Yacht Skipper accused obstructing warship

sea said:
TamarMike said:
I also recall a rescue by the CG, when windsurfing you don't have a radio or phone etc so when a rescue boat turns up it has been called by someone else. He refused to get in the RIB, they refused to leave him alone. So he gave up and climbed in, at that same moment the CG took out an axe, and proceeded to put it clean through his mast (90% carbon) probably about £1800's worth. As you can imagine he was fuming and the coast guards found it quite amusing, as did we watching from the shore!
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Can you expand on this it makes no sense why someone who didn't need to be rescued would be and why they would then vandalise if mast, was it some kind of on the spot punishment?
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Seven Spades said:
sea said:
Can you expand on this it makes no sense why someone who didn't need to be rescued would be and why they would then vandalise if mast, was it some kind of on the spot punishment?
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i actually posted that, the guy in question actually posed no threat to the shipping movments. However he was a good way off the shore, and with an outgoing tide was quite likely to end up in more trouble. There comes a point when you have to give up and swim he just didn't. As they were called out to attend a rescue in their mind they WERE going to rescue him full stop. In his, he didnt want the embaressment of returning to us lot on the shore in a RIB.

Cut a not very interesting story short, in order to fit his rig in the RIB it had to be folded in half (not sure why) so the easiest way to do so was stick an axe through it. He was fuming, we were laughing. Could not comment on the thought process of the CG. But i assume life is more valuable than £££'s.
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I dont find that funny.

I would have been really p!ssed off with the CG for doing that.

The mast could easily have stuck out of the RIB and been transported that way, or lashed on to the side!!.
That sounds like it was vindictive on the part of the CG.

Mind you I possibly do nort know the whole story.

As a [former] windsurfer (not sure if the chaps board was a sinker or a floater) witha floater, I always told that if the sail tore or wishbone was damages,, the vbest thing to do was take the sail off the mast.
Fold it up if you can (if not dump it) then use the mast as a double ended paddle and paddle to safety.
Or lay all the mast/wishbone/sail on the board and lie on top and breast stroke to safety.
 
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Gosh, the perils (and arguments!) of having such a diverse range of water borne craft all wanting to occupy approximately the same area of water, all going in different directions, at enormously different velocities, and all sometimes wondering about who has to give way to who.....
This comment could equally have been posted in relation to the Solent rather than on the Tamar - and many other popular sailing / boating / shipping areas around Britain as well.

Looking on it as an outsider now - it is nice to know that there is such a effective rescue organisation (RNLI, MOD Police, Voluntary groups et al) in place around the country - although some (like the chappie with the carbon mast above) might argue that they are too effective at times.....
I can hear the cry "Sod off! I don't want to be rescued!"
'Nah mate, tough, we are here to rescue you, and we are going to do our job, so shut up and be grateful".

I used to be a keen windsurfer here many moons ago - your sense of self preservation is increased 10 fold when you realise there are no rescue services keeping an eye out for you, and if anything happens (eg mast foot U/J breaks) and you cannot paddle in against the wind and current, then you just have to hope that a fisherman will find you as you start drifting the 100 miles west to St Vincent......

Although I would agree with Rum that I would be a tad miffed if my rescuers chopped my stick in half in order to rescue me - it only takes a few minutes to release the outhaul on the boom, dis-connect the boom from the mast, take the battens out of the sail and then roll the sail up on the mast.
And the mast could then have been stowed longitudinally on the RIB. Possibly. Unless other extenuating factors were involved.
 
Rum_Pirate said:
I dont find that funny.

I would have been really p!ssed off with the CG for doing that.

The mast could easily have stuck out of the RIB and been transported that way, or lashed on to the side!!.
That sounds like it was vindictive on the part of the CG.

Mind you I possibly do nort know the whole story.

As a [former] windsurfer (not sure if the chaps board was a sinker or a floater) witha floater, I always told that if the sail tore or wishbone was damages,, the vbest thing to do was take the sail off the mast.
Fold it up if you can (if not dump it) then use the mast as a double ended paddle and paddle to safety.
Or lay all the mast/wishbone/sail on the board and lie on top and breast stroke to safety.
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You are exactly right with the self rescue system of de-rigging and laying it all on the board, your hands will work just fine as paddles, it is possible to make a good couple of miles like that without any issues. He was on a sinker (under 100l), and not a small guy at that. I would have been mega p!ssed off if it were me but knowing a little about the guy, i can safely say he would have been less than friendly to the CG, the guys in the rib were part of the voulenteer section if that makes a difference i dont know.

But i can not possibly comment any further as it all took place a good way away. And upon returning to shore he was not in the mood to explain. I know he was going to try and claim for the mast, which went on to rip the sail. And i also know how easy it is to transport a windsurfer in 1 peice on a RIB after running a safety boat in Greece for a summer.

Dont get me wrong, if it was anyone else we would have all been quite upset with their actions, but i imagine he bought it on himself.
 
Bajansailor said:
Gosh, the perils (and arguments!) of having such a diverse range of water borne craft all wanting to occupy approximately the same area of water, all going in different directions, at enormously different velocities, and all sometimes wondering about who has to give way to who.....
This comment could equally have been posted in relation to the Solent rather than on the Tamar - and many other popular sailing / boating / shipping areas around Britain as well.

Looking on it as an outsider now - it is nice to know that there is such a effective rescue organisation (RNLI, MOD Police, Voluntary groups et al) in place around the country - although some (like the chappie with the carbon mast above) might argue that they are too effective at times.....
I can hear the cry "Sod off! I don't want to be rescued!"
'Nah mate, tough, we are here to rescue you, and we are going to do our job, so shut up and be grateful".

I used to be a keen windsurfer here many moons ago - your sense of self preservation is increased 10 fold when you realise there are no rescue services keeping an eye out for you, and if anything happens (eg mast foot U/J breaks) and you cannot paddle in against the wind and current, then you just have to hope that a fisherman will find you as you start drifting the 100 miles west to St Vincent......

Although I would agree with Rum that I would be a tad miffed if my rescuers chopped my stick in half in order to rescue me - it only takes a few minutes to release the outhaul on the boom, dis-connect the boom from the mast, take the battens out of the sail and then roll the sail up on the mast.
And the mast could then have been stowed longitudinally on the RIB. Possibly. Unless other extenuating factors were involved.
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Hi, i agree with nothing more to add. I think you got the "Sod off im not being rescued" bit correct. And maybe as they were the voulenteer section they were a bit too keen to make a rescue, again i would not like to comment.

All i would say is that any windsurfer within a river should have suitable knowlege and skill to get out of any equipment failure. Although with no VHF and mostly without a lifejacket, yes your self preservation really kicks in big time. BUT this can be easily avoided by sailing with a buddy, twice a sailing friend has knocked off or lost his fin, and muggins here had to get back to the car to retreive a replacment and screwdriver then help him fit it in the middle of god knows where! That alone certainly saved HMCG a rescue or two and probably a mast aswell!
 
"Mr Bishop... said that the prosecution had been the talk of the yachting community in Plymouth and had also been widely discussed on the internet."
 
I love the quotes in the newspaper article:
An MoD police spokeswoman said: "It is not our practice to enter into a public discussion about an individual case once the matter has been sent to a prosecuting authority.
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In other words "We don't like talking about our cock-ups"

"MoD police officers on the marine unit ask small vessels to move out of the way of a large naval vessel on a regular basis. We normally have no difficulty with this. Sailors understand that we have a job to do and are generally happy to comply without any fuss."
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In other words "It is standard practice for MoD police officers to push people around. Most sailors know that we regard ourselves as above the law, and are so cowed that they usually do as they are told"

A victory for common sense, the rule of law, and the rights of the individual.
And the Navy don't seem to be too worried about it, if they couldn't be bothered to send anyone home to give evidence. The only question now is who is going to pay compensation to the victim for the time, money, and stress that has been forced to waste because of some MoD Plod's inflated ego.
 
Sorry but its stuck at two.

Today's appearance would be to take a plea and set a date for the trial. No need for witnesses to attend.

The police cannot make any comment as it would be sub judice. Not breaking the law would seem to be a sensible policy for the police.

Since the trial hasn't yet taken place I can't see any victory for anyone.

W'll just have to wait and see what the trial brings.
 
Beadle said:
Sorry but its stuck at two.
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I'm not so sure.

Beadle said:
The police cannot make any comment as it would be sub judice. Not breaking the law would seem to be a sensible policy for the police.
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It would be a very sensible policy. Yet they did make a not-very-thinly-veiled comment: "MoD police officers on the marine unit ask small vessels to move out of the way of a large naval vessel on a regular basis. We normally have no difficulty with this. Sailors understand that we have a job to do and are generally happy to comply without any fuss."

Their meaning with regard to this case isn't exactly subtle is it?

Beadle said:
W'll just have to wait and see what the trial brings.
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"Sailor 'vindicated' after case dropped" might be a hint that a wait for a trial might be rather long.
 
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