Yacht collision with ship off Kent coast

[Babylon]

If you don't have AIS on board it is not always easy for a yacht to judge all the collision risks if there are a lot of ships. Often it is not the first ship that is the problem but the ships following. Lets say there are three ships 1,2 & 3. 1 is nearest you and 2 is further back and 3 is ahead or behind 2 but traveling faster. You pass astern of 1, ahead of 2 but now 3 is a problem, you can't do a 180 because that would put you on a collision course with 2. Your options are difficult, slow down, stop or maintain course and speed. In any event you might find yourself a lot closer to the ship you and imagined. Now if the ships are approaching from port and 3 turns to starboard and you have stopped or slowed down..... There are lots of scenarios where it is possible to be where you don't want to be.

That sounds exactly like half of all my Channel crossings - even with AIS! The marvel though is that many hundreds of slow-moving yachts manage it over and back without mishap every year.

Maybe the Kent coast incident is the marine equivalent of driving - where a disproportionate number of accidents happen 5 minutes from home?

 

[Tomahawk]

If you don't have AIS on board it is not always easy for a yacht to judge all the collision risks if there are a lot of ships. Often it is not the first ship that is the problem but the ships following. Lets say there are three ships 1,2 & 3. 1 is nearest you and 2 is further back and 3 is ahead or behind 2 but traveling faster. You pass astern of 1, ahead of 2 but now 3 is a problem, you can't do a 180 because that would put you on a collision course with 2. Your options are difficult, slow down, stop or maintain course and speed. In any event you might find yourself a lot closer to the ship you and imagined. Now if the ships are approaching from port and 3 turns to starboard and you have stopped or slowed down..... There are lots of scenarios where it is possible to be where you don't want to be.

This was pre AIS days.
I was also once in a crossing situation with about 8 boats in equal numbers from both directions off Ostend. It was blowing quite hard and I didn't fancy heaving too whilst we waited. As always they appeared just where I was going to be at the same time.. and once we crossed the TSS there was not a ship in sight. How do they know to do that?