Was it a lobster pot?

[max]

We were sailing ( rather slowly) in the round the island race when the rudder got caught up on what appeared to be the line for a lobster pot in 50m of water over the amunition dumping gounds marked on the chart to the east of St Catherine's. Whatever is was stopped dead a 6.5 ton boat under full sail.

Any theories?


(We got off in the end by working the trailing line free with a grappling hook, and yes, my 14 year old daughter has yet to let me forget that I was helming at the time)

 

[Rob_Webb]

Intriguing! I'm no fisherman but on past experience I agree that it sounds a little bit too deep and heavy for a larrie pot. The location over the dumping ground is a bit ominous......

My only realistic theory is that once upon a time it was a simple lobster pot that somehow drifted and fouled something more substantial on the seabed - which is why it basically 'anchored' your boat.......

More exotic theories could involve a munitions dump being tagged for recovery, some kind of divers marker...... or even some kind of drugs drop-off from the continent waiting to be picked up!!

Do you wish you took a closer look now?!

Rob

 

[iangrant]

The scary thing is that there were hundreds of them all round the south of the Island - one was actually just UNDER the surface - closer to the Bembridge Ledge Bouy there were planks of wood floating about - I had enough trouble in the overfalls that close to other boats let alone stuff in the water - At one pint the crew threatened to get the genders out! Fun when a racer dropped his spinny so close to us we could have pulled it in for him. Good time had by all!!

 

[max]

I came across all those large limps of wood just after freeing the 'pot' - I begun to feel well and truly got at. Good point about 'floating below the surface' - I must explain to daughter that that was why I missed them!

 

[EdEssery]

About half a mile due south of Dunnose we very nearly ran into what looked like a railway sleeper floating just below the surface. I reported it to Solent Coastguard on 67 and they were interested enough to take a Lat & Long. I hate to think what might have happened if we had hit it while surfing down a wave at 10 knots....

Ed

 

[Whiskey2]

'At one pint crew threatened to get the genders out' was the best type' error i've seen ;-)

 

[Guest]

After one pint he was going to get his genders out? Whats that all about?