Yachtsmen Carrying Knives (UK)

[Neil]

Looking at that pile of knives handed in in a knife amnesty....makes me ask one question....why would you hand in a kitchen knife ?....why not just put it back in the kitchen drawer

I went back to have another look at that pic: with apparently one or two exceptions, they are all kitchen knives including a fish table knife and a small pair of scissors! I'm sure there are parents in the area wondering where their carving knife got to, come Sunday's roast!

You can ban zombie blades, flick knives, gravity blades or whatever, but it'll never stop some thuggish youth taking a knife from their mother's kitchen drawer to slip it between the ribs of a rival.

 

[nevis768]

I went back to have another look at that pic: with apparently one or two exceptions, they are all kitchen knives including a fish table knife and a small pair of scissors! I'm sure there are parents in the area wondering where their carving knife got to, come Sunday's roast!

You can ban zombie blades, flick knives, gravity blades or whatever, but it'll never stop some thuggish youth taking a knife from their mother's kitchen drawer to slip it between the ribs of a rival.

Exactly, it's just a police publicity stunt instead of getting out there and doing some hard work and taking knives off thugs in the street.

 

[Bouba]

Exactly, it's just a police publicity stunt instead of getting out there and doing some hard work and taking knives off thugs in the street.

Are you saying that those knives are from the police canteen

 

[ImpImp]

Actually, if you read the posts by 'Walter' he was referring to the time well before 2011, referencing the military during the time of the Troubles. This Act came into force in 2011, there was no exemption before that, so you are incorrect. There was no Road Traffic exemption, at that time for military training. The Act produced an exemption for SF only, which also does not appear to be what the OP was referring to, or if it was, he didn't mention it. During that time, referred to in the posts in question, the police carried out the "high speed training" of the military SF, usually the Met. These courses were not carried out in NI for obvious reasons, which is also were 'Walter' claimed to have done them.

Your post to which you're replying is still wrong in almost every detail. As is is your assertion that the training was always carried out by the police (as in serving Police Officers/PS) and no the Met was often not the principle or even predominant supplier of instructors when police officers/staff were used. You're beginning to resemble a Thurber charter yourself.

 

[nevis768]

Your post to which you're replying is still wrong in almost every detail. As is is your assertion that the training was always carried out by the police (as in serving Police Officers/PS) and no the Met was not the principle or even predominant supplier of instructors when police officers/staff were used. You're beginning to resemble a Thurber charter yourself.

Please explain what I'm wrong about then, because you haven't done that, so nobody knows what you're talking about. Try using some evidence/examples instead of your completely unsubstantiated opinion. Start with the military exemption from the Road Traffic legislation which existed prior to 2011? Keep your personal insults to yourself, keyboard warrior.

 

[Refueler]

I seem to remember back when I joined ybw forum that there was a lot of fuss about the introduction of knife laws, meaning that one cannot carry a blade without lawful excuse. Many were outraged about the fact they may technically be breaking the law at times.

Just wondering if it has ever actually been a problem in practice. Has anyone on here ever been searched/ arrested, or do they directly know of anyone who has got into a trouble for carrying a knife intended for sailing?

I have a Special Permission Letter issued by Singapore Border Guards to allow me to carry 2 knives.

 

[Refueler]

What do you do in your everyday life that needs you to carry a knife - whereas most of us never need a knife outside of our kitchens?
Hardly a credible excuse of expecting to need to cut free of a seatbelt (more likely to need to escape the clutches of a Martian).

With so many people killed by knives (including tragically a young neighbour) what do you think gives you the right to flout the law?

I carry a folding Swiss Army knife ... 2" blade ....

It opens bottles .... boxes / letters / parcels I receive in post .... in fact today in last 3 hours I have used it 4x ....

 

[Bouba]

in fact today in last 3 hours I have used it 4x ....

Did you call them an ambulance?

 

[Rappey]

Yesterday i came across my 1st scenario where i needed a knife but didnt have one.
I towed a yacht to a mooring and really struggled to lift the pickup chain onto the boat.
Found it had a rope strop that had parted then completely unravelled tangling up the riser and pickup chain into a knotted ball under the mooring buoy.
All i had was a woodsaw . It took ages sawing each of the hundreds of strands. Oh for a knife !

 

[dunedin]

Yesterday i came across my 1st scenario where i needed a knife but didnt have one.
I towed a yacht to a mooring and really struggled to lift the pickup chain onto the boat.
Found it had a rope strop that had parted then completely unravelled tangling up the riser and pickup chain into a knotted ball under the mooring buoy.
All i had was a woodsaw . It took ages sawing each of the hundreds of strands. Oh for a knife !

But surely everybody keeps a knife in a toolbox on their boat for such situations? Just don’t carry it around on shore.

 

[Refueler]

Yesterday i came across my 1st scenario where i needed a knife but didnt have one.
I towed a yacht to a mooring and really struggled to lift the pickup chain onto the boat.
Found it had a rope strop that had parted then completely unravelled tangling up the riser and pickup chain into a knotted ball under the mooring buoy.
All i had was a woodsaw . It took ages sawing each of the hundreds of strands. Oh for a knife !

Just inside companionway of my 25 - the sheath is pinned to side of engine box and carries a 10" Bowie knife - ready for action.

My 38 - has two Fiska Fishing knives - one in the tool box - other in the bottom draw at chart station.

In my workshop I have this .....

A present - which TBH - I never wanted.

 

[WoodyP]

I carry a knife every day and use it several times for cutting bale strings, opening feed bags etc. l don't remove it from my work clothes if going places, but don't carry it going to town.. l did however lose a knife at the airport returning from a delivery trip. It was a mini Swiss army on my keyring.

 

[Bristolfashion]

I can't imagine ever being without a knife ..

The minimum is a tiny, folding, non-locking (and therefore legal) swiss army knife - tooth pick, tweezers, scissors, nail file, small flat screwdriver. My man about town knife.

My "regular carry" is a larger (still legal) swiss army knife. This goes on a spare boot lace around my neck with a whistle. My hiking/camping knife. This one also has a very useful spectacle screwdriver screwed into the corkscrew.

In general, I also have a Leatherman in the house/ boat / tent where I'm staying. (Not a legal carry).

If anyone wonders why, here are some recent/frequent uses ....

Removing splinters
Keeping nails short (mine tend to break)
Cutting haybales to feed sheep
Opening chicken food bags
Grabbing the removal tabs on a fuel filter
Cutting tomatoes & cheese for lunch
Opening a can
Stripping a wire
Making a hole in leather
Cutting a small branch to make a peg
Removing screws to access a leak on a boat

I'm pretty sure that not a day would go by without one of these being pressed into service.

I'm not knife fetishist - a rigging knife, sailors knife, sloyde knife & hook knife complete the set - oh, and I suppose there's a Stanley knife in the toolbox.

 

[dunedin]

I can't imagine ever being without a knife ..

The minimum is a tiny, folding, non-locking (and therefore legal) swiss army knife - tooth pick, tweezers, scissors, nail file, small flat screwdriver. My man about town knife.

My "regular carry" is a larger (still legal) swiss army knife. This goes on a spare boot lace around my neck with a whistle. My hiking/camping knife. This one also has a very useful spectacle screwdriver screwed into the corkscrew.

In general, I also have a Leatherman in the house/ boat / tent where I'm staying. (Not a legal carry).

If anyone wonders why, here are some recent/frequent uses ....

Removing splinters
Keeping nails short (mine tend to break)
Cutting haybales to feed sheep
Opening chicken food bags
Grabbing the removal tabs on a fuel filter
Cutting tomatoes & cheese for lunch
Opening a can
Stripping a wire
Making a hole in leather
Cutting a small branch to make a peg
Removing screws to access a leak on a boat

I'm pretty sure that not a day would go by without one of these being pressed into service.

I'm not knife fetishist - a rigging knife, sailors knife, sloyde knife & hook knife complete the set - oh, and I suppose there's a Stanley knife in the toolbox.

Most of us open tins, make lunch etc at home or on a boat, and similarly do jobs at home or on boat. So we survive by using kitchen implements, tool boxes etc. Never had to open a can when walking along the street

 

[Bristolfashion]

Most of us open tins, make lunch etc at home or on a boat, and similarly do jobs at home or on boat. So we survive by using kitchen implements, tool boxes etc. Never had to open a can when walking along the street

On a small boat, every bit of space counts - why carry an extra item? In addition, sometimes it's just more convenient to have the tool to hand than to go below & unearth the tool kit.

I've tightened up the odd screw (and done other minor repairs) for friends & family - and even in places we're staying in using these basic bits of kit.

When we're cycle touring, kayaking or hiking, I'm certainly not going to carry a tool roll - scissors, kitchen knife, saw, can opener, screwdrivers, tweezers etc when one small, high quality tool does the lot.

I guess that you've never camped if you've never opened at bottle or can away from home. If you've got a swiss army knife, you can knock up a nice sandwich or salad from the most basic of supplies. We've even occasionally done this in a hotel when we can't be fagged to eat out - a few nice bits from the shop, a knife and Bob's your uncle. Of course, having a bottle and no corkscrew would be a disaster.

Wheelbarrowing feed to stock & then forgetting the knife to open the feed is a PITA.

As a musician, the tiny swiss army knife has sorted out a few broken/snagged fingernails over the years.

I've got a head torch where it's impossible to get the last battery out with your fingers - a doddle with the little screwdriver on the knife.

Good for harvesting all sorts of "food for free"

The emergency pen on the SWK has been handy a few times and the knife even has a pin - good for impromptu winkle eating!

It's an endless list really.

Whilst, of course, it's each to his own, I can't really understand why everyone doesn't have some basic kit with them.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Lawful occasions is the phrase. The police may or may not not like one carrying a knife but they are Order not Law, and the beak (The Law) would not be impressed by vexacious arrests and will rebuke the police. I have seen it in court and also had it recounted to me concerning tools in a motorcyclists jacket.

As I have said earlier no policeman has ever quered me openly carrying axes saws, knives and other sharp objects - perhaps if i inexplicably took them to a dance hall I would needs to have a very very good excuse. A sailor travelling to a from his boat may need a knife for lines etc - just put it away after use and dont wave it menacingly round the pub - that is not lawful

 

[dunedin]

……..

I guess that you've never camped if you've never opened at bottle or can away from home. If you've got a swiss army knife, you can knock up a nice sandwich or salad from the most basic of supplies. We've even occasionally done this in a hotel when we can't be fagged to eat out - a few nice bits from the shop, a knife and Bob's your uncle. Of course, having a bottle and no corkscrew would be a disaster.

………..

Funnily enough I have camped. But I don’t tend to walk around on a daily basis with a stove, pans, plate etc. Or indeed a tent in my coat pocket. So I would pack what I need for camping - though also if taking tins probably choose ring pull ones for the purpose.
Don’t need to carry stuff everyday for things that are exceptions, otherwise would need a backpack every time I went out.

 

[rotrax]

A lot of bollocks going on here.

I ALWAYS have my 'Officer Suisse' Swiss Army Knife in my pocket unless going through an airport.

I cannot imagine a policeman censuring a 76 year old with an unblemished record for keeping it concealed in his pocket. I can easily show that the pocket knife is valuable and useful in my daily life.

If he did, I know enough about the law to robustly defend my position. If charged, I cannot see a bench of magistrates upholding such a charge.

Laws are made with specific intent. Also, in the words of a philosopher, 'Laws are made for the guidance of wise men and the blind obedience of fools'.

You know, and I know, exactly who these laws are aimed at.

Not many who use this forum would be among them.

 

[capnsensible]

I go for an hours walk most days. I don't take a wallet. Or a mobile phone. Or a knife of any sort.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I go for an hours walk most days. I don't take a wallet. Or a mobile phone. Or a knife of any sort.

Well that is not sensible at all. If you had an accident now one would know who to contact or the basics for accessing your medical record. And if you dropped down dead how would they put out a notice for relatives

Me, I have never left house without purse or wallet as who knows what cake fruit or item I might see that takes my fancy. Maybe all your walks are in treat free environments