yacht grounded on the Ecrehous

Sounds like a crab pot again.

FWIW I sent a FIO request to Solent Coastguard and this year (Up to the beginning of July) 10 boats have had to be rescued by Solent Coast guard caught/disabled by fishing gear. Clearly fishing gear is not well marked. The best marked crab pots are those off the north Brittany coast they have huge danbouys, you can't miss them. The only reason they do this is because the French clearly have a rule and enforce it.
 
There is lots of fishing gear around the Ecrehous. Some in use, some abandoned.

On my last trip there I got the anchor caught on the line joining a string of lobster pots - I was there first and the fisherman came and laid his pots around me. Having freed myself, I re-anchored elsewhere only to discover that it was now caught on another line (not sure if that one was fishing gear or an abandoned anchor line).
 
Talking about pots and fishing behaviour, I wonder if the forum has any comments on this experienced.

I was drifting down towards Berry Head from the south. About 200 yards ahead was a circa 35ft fishing boat laying pots. There was a pot some way off to port, one fine on the port bow and the fisher moved off about 40 yards or more to starboard where he laid/tended to other pots. I had scant steerage and was drifting with the tide. When I was about 20 yards away from the pot close to port the fisher opened up and started to circle. I suddenly realised that the pot I was watching suddenly had a 10 knot tide rushing past if and it was rapidly moving to starboard. Then the other pot to port started moving. I realised, of course that the pots were linked in a daisy chain and the fishing boat was towing the whole string across my bow.

Having circled and virtually enclosed me he then headed straight for me and hurled a tirade of abuse about yachties getting in his way. Was I stupid not to realise the whole string of pots might move as one, and if so how, with my engine stowed and 0.5 knots of boat speed plus a knot of tide, I should have avoided his gear?
 
jamesjermain said:
Talking about pots and fishing behaviour, I wonder if the forum has any comments on this experienced.

I was drifting down towards Berry Head from the south. About 200 yards ahead was a circa 35ft fishing boat laying pots. There was a pot some way off to port, one fine on the port bow and the fisher moved off about 40 yards or more to starboard where he laid/tended to other pots. I had scant steerage and was drifting with the tide. When I was about 20 yards away from the pot close to port the fisher opened up and started to circle. I suddenly realised that the pot I was watching suddenly had a 10 knot tide rushing past if and it was rapidly moving to starboard. Then the other pot to port started moving. I realised, of course that the pots were linked in a daisy chain and the fishing boat was towing the whole string across my bow.

Having circled and virtually enclosed me he then headed straight for me and hurled a tirade of abuse about yachties getting in his way. Was I stupid not to realise the whole string of pots might move as one, and if so how, with my engine stowed and 0.5 knots of boat speed plus a knot of tide, I should have avoided his gear?
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Yes, but instead of getting embroiled in argument, what you need is a fitted rope cutter.
 
VO5 said:
Yes, but instead of getting embroiled in argument, what you need is a fitted rope cutter.
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No point - I have a lifting outboard so either I don't catch lines or I can clear them from on board.

This is the first time I've come across a string of pots - presumably all on the sea bed, being towed as a unit. It seems a strange and damaging operation.
 
jamesjermain said:
This is the first time I've come across a string of pots - presumably all on the sea bed, being towed as a unit. It seems a strange and damaging operation.
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Are you sure they were pots? I'm no fisherman, but it sounds to me more like a net being drawn around a shoal of fish (which you happened to be directly above).

Pete
 
jamesjermain said:
Having circled and virtually enclosed me he then headed straight for me and hurled a tirade of abuse about yachties getting in his way. Was I stupid not to realise the whole string of pots might move as one, and if so how, with my engine stowed and 0.5 knots of boat speed plus a knot of tide, I should have avoided his gear?
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I would review what you do with your engine while under sail.

I would not personally want to be in a position where I could not just fire up the engine to get out of trouble.

My OB lives on a bracket on the transom that can be raised to get it out of the water for sailing, but it's only a few seconds to lower it and start it.
 
ProDave said:
I would review what you do with your engine while under sail.

I would not personally want to be in a position where I could not just fire up the engine to get out of trouble.

My OB lives on a bracket on the transom that can be raised to get it out of the water for sailing, but it's only a few seconds to lower it and start it.
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In an emergency it would take me about 10 seconds to get the outboard down and another 5 to get it started. But to link it properly into the steering system takes another10 seconds. The issue wasn't so much the time it takes to get motoring as the unexpected sight of a row of pots on the move suddenly and close under my bows.
 
prv said:
Are you sure they were pots? I'm no fisherman, but it sounds to me more like a net being drawn around a shoal of fish (which you happened to be directly above).

Pete
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That's a good point, Pete but each buoy had it's own marker and was clearly intended to be lifted independently, so I presumed it was because there was a pot at the end which would have needed emptying from time to time.
 
jamesjermain said:
That's a good point, Pete but each buoy had it's own marker and was clearly intended to be lifted independently, so I presumed it was because there was a pot at the end which would have needed emptying from time to time.
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I've definitely seen drawings of fishing gear with dan buoys on the ends of nets. But I suspect we need a comment from one of our resident pros really :)

Pete
 
jamesjermain said:
That's a good point, Pete but each buoy had it's own marker and was clearly intended to be lifted independently, so I presumed it was because there was a pot at the end which would have needed emptying from time to time.
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Think it is more likely to be a net and the marker is to show where the net has been laid. Pots are usually laid in strings with only one marker buoy which is the pick up point for lifting the whole string. That is why when somebody hooks one they often end up tethered to the bottom as they can't tow a whole string of pots.

Last time (a few weeks ago) this subject had a good airing here there were a surprising number of people he did not see poorly marked and located markers a problem and if you got into trouble it was your fault!
 
Tranona said:
Think it is more likely to be a net and the marker is to show where the net has been laid. Pots are usually laid in strings with only one marker buoy which is the pick up point for lifting the whole string.
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Actually I think they often have a buoy at each end of the string. Certainly in Cornwall we used to see them in pairs some distance apart.

I can imagine a boat deciding to drag the pots along the bottom to shift them, rather than bothering to lift and re-shoot. I've no idea if they actually do do this though - I've never seen it. It was the circling around that made me think it was a net.

Pete
 
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