empathic, it's just let down by the minoity who lack awareness and social conscience.
 
Returning to the Thoughless Few aspect, and not quite boaty, I was amazed to hear that over this weekend the RNLI lifeguards on some Cornish beaches have been told to p**s off when they approached parents who were allowing their kids to dig big holes in the sand, so soon after the poor kiddy that was killed when the sides of the hole she and her brother were digging caved in only a week ago. It seems to happen in all sorts of places nowadays.
What is the matter with these people?
 
similar in studland Sat afternoon as conditions improved. Despite the 4 knots buoys a small rib insisted on going round well inside the buoyed area towing a youngster on skis. Thought they may be ignorant (and illiterate) until I saw they were with a flybridge boat anchored just on the buoys limit. They could just as easily have gone seawards towards Old Harry as it was equally sheltered but no, they did what they wanted to do and sod everyone else. Seriously thought about passing close to them and opening up as we left (we were 6 boats between 20 and 45 ft) but decided not to drop to their level, and possible inconveince others. while the chop was present you didn't notice but as it calmed it was a real pain - and this of course is on top of the safety issue (they had lots of youngstrers swiming off the back of the flybridge and wouldn't have wanted an outboard anywhere near them!
 
As you probably know, Poole Harbour Masters do patrol the harbour in a motor boat, plus they have a jetski.....

I've seen the jetski chasing others ay high speeds, and have a "word" with the offender. The launch also indulges in high speed chases, but for some reason it kicks up more wash than many of the offending boats /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

P'raps speed cameras that are getting too old for our motorways can be converted for marine use.......
 
Completely disagree with parents swearing at the lifeguards but I don't think lifeguards should go any further than offering advice.

More kids drown every year than get buried, but we encourage them to swim safely. I'd hate the good old seaside hole-digging games to be banned because of one awful accident where parents let two extremely young children dig an exceptionally deep hole.
 
Possibly related to those who send their kids out in powerful boats with no life jackets and no clue...suspect anyone remonstrating, or attempting to educate such parents would get the same mouthful!
 
they continue to talk to them but don't actually do anything! they literally chased a Seadoo back into Rockley through nearly a mile of 6 knots/no wash (but only advisary legally) and through the moorings - then simple had a discussion re speed in the water ski zone when not skiing!

btw they have a very sophisticated radar covering the whole harbour and approaches, plus live camera feeds to the control room, so they can see whose messing around!
 
whilst it is clearly your decision as to whether it was foolish to make that post where you did I believe that underlying much of the 'wit' in many responses was the fact that you wern't giving people much to go on - various mobo forumites put a lot of time and effort into finding another boat for someone on here a few weeks back - but at least we had a name to go on and a suggestion of a home port! As the most direct disagreement with your underlying point of view was from a raggie as well I feel you resentment (with forum respones to the post) is a little misdirected.

fwiw I wish you well with your search and support your principle as I understand it.
 
As an ex-raggie Mobo'er, I cannot stand anybody, regardless of what they're using who shows absolutley no consideration for those using the water with them - despite what some on here might think!

That goes for Mobo'ers going to fast, PWC's being used dangerously and Sailors who seem to think that channel disciplin has nothing to do with them!

Lets be thankful that for now, at least, it is the FEW and not the MANY....
 
I concur with what you are saying and it was with that in mind that I started this thread...most people are considerate. I really don't do the mobo v raggie thing at all and was certainly not trying to stir up that old chestnut again! Like the Rat I love being on or in the water, just messing about in boats. I enjoy blasting along in the RIB and I love to cruise in Kilter. I can do both without upsetting or inconveniencing others. As do most boaties. Respect costs so little and means so much and it's important, to me at least, that it stays that way!
 
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