why are fishermen so bloomin grumpy?

dylanwinter

dylanwinter

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Buckingham
www.keepturningleft.co.uk
I was in Craster harbour

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and the fisherman in the boat in front told me to move my boat because it was too close to his.

and this evening when I came into Holy Island harbout and asked fisherman about the best place to drop the hook he told me to as the fekking harbourmaster.

The rod and line men along the Trent were mostly as miserable as sin.

Jill says that it is just because the only yachtsmen they see are blokes on holiday and they are working

- although their work does seem to consist of a lot of doing not much at all

D

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/blogs/alnmouth-to-boulmer-to-cranster/
 
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All the fishermen we spoke in the outer Hebrides this summer were really friendly, helpful and relaxed about sharing their harbours / pontoons, which was great.
However, if I got on the wrong side of a fisherman ....... I wouldn't post my thoughts plus a picture of my boat online,as the retribution could be smelly !
 
I've not met any fishermen that were much different in their "grumpiness" to any other group.
In point of fact they are quite often the group I will make for first in a harbour.
I've spent many hours in their company. Affectation and bull****-free, and had many instances of help and friendliness. All the way from a quickly volunteered tow-back to the moorings in a narrow river , when I had an engine fault, to such small but gratefully accepted offers of the loan of fenders and even an oversized pan to boil up crabs. All from different fishermen in different places. I would be just as quick to return any help if it were needed.
I suppose I might feel a whole more at home/ease with such sea-folk than I would with many others.
Good luck.
'
 
Politicians telling them where they can and cannot fish and how much they can catch. The other side is fishing is bloody hard work and to see another boat user idle along in there yacht get them thinking
'Thata what I should be doing not effing around on this bloody fishing boat stinking of....
 
Could be that some yotties talk loudly in a yah yah accent, as they come in to berth, giving orders in the manner of a naval commander with 15,000 tonnes to lay alongside, and it gets up their noses.
Just one possibility, but lots of fishermen that I've come across are ok guys, but as has been said, I wouldn't pick a fight with them!
CJ
 
Ceejay said:
Could be that some yotties talk loudly in a yah yah accent, as they come in to berth, giving orders in the manner of a naval commander with 15,000 tonnes to lay alongside, and it gets up their noses.
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Very likely - but I can't really see Dylan falling into that category.

He gets up people's noses by pointing a camera at them and asking daft questions instead :)

Pete
 
I assume this is the nub

Jamesuk said:
Politicians telling them where they can and cannot fish and how much they can catch. The other side is fishing is bloody hard work and to see another boat user idle along in there yacht get them thinking
'Thata what I should be doing not effing around on this bloody fishing boat stinking of....
Click to expand...


I am sure that is right. They are essentially libertarians who think that everything from the sea should be free and unregulated.

being subjected to quotas must be really annoying.

And then having to share their space with braying rich blokes must really pish em off

I shall try to be more forgiving when they are rude

It is a shame though because they are often the first people you encounter when coming into a small estuary or harbour and they seem to be happy to be unhelpful

Of course it could be my interpersonal communication skills at fault - but I have been a hack for a long time and my job involves trying to come across as a nice bloke.

I will always, out of preference ask a fellow yachtsman or recreational motorboatalist for advice.

I sometimes ask rib owners... but their local knowledge is often a bit innacurate.

I still hate it though when the first reaction you get from people when appearing some-where is the one which implies they would rather you did not exist

this is not universal - but while harbour masters and marina operators are very competent and helpful(and to whom I give money) most fishermen (to whom I seldom give money) seem to regard travelling yachtsmen as a thorough nuisance and generally doing something that is not to be encouraged.


- which I am sure we are a niuisance because we always ask the same dumb questions regarding the use of jetties, slipways, places to go aground. These are matters of etiquette which varies immensely from place to place.

travelling yachtsmen have no knowledge of what is and is not acceptable locally unless we ask.

One big thing is port VTS - some of them want to know your every movement - some of them have no interest is yachtsmen - the books never tell you



Dylan


PS - please don't judge my behaviour from when the camera has been turned on and I have started talking to people. The camera only goes on once I have established a relationship with people. In real life I am a very humble bloke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4pvazjbYhE
 
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There are probably a lot of reasons fishermen get grumpy. It does vary depending on your locality but I can assure you as a retired fisherman the government pressures are enormous. In Australia apart from the normal licensing fees and endorsements we also pay a community fee. The government presumes the fish belong to everyone and we have to pay for our share. They set a value, a few hundred dollars and the fishermen have to pay that. The amateur fishermen don't pay and the government reckon this share is paid for them out of general revenue!!!!!!!!!!!! That alone is enough to piss people off.
Its interesting that locally the rescue association in NSW refuse to rescue yachts and boats that come off their moorings etc. They rescue people not boats! The local professional fishermen do it. They do it regularly and for free.
In 1998 when the Sydney Hobart race had a few fatalities and there were several helo recues, two trawlers left harbour and spent 27 hours at sea in unpleasant conditions. They rescued a couple of yacht crews. Very little TV coverage of this and mentioned in only one book, the other book written by the a club member glossed over it. From an article I read from a professional fishing publication at the time the rescued crew stepped ashore and did not even thank the fishermen!
I tend to think the bad attitude comes from the weekend sailors.
 
I've met a few grumpy ones alright... usually relates to having made lots of money that day and then having to throw it back into the sea on orders from Germany... and then my cockles warm and shine bright when I remember an old pal (since deceased) in yellow blood stained oilies clasping me about the shoulders and marching me up to a coughing French girl on a wintery wet pier and announcing to her.. "You wanna suck on a fishermans's friend Kid"...
 
quite the opposite for me --i find fishermen friendly----you must be doing something wrong dylan----last time i was talking to a fisherman in a small harbour --west coast of scotland---he gave me a ling and some squat lobsters for my supper-----regards lenten
 
dylanwinter said:
while harbour masters and marina operators are very competent and helpful(and to whom I give money) most fishermen (to whom I seldom give money) seem to regard travelling yachtsmen as a thorough nuisance and generally doing something that is not to be encouraged.
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On a recent visit to Looe a friend of mine anchored off Banjo Pier and took the tender into Looe. While in the town someone took a dislike to his dinghy and decided to flip it over. The outboard motor was swamped and wouldn't start. He informed the harbourmaster of the incident and asked for assistance in getting back to his anchored boat. The harbourmaster told him the local fishermen had upturned several dinghies this summer.
 
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