Why sail if you don't enjoy it?

Poignard

Poignard

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Looking at the endless litany of complaints and rants about other yachtsmens' failings that are an unpleasant feature of these forums, one is forced to wonder whether those who post them actually like sailing at all!

How can they enjoy themselves when they are constantly on the look-out for something to get annoyed by? :)

It must be very off-putting for someone taking up sailing to visit this forum and see how hostile and easily upset some of the people who supposedly sail for pleasure are.
 
One easy way out is just add a handful of names to the ignore list, instantly huge amounts of bickering disappears :cool:
Loads expertise on here, you won't miss anything by not seeing the few obsessively argumentative negative grumpy ones.
 
In all my years of boating the only really nasty confrontation was between a class 1 ocean racer in the Solent. and the coaster I was working on for some reason the woman,for it was a she, scolded us for stealing her wind.......and we where stopped,being polite I pointed out the pertinent section in Reeds about drought restrictions,we were already drifting towards the brambles...
 
Sounds very much like she was nervous and taking out her failings on your ship and crew - not an unknown scenario, I binned racing long ago - there's not usually much shouting in dinghy or cruiser racing nowadays, people have grown up a lot - but the glory of sailing is the freedom to do what one wants, I like sailing fast by all means but where I want to go, not round and round someones' silly course ! :)
 
Wansworth said:
In all my years of boating the only really nasty confrontation was between a class 1 ocean racer in the Solent. and the coaster I was working on for some reason the woman,for it was a she, scolded us for stealing her wind.......and we where stopped,being polite I pointed out the pertinent section in Reeds about drought restrictions,we were already drifting towards the brambles...
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I hate to pick you up on typos, but drought restrictions would only apply if she was calling for water surely?
 
Seajet said:
Sounds very much like she was nervous and taking out her failings on your ship and crew - not an unknown scenario, I binned racing long ago - there's not usually much shouting in dinghy or cruiser racing nowadays, people have grown up a lot - but the glory of sailing is the freedom to do what one wants, I like sailing fast by all means but where I want to go, not round and round someones' silly course ! :)
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For some of us those silly courses are the only safe way to get out on the water - we'd have to learn navigation and all that tide stuff otherwise.
 
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Over the years, I have come across some very strange people in the water, and in this forum; but I totally ignore them.

However, moving around with work, I have been a member of a number of yacht clubs around the country, but I have never met any unpleasant charterers in any of the clubs. This shows that the unpleasant characters hide behind a yacht in the water or behind a screen of a laptop computer.
 
Wansworth said:
In all my years of boating the only really nasty confrontation was between a class 1 ocean racer in the Solent. and the coaster I was working on for some reason the woman,for it was a she, scolded us for stealing her wind.......and we where stopped,being polite I pointed out the pertinent section in Reeds about drought restrictions,we were already drifting towards the brambles...
Click to expand...
I was on one of Jebsens bulk carriers in a French port loading grain and a British celebrity yachtsman came on board and complained to the old man about the dust being blown onto his boat.
 
Poignard said:
Looking at the endless litany of complaints and rants about other yachtsmens' failings that are an unpleasant feature of these forums, one is forced to wonder whether those who post them actually like sailing at all!

How can they enjoy themselves when they are constantly on the look-out for something to get annoyed by? :)

It must be very off-putting for someone taking up sailing to visit this forum and see how hostile and easily upset some of the people who supposedly sail for pleasure are.
Click to expand...
The ignore option used carefully is a really useful tool.
 
I have had a few occasions to wish I had a Paintball gun !! Near all are Solent related as well !!

Entering Langstone Harbour calmly minding own business ... various other stuff going in ... coming out .... all being well mannered and abiding by the port to port rule and making sure enough room for each. Wind was pretty strong and the channel current was strong also as is usual there ... making the water rough.
Till an idiot with full sail up .... Nicholson 38 by the way with blue hull and a Blue Ensign .... decides that he must have all the channel to tack his way out .... forces me as far to east side of the channel as I dare ... as he tacked - his spreader caught my cap stay ... and HE had the nerve to SWEAR at me.

Cows Harbour ..... drop into Cowes West for the night. Just so happens to be Flotilla Party Night ..... the Jeanneaus start coming in and all get in without too much hassle ... then a Beneteau brings up the rear. For some strange reason - the skipper decides to do a short about turn between the outer pontoon I am on and the inner. I and a line of other boats are on the inside of that outer pontoon. I call to the others in my cabin to come up and watch the show ...
Not only does the skipper hit the other pontoon with the stern, when he goes ahead - he hits the boat ahead of me with his bow. Myself and Mike have fenders in hand having understood the Bendytoy was not going to do it clean ....
When the owner of the boat ahead called out to the Skipper - the Skipper basically told them to shut-up ...
Needless to say by now many 'owners' were out with fenders and poles to try protect themselves from this idiot !

Later talking to others ashore - we found out the Skipper was THE Skipper and not a 'student' ... and well known for his lack of 'finesse'.

Bembridge Harbour .... checking out the berths - busy weekend and meant raft up alongside another. Did a slow run past the boats to see which was most suited for me .... most were too high on freeboard and would be problem for my stanchions. But one boat was same freeboard ... similar LOA .. so I called out asking if the mind having us alongside ... I was basically told to **** off ... find somewhere else. WOW ! I couldn't believe what I heard.
Well I'm afraid I'm one that will not take such uncalled for rudeness, so out with fenders and slipped alongside nicely. Wife dropped line over to the 'other' guy on that boat who went to make it fast ... first guy shouted to not take the line ..
I could not believe what was going on - I'd never seen these people or boat before, had done absolutely nothing wrong ...
So I just told him nicely that the other boats freeboard was too high and that I would be rafting up to him whether he liked it or not.
The boat on the inside who was actually alongside the pontoon - when we met on the pontoon - they told me that the two guys were an absolute PITA and had to be told to rig fenders ... put proper lines etc.
 
Refueler said:
I have had a few occasions to wish I had a Paintball gun !! Near all are Solent related as well !!

Entering Langstone Harbour calmly minding own business ... various other stuff going in ... coming out .... all being well mannered and abiding by the port to port rule and making sure enough room for each. Wind was pretty strong and the channel current was strong also as is usual there ... making the water rough.
Till an idiot with full sail up .... Nicholson 38 by the way with blue hull and a Blue Ensign .... decides that he must have all the channel to tack his way out .... forces me as far to east side of the channel as I dare ... as he tacked - his spreader caught my cap stay ... and HE had the nerve to SWEAR at me.

Cows Harbour ..... drop into Cowes West for the night. Just so happens to be Flotilla Party Night ..... the Jeanneaus start coming in and all get in without too much hassle ... then a Beneteau brings up the rear. For some strange reason - the skipper decides to do a short about turn between the outer pontoon I am on and the inner. I and a line of other boats are on the inside of that outer pontoon. I call to the others in my cabin to come up and watch the show ...
Not only does the skipper hit the other pontoon with the stern, when he goes ahead - he hits the boat ahead of me with his bow. Myself and Mike have fenders in hand having understood the Bendytoy was not going to do it clean ....
When the owner of the boat ahead called out to the Skipper - the Skipper basically told them to shut-up ...
Needless to say by now many 'owners' were out with fenders and poles to try protect themselves from this idiot !

Later talking to others ashore - we found out the Skipper was THE Skipper and not a 'student' ... and well known for his lack of 'finesse'.

Bembridge Harbour .... checking out the berths - busy weekend and meant raft up alongside another. Did a slow run past the boats to see which was most suited for me .... most were too high on freeboard and would be problem for my stanchions. But one boat was same freeboard ... similar LOA .. so I called out asking if the mind having us alongside ... I was basically told to **** off ... find somewhere else. WOW ! I couldn't believe what I heard.
Well I'm afraid I'm one that will not take such uncalled for rudeness, so out with fenders and slipped alongside nicely. Wife dropped line over to the 'other' guy on that boat who went to make it fast ... first guy shouted to not take the line ..
I could not believe what was going on - I'd never seen these people or boat before, had done absolutely nothing wrong ...
So I just told him nicely that the other boats freeboard was too high and that I would be rafting up to him whether he liked it or not.
The boat on the inside who was actually alongside the pontoon - when we met on the pontoon - they told me that the two guys were an absolute PITA and had to be told to rig fenders ... put proper lines etc.
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I'm glad I keep my boat in Brittany, where the natives are charming.
 
I used to be Bridge Watchkeeping Officer on ships ...

Vessel ST Linga ..... 320,000 tonne Crude Tanker. Drawing well over 70ft draft .... proceeding up English Channel on way to Europoort ....

Tanker - this is Yacht ******* - alter your course - I am racing......

Yacht ******* - sorry matey - I'm in shipping lane, restricted by way of deep draft - I will not alter course

Tanker - I am racing ... you MUST alter course

Yacht ******* - no ******** way mate - go back to school and learn your Colregs - racing gives you no rights at all .....

Yacht - this is ******* Coastguard ... get out of the tankers way - he is restricted draft

Tanker - this is ******* Coastguard ... appreciate if you don't swear on VHF - but understand your frustration ...

If you think this is only Yachts that do this ...... think again :

Palawan Passage - of Philippines ... 85000 m3 LNG tanker proceeding north .... this is a very dangerous patch of water with wrecks and shallow patches ... in those days we only had Transit Satnav and Echo Sounder etc. to navigate up through there.
I'm on watch and we are nearing the north entrance soon to make our turn to stbd to make passage to Japan.

Tanker - this is US Warship requiring you to alter course ...

US Warship - this is ST Gadinia en route north will soon make turn to stbd xx degrees course xxx

Tanker - This is US Warship negative - you will turn to port and keep clear

US Warship - Negative - we will make our turn to stbd and pass on course xxx

Tanker - This is US Warship - you will alter course as instructed.

US Warship - we are carrying 85000 m3 of Methane and if we hit shit as you are instructing us - it could be the biggest f****** explosion taking out you and half the blo*** Philippines out ... we will turn to stbd as I told you ... OUT.

Tanker - Agreed

(That was the US Fleet of California. Texas and Nimitz out of Subic Bay ....... a PITA to every ship that sailed there !).
 
Have only met a very few I really didn't like but one in particular comes to mind, a woman. We were both in Port America Cadiz and a French boat was behind her, with a crew member doing what the French usually do over the guard wire. Quick as a flash she was there, not have a better look to but to tell him to put it away and get back to the zoo he came from. Next thing, she's telling us how badly educated the dagos are, about time they all learned English. Quite funny when I mentioned my wife who was listening is a Portuguese dago.
 
I think one of the problems with a forum is that people cannot see each other & their expressions etc. this means that the only means of intercourse is the written prose. So what may be a disagreement can soon turn into a nasty argument. If it was in a pub or in a sailing club bar, where they were in a group having a chat, the comments would come over differently. When things may be said tongue in cheek, they can be seen to be so & not taken wrongly. Disagreements would not actually be such, or would be decided on in seconds. Little wind ups would be laughed at and more pints consumed. On the forum it becomes a full blown insult, when it was never intended as such.

This also can be reflected on the water. One might see something that niggles but forget them in a trice. Mention them on a forum & they become the most horrendous actions known to man. It is just how it comes over (although lassooing a mooring really is horrendous as we all know). Generally the people we meet on the water are really nice. ( apart from Roy Rogers!!)They all have different personalities & one has to recognise that. Some are naturally grumpy ( My wife knows one but I am not sure who it is :unsure: ) but in the end can be quite Ok. Some are so happy as to be b..dy annoying. It is just how they come over.
It is no different on the water as it is on land. Put someone in the tin box of a car & they can become absolute raging terrors. Fortunately it is not so bad in a boat. there is always a few & we can stereotype them - blue flags, peaked hat, Westerly ,MOBO etc etc
It is all part of life's rich tapestry - It is how we deal with it that matters. (Just drag for it & with luck we will find it )
 
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