What are fenders for.

[Guest]

I took a pretty big catamaran for a pint at the Folly last Friday evening. James was right this two hull stuff is good fun. On arrival I found a very fine gap between two yachts on the pontoon, the gap being about three foot longer than the 39ft of the cat, and we glided towards it. Now I'm a bit new to this twin engine lark and with 22ft of beam you've got a lot to think about but it's not rocket science. With the mildest of fendered touches on the astern boat we were snugged down in no time. Oh dear the skipper of the astern boat is not happy he disparages my boat handling skills and wants to know who my insurers are
so my question is..

Are yachts untouchable???

Tom

 

[Guest]

did you actually damage the guys boat ?
if you did he is surely well within his rights to seek recompence if you did not be as polite as you feel you can be in the situation

 

[Guest]

Doesn\'t it depend on

whether you leave a momento of that touch? I once watched a lady (I honestly would've told the same story if it was a man)!, reverse into my car and then begin an off road hill climb up the bonnet. When I gently suggested she come down from there, she said she felt it was perfectly OK to touch and find out where she was. Anyway.. can't see why the big problem with a fendered touch. What would the insurance company want, rent?

 

[Guest]

You might be a victim of the blame culture Tom , where every little mark or scrape must be blamed on someone else and paid for irrespective of whether you were the cause. Technically we all touch someone else's boat with our fenders whem we tie up alongside them so what's the guy moaning about ?

 

[Guest]

Re:

No Damage.It was a controled manoeuvre with the fender placed for just that eventuality. The boat was called "Solitaire" maybe he wanted to be alone.

It's getting harder to moor larger boats these days as people spread out along pontoons leaving 20ft gaps fore and aft and trying to put you off coming along side. If you want to be alone you can always anchor off.

That being said, the next day, at the Hamble public landing, I was planning a touch and go to drop of a shopper. Not only did a 40ft racing boat shout to tell me they were off in a minute but a chap singlehanded on an Invicta, moved it to the very end of the pontoon to make room. Who said there are no decent types up the Hamble.

Tom

 

[Guest]

Re: Doesn\'t it depend on

This bonnet climbing you describe remind of a French yacht - about a 25 footer. They came into Dahouet marina in Britanny, approached a finger berth, then put on full power and made a valiant effort at climbing the pontoon. Sadly they didn't quite have enough horses behind them so they slipped back and had to be content with tying up alongside the finger like the rest of us. It's the funniest thing I'd seen since the man who stepped off the pontoon but forgot that his boat wasn't there - a quick dip and then up he came. I'm sure we've all got a tale or two about ourselves that could go into YM's 'Confessional'

 

[Guest]

You DID check both boats together for damage afterwards ?????

It sounds paranoid, but in some cases it seems that a signed by BOTH confessional / statement that NO damage occurred may be the order of the day .... as a previous postee has said, there are those that want someone to pay for those scratches that were there before ... you came along !!!!
For me I always carry a digi camera, part of my travel kit to keep snaps of my travels / holidays etc. I think in this case I would have snapped a digi of his boat ..... but isn't it ridiculous !!

I know of one boat at Folly that had a Power Boat throttle UP instead of DOWN when berthing and actually sheared of the stemhead for about 20 cms, including the forestay attachment ...... now thats something to get addreses / names for .... stem was rebuilt and you wouldn't know it had been done and the Power guy paid - no prob. BUt then you can understand the actions !!!!

 

[Guest]

Re: Pictures are available...

Thats what we've come to. After all the bloke might be a lawyer.

Tom

 

[Guest]

You think you have problems?

Try it with a gaff cutter and see the looks (and hear the comments) you get. The problem, really, is that some of the comments are so priceless that the temptation to fall over laughing might actually compromise one's boat handling!

 

[Guest]

Tom

Probably just a jobsworth without a life BUT...

Maybe he was a charterer - some of the charter firms bill you for a bent spoon on the return of a boat so perhaps he was concerned about loosing his security deposit - I've lost deposits even when I've got the insurance details of the guy who hit me becasue of large "excess" agreements with the charter co policy.

Either way, no excuse but it might explain his actions

 

[Guest]

Re: Not him

I was the charterer. I think he was a spit & polisher which is OK by me. I own a rather beautiful wooden dayboat and I never worry about the people I see gently bouncing off it. It's the nitwits that hit you when your not in attendance that get me. It happens more and more as moorings are getting closer together and sailing dinghys are getting more of a handful.

Tom

 

[Guest]

If we follow the advice in last month's Yachting Monthly, then we'll be upsetting this skipper. ie when berthing a yacht on a windward (upwind?) finger pontoon berth with a strong crosswind, the advice is to go alongside the boat in the leeward (downwind?) berth,using fenders of course. Then warp across onto the windward finger. Sounds very sensible to me and I almost did it yesterday, but the look of the large crowd in the Fairline on the leeward berth put me off, so I went for the alternative of straight into my berth and get the lines on quickly, which thanks to my crew worked OK (just!). As it turned out the Fairliners were friendly, but would they have been if I'd come alongside them, I wonder?

 

[Guest]

I feel that a skipper has significant responsibility to look after own boat when on board. So no sympathy for skipper who watches you come alongside or nearby or withing crunching distance, does nothing much but give you the evil eye, and doesn't get a roving fender and crew up there to help you and of course look after own boat, then complains about insiginficant marks.

I saw a chap in the med sitting there as someone took an unlikely anchor position upwind, and proceeded to (gently) back into him: he should have seen what was happening, waved for him to stop, and had a fender, instead of which he sat there oblivious as it happened.

It's not a bad idea to have a disposal camera in cars, and on board, as in any claim it shows who is on the ball - the guy with the piccies.

From the insurance position, sounds as if he didn't act appropriately to minimise damage to own vessel. Case dismissed!

 

[Guest]

Re: You were fendered, no damage, tell him to stuf

nm