capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Radar.
Time to dust off the Yellow
- Thread starter CCJ
- Start date
Radar.
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Bloody hell, did then not have an app for that back then?
Ships were wood, men were steel.
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
Blimey, that's jogged my memory, the first time I sailed across the channel I was an apprentice! With several others. Who turned into drunken sailors!!!
Tomahawk
Well-Known Member
No need to worry. the latest wheezee is to steal a fishing boat from France and drive straight into Dover port without asking permission to enter.
Seajet
...
Yes, they may as well have had a flashing light and been calling on VHF all the way ' please arrest us ' - no doubt the lowlife who'd sorted the boat for them was long gone.
Tomahawk
Well-Known Member
Mind you, taking account of the behaviour of French fishermen, I would not be surprised if said scumbag were to be invited aboard a boat then allowed to walk ashore from Sandette light buoy.
Seven Spades
Well-Known Member
Things are very different at this end. If you call the national yacht line they usually clear you there and then. Has anyone here actually hoisted a Q flag when going from St Peter Port to Brittany and if so how were you treated?
Seajet
...
Years ago when the Q flag was standard, the French couldn't care less while it was enforced by English Customs - even if they didn't turn up one definitely had to declare and wait the two hours.
At St Malo after a day or two with the Q up, a local sailor ( don't remember him as an official ) gestured " Oh, take it down ! "
On this side of the Channel it became a matter of judgement as to whether they'd bother turning up, so it may have been some people called them while waiting for ones' order at the Chinese...
Nowadays with the migrant business I imagine things will be very different and a lot more serious; funnily enough boats with big deep cockpit lockers sometimes called them ' Pakistani Lockers ' but that wouldn't be any joke now.
At St Malo after a day or two with the Q up, a local sailor ( don't remember him as an official ) gestured " Oh, take it down ! "
On this side of the Channel it became a matter of judgement as to whether they'd bother turning up, so it may have been some people called them while waiting for ones' order at the Chinese...
Nowadays with the migrant business I imagine things will be very different and a lot more serious; funnily enough boats with big deep cockpit lockers sometimes called them ' Pakistani Lockers ' but that wouldn't be any joke now.
RupertW
Well-Known Member
Years ago when the Q flag was standard, the French couldn't care less while it was enforced by English Customs - even if they didn't turn up one definitely had to declare and wait the two hours.
At St Malo after a day or two with the Q up, a local sailor ( don't remember him as an official ) gestured " Oh, take it down ! "
On this side of the Channel it became a matter of judgement as to whether they'd bother turning up, so it may have been some people called them while waiting for ones' order at the Chinese...
Nowadays with the migrant business I imagine things will be very different and a lot more serious; funnily enough boats with big deep cockpit lockers sometimes called them ' Pakistani Lockers ' but that wouldn't be any joke now.
After the first channel crossing I did in the early 80s we never bothered again - just turned up and came back with not paperwork at all. Reminds me of sailing in Europe now - apart from Croatia we never check in or out just kept a Dekpa going for Greece trips but nobody there seems to care whether you've been to Italy or elsewhere.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I do recall one of the Stella races to Ostend from Burnham. As we were racing out the Crouch the customs officer chased after us & stopped one of the boats who was well placed at the time. Apparently he had not filled in the form notifying his departure so the chap held him up for half an hour whilst he made him fill in the form & lectured him. Needless to say he was well p..sed off at coming last into Ostend.
Did not make that mistake again
Did not make that mistake again
steve yates
Well-Known Member
Yeah , but they would have to have been tracking you specifically all the way, not to mention that we often don't show up very well anyway according to commercial captains
capnsensible
Well-Known Member
I think people underestimate the ability of land based radar systems. Should the security of UK Borders become an issue to the level of visa travel, electronic surveillance measures are very advanced.
An example. Radar covering the Straits of Gibraltar misses very little in the search for illegal immigrant vessels and smugglers.
Quite some years ago, I watched a radar system being tested inland in the Isle of Wight. It was able to pick out and track vehicles on the M27 passing Portsmouth. I'm sure systems are even better now. Add drones to the mix too.
Soo, to think ' I won't bother with all that paperwork, they will never catch me' means that they probably can and when they do, choosing to ignore law because you can't be arsed will be no excuse.
It's not exactly big bro yet, but it could be..........
An example. Radar covering the Straits of Gibraltar misses very little in the search for illegal immigrant vessels and smugglers.
Quite some years ago, I watched a radar system being tested inland in the Isle of Wight. It was able to pick out and track vehicles on the M27 passing Portsmouth. I'm sure systems are even better now. Add drones to the mix too.
Soo, to think ' I won't bother with all that paperwork, they will never catch me' means that they probably can and when they do, choosing to ignore law because you can't be arsed will be no excuse.
It's not exactly big bro yet, but it could be..........
Blue Sunray
Well-Known Member
:encouragement:
Cantata
Well-Known Member
That's where they've been going wrong, not asking Port Control for permission. Guaranteed to attract attention! If they'd just rocked up and followed the rules, nobody would have noticed..
Juan Twothree
Well-Known Member
The fishing boat in question was also transmitting on AIS the whole time.
It followed a somewhat erratic course mid-channel, which is what drew attention to it.
Seajet
...
I'd have thought a fishing boat trundling straight across would be more suspicious, ' erratic behaviour ' being standard ?!
Mistroma
Well-Known Member
I still remember a thorough search of the boat after patiently waiting several hours. So long ago that I can't remember the exact details, but they turned up opened bottles of Tia Maria plus something else and wanted to charge duty. I pointed out that they weren't anywhere close to being full but that made no difference. I managed to dig out official leaflets backing up my assertion that they were under a certain strength and therefore had an different allowance from whisky etc. They seemed to be poorly informed and asked if they could keep my leaflets as they were very hard to obtain. I said that it had taken a while to track them down somewhere in Edinburgh and I'd keep them for next year.
I think that we often sailed directly to our home port, unloaded all the booze and went home to send our declaration details. Only a problem when bad weather meant hanging around a port in England on trip home.
Dutch lot were much more relaxed and it took me about three attempts to catch them to make certain my arrival had been noted. I think I needed a Verklaring but they really weren't bothered much whether or not I should bother. Belgium was always fun and I still remember the guy from the clubhouse delivering mountains of duty free stuff to all the boats. He'd dump it beside each boat and ask politely if we'd mind at least putting it in the cockpit before he left (in case we simply trundled it back ashore and sold it in town ).
I think that we often sailed directly to our home port, unloaded all the booze and went home to send our declaration details. Only a problem when bad weather meant hanging around a port in England on trip home.
Dutch lot were much more relaxed and it took me about three attempts to catch them to make certain my arrival had been noted. I think I needed a Verklaring but they really weren't bothered much whether or not I should bother. Belgium was always fun and I still remember the guy from the clubhouse delivering mountains of duty free stuff to all the boats. He'd dump it beside each boat and ask politely if we'd mind at least putting it in the cockpit before he left (in case we simply trundled it back ashore and sold it in town
).
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
Easy solution: dig out and re-open the Portsmouth and Arun Canal, then run Operation Stack in reverse up it for incoming yachts.
Actually, there is an even easier solution but since it involves asking We The People for our opinion it is apparently an affront to democracy.
sailorman
Well-Known Member
:encouragement:
Another lot today rocked-up in Kent & phoned the Plod
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdf5EXo6I68
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-46253019
2 pix = 2 different O/b
Seajet
...
I like the canal option - the Wey And Arun canal runs past my favourite airfield, I photographed that stretch ( or ' pound ' ) being restored but selfish landowners are literally an obstacle.
The stretch by Loxwood has been magnificently restored by the Wey And Arun Canal Trust, we had a very enjoyable 1.5 hour trip, a lot of it under trees with sunlight filtering through, and the Trust is well funded with big plans.
The original idea of the Wey And Arun was to take military pay and gunpowder from London and Godalming respectively and link up with the Chichester and Portsmouth canals to get the stuff there safely, dodging French privateers - unfortunately peace broke out before it really got going.
There's a very good book ' Londons' Lost Route To The Sea ' which describes the terrific obstacles - mostly wealthy landowners - which had to be overcome.
The stretch by Loxwood has been magnificently restored by the Wey And Arun Canal Trust, we had a very enjoyable 1.5 hour trip, a lot of it under trees with sunlight filtering through, and the Trust is well funded with big plans.
The original idea of the Wey And Arun was to take military pay and gunpowder from London and Godalming respectively and link up with the Chichester and Portsmouth canals to get the stuff there safely, dodging French privateers - unfortunately peace broke out before it really got going.
There's a very good book ' Londons' Lost Route To The Sea ' which describes the terrific obstacles - mostly wealthy landowners - which had to be overcome.
