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stella1412

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Hello all,

you may remember me and my husband are pretty new to this motorboat business! We bought our first boat in January and we are taking things easy, learning the ropes, the boat etc etc. We had a 2 day course which helped, but there is nothing like going it alone!

Well today, we had our first experience of .....dare I say it, Yachties! Unreal! and what an experience. We were going through Gillingham when all of a sudden they were everywhere! crossing in front of us, behind us, inches to spare! Seemingly not a care in the world as we tried our utmost to avoid them, having to stop the boat completely a couple of times. My husband was quite laid back - he has seen it all before, he used to sail boats a few years back - but as for me, well I was just in shock and thought they all had a death wish! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif)

no offence meant to yachties - just wanted to share my experience!

Stella
 
Think back to when you passed your driving test, and set off into the nearest big town. Bit scary for a while, but then you learnt to drive in those conditions.

Boating is the same, you need experience. Your husband seems a bit more experienced, hence able to cope better. It will come with time. Just remember the colregs and use common sense.
 
This is the disadvantage of "Power gives way to sail" Sailing boats are more constrained in their ability to manouver and often have much greater draft than a mobo.

If they were racing they will have had their brains removed to lighten the boat. Read the racing rules (excellent if you are an insomniac) to help you understand what the are doing (NOT)
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

PS I'm a cruising yottie so I see mobos as friends, until they plane past, throwing my grandchildren overboard with their wash. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
I've crossed over from demon wind to devilish motor.
Your hubby will have the same advantage. Yachts can't always maintain a steady course. Constrained by a deepish keel and the fact that the wind is pressing them ever closer to a shallow area they don't want to visit, or a shift in the wind direction which makes them go one way, or the other, it can seem that they are changing direction for the hell of it. Sometimes, even in deep water they suddenly change direction. But it may be because they are about to move into a wind shadow and want to avoid that, or it's the right time to take advantage of the wind direction for their next beat. Just plan to pass behind them and you shouldn't have too much trouble. It's just a turn of the wheel to a stinky.
Honest, astern is much, much more preferable to across the bow.
 
High performance racing dinghies are the best.

They launch, and lurk in the shallows at the side of the channel, preparing their rigging.

Then, at some random time, they haul in and take off without notice, sometimes in packs, accelerating to 15-20kts in the blink of an eye diagonally across the channel, expecting the traffic (motoring yachts, and mobos, all restricted to 8kts) to somehow "give way". Ummm, Yes, as if four and a half tonnes of fibreglass is going to go, where: upwards?

dv.
 
Yes. I can see all these things work out well on Windermere. But not on a Harbour entrance on say the south coast. Thousands of kids in dingies, demanding right of way. If it's sencible ok. If not. They get out of my way, I'm sorry, but thats how it is. Constriced in manuverng and depth. I'm not arsing about, working out whether I can get over this rock or that. so the kids can carry on playing. Hard luck. Just as I will give way if there racing, a few bleeps on my horn, should tell them to keep away

A couple of times, Iv'e been down on one engine. Needing the HM or maina guy to push me into a berth.

Before you start, one engine at ons side, is not same as one in the middle.

It's crap, yes it may be difficult, but achievable. I had an Osprey on Windermere in my early days of sailing. Turn on a sixpence. If it did not dunk you in the water.
 
You've made very clear over many years that you won't conform, and that you are a maverick. You won't undertake any basic training, as it bores you. You won't get a radio licence. Do you have a licence for radar?

You can easily avoid the kids in their dinghy's but it suits you not too?

You keep bleating on about dinghies, and how you've been in them in the past, but seem to have no sympathies at all.
 
Hi Stella

you do get used to it in time - sure helps if you treat it as a challenge to miss them all smoothly w/o slowing/stopping & w/o getting annoyed with 'em. I enjoy it now, but certainly remember how impossible it once seemed to get through them all safely.
 
Dingies are not Yotties really, if there is any breeze to work with they can make better speed in a channel than we can as mentioned by quick acceleration.

They all have lifting centre boards so they have no draft issues. As for ability to manouver, yes they can ALL turn on a sixpence. The real point is that they don't have to as power generally gives way. There may be times however, when they could be overpowered or with very little wind unable to move, then they will have a whole different set of handling problems.

Yotties on the other hand, if experienced, will usually be under power in small harbour which makes them a mobo! Don't get confused just coz there's a sail up. If they're moving forward with the sails flapping, they must be motoring!

If the channel out to sea is wide enough and the wind is pretty much across their intended path they will then choose to sail because they won't have to tack, but in this case they will hold as straight a course and speed as we would all the way out to sea. Out there, take extra care as yotties don't look backwards as 'overtaking yachts must keep clear.'

To be fair, just be patient, for as many times that they wind you up, you will upset them out at sea with your wake etc. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
You were lucky to only encounter the one set (gaggle) of yachts - it seems that they travel in packs and are hell bent on aiming for any mobo that is passing or near to - even if they have just changed tack - and a mobo is crossing astern of them - they will immediately turn again and head for your bow - apparently that is the fun of yachting!!! Crouch has about 4 launch points for these yachties - and sometimes they prey in packs with about 3 or 4 deliberately heading for you and they have such a colourful language too - on one occasion last season - there was one little persistant b^^ger that kept changing direction each time i made an avoiding manouver - ie Id turn to port to go astern of him he changed tack immediately - then Id change and turn to starboard to go astern of him and he immediately changed tack - in fact at one point I was actually going in reverse to get away from him and he came after me - eventually he got really close no matter what I did and was a good distance away from his fellow yachties, he almost came along side and was yelling abuse in general about Mobos and they should not be allowed on the river etc etc when the rib that was sort of sheparding them raced over to him, had a few words with him which I could not hear which was followed by him making his way to the launch point with the rib in tow .... a little while later the rib came up behind us and appologised for this guys behaviour ... .... sll in a days outing mind you ... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I think yots should be fitted with indicators and brake lights.

Yesterday I was observing the 5 knot speed limit when a yot came thundering up on my stern quarter, he tacks and comes straight at me, but has to course change to miss me. I am grateful that he managed to scream some helpful instructions to me as he passsed my bow, which included some facts , all erroneous, about my parents marital status.

I just smiled and waved cheerily.

Another one told me to 'have a care' when he nearly ran me down. I fully admit I was not keeping a lookout and was actually making a cup of tea at the time.

I am now concerned that the anchor ball I was displaying may have caught the wind and made me swing on my anchor.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Yesterday I was observing the 5 knot speed limit when a yot came thundering up on my stern quarter, he tacks and comes straight at me, but has to course change to miss me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sound like you are in the right and as overtaking boat the yacht should have given way to you. It isn't always power boats in the wrong!!
 
Making tea? That's a bit cavalier when there's yachts to look out for.
If he was heading at you the least you could have done would be to cast off your anchor chain and move aside. You can always buy another, you know.
 
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