Your lucky it's not this bad ...

[trapezeartist]

What is this? Handbags at dawn?

 

[SmileyGiley]

ON THE OTHER HAND...

I will agree there are a significant percentage of PWC users who... shouldn't. There are also a number who are aware, considerate and safety conscious. One stopped me from doing something really stupid a few years back.

Thanks Mr Safety-conscious-reasonably-mouthed-PWC-user. You know who you are!

 

[Doghousekeeper]

What is this? Handbags at dawn?

Nah, not really. Just a simple moral issue. No-one would disagree that we all need to take responsibility for our actions, good or bad, and that part of the "discussion" is a given.

However - the rest of the post makes me very uncomfortable on 2 grounds.

Firstly the statement of loathing PWCs (and/or the people who ride them). That's just unhealthy and a generalisation that clearly and fortunately isn't shared by the more open-minded on the forum, who recognise that PWC riders aren't all bad even though there are some idiots amongst them

Secondly, and this is a big point for me, I'm deeply disturbed when someone proclaims a feeling of satisfaction in seeing someone else damage either themselves or their vessel. That's quite distasteful. I'd feel the same if it was a canoe, RIB, sailing dinghy, yacht or whatever that was damaged. I hoped the statement was a mistake so I challenged it, but now that the poster has confirmed that it did indeed make him feel satisfied when the PWC that was annoying him had an accident I find my sympathies moving more towards the jetskier.

The Germans have a word for his sort of attitude: it's either "schadenfreude" or "Nazi", take your pick

 

[steve350]

Nah, not really. Just a simple moral issue. No-one would disagree that we all need to take responsibility for our actions, good or bad, and that part of the "discussion" is a given.

However - the rest of the post makes me very uncomfortable on 2 grounds.

Firstly the statement of loathing PWCs (and/or the people who ride them). That's just unhealthy and a generalisation that clearly and fortunately isn't shared by the more open-minded on the forum, who recognise that PWC riders aren't all bad even though there are some idiots amongst them

Secondly, and this is a big point for me, I'm deeply disturbed when someone proclaims a feeling of satisfaction in seeing someone else damage either themselves or their vessel. That's quite distasteful. I'd feel the same if it was a canoe, RIB, sailing dinghy, yacht or whatever that was damaged. I hoped the statement was a mistake so I challenged it, but now that the poster has confirmed that it did indeed make him feel satisfied when the PWC that was annoying him had an accident I find my sympathies moving more towards the jetskier.

The Germans have a word for his sort of attitude: it's either "schadenfreude" or "Nazi", take your pick

Oh no, you're not at it again are you? I get up in the morning and now I'm a Nazi! Well let's just have a look at your post.

quote: "or the people who ride them"

This is fabrication. I have not said these words.

quote "That's just unhealthy and a generalisation that clearly and fortunately isn't shared by the more open-minded on the forum"

Is it unhealthy to dislike something? Are you a spokesman for open-minded people? I notice you talked of "us" and "ourselves" in an earlier post.

quote: "even though there are some idiots amongst them"

Here I agree with you Doghousekeeper. There are many decent and responsible PWC users but also the reckless and foolhardy.

quote: "feeling of satisfaction in seeing someone else damage either themselves or their vessel"

I have never mentioned damage to an individual. In an earlier post I said "as it turned out no one was hurt". As far as damage to the vessel goes then I imagine the operator assessed the risks involved and found them acceptable.

quote: "I hoped the statement was a mistake so I challenged it, but now that the poster has confirmed that it did indeed make him feel satisfied when the PWC that was annoying him had an accident"
As you are aware I said in a previous post my satisfaction was derived when they left the water.

Nazi indeed!

 

[Doghousekeeper]

Oh no, you're not at it again are you? I get up in the morning and now I'm a Nazi! Well let's just have a look at your post.

quote: "or the people who ride them"

This is fabrication. I have not said these words.

quote "That's just unhealthy and a generalisation that clearly and fortunately isn't shared by the more open-minded on the forum"

Is it unhealthy to dislike something? Are you a spokesman for open-minded people? I notice you talked of "us" and "ourselves" in an earlier post.

quote: "even though there are some idiots amongst them"

Here I agree with you Doghousekeeper. There are many decent and responsible PWC users but also the reckless and foolhardy.

quote: "feeling of satisfaction in seeing someone else damage either themselves or their vessel"

I have never mentioned damage to an individual. In an earlier post I said "as it turned out no one was hurt". As far as damage to the vessel goes then I imagine the operator assessed the risks involved and found them acceptable.

quote: "I hoped the statement was a mistake so I challenged it, but now that the poster has confirmed that it did indeed make him feel satisfied when the PWC that was annoying him had an accident"
As you are aware I said in a previous post my satisfaction was derived when they left the water.

Nazi indeed!

I suggest you remember those very wise words "When you find you're in a hole, stop digging"

Your post does not deserve any more reply than this. Good bye

 

[sea]

It's attitudes like that that drive wedges between the 'sailing' fraternity and the 'power' fraternity. You may not see the enjoyment of driving a PWC, but the PWC owners obviously do. As for the flippant 'they require no skill' that is not entirely true ... they may require less 'skill' to go forwards, but just like riding a bike, there is a HUGE difference in pottering along the road to some of the stunt biking that happens out there - so, whilst it doesn't take a lot of skill to ride a PWC, the rider may have a lot of skill and be able to do all sorts that you can't even think of.
Likewise - it doesn't take a lot of skill to sail a boat - infact you can teach someone to sail in an afternoon - but it takes a lot longer to get them any good at achieving any sort of efficiency - and many never learn that skill.

Personally I don't find PWC's attractive - although sometimes it would be handy to have one (or a small rib) - but then I like Jazz music which I know others cannot stand ...

Ouch handbags it really is!
I was also guilty of being very generalistic - i have my reasons but im sure i have probably met and chatted to people who enjoy these craft and have found them to be very nice people.

Give me a board and sail anytime (windsurfer) - nobody has issues with me doing 45+ when i make no noise, no wash and use hard earned skills to do so. They PWC's simply seem to annoy anyone in the vicinity. There is a big ocean out there, they can go round and round in circles anywhere they like and always choose to do so in the worst places. But the fact is, a jet-ski is for posing, and that is what they are going to do.

Of course i am being quite judgmental but i have had the misfortune of seeing one land on an unsuspecting surfer with stupidly bad consequences. (Not fatal by some miracle) The new models do 70+ mph now, and the fact of the matter is that the riders often don't realise they are on a killing machine. You have to do 3 tests to ride a motorbike of a similar power, yet i have seen kids riding these things on their own!

I don't actually want to tar all of them with the same brush, so i am sure that some people are very respectful of other craft and others right to have equal enjoyment of the water, but i just have not met any of them.

After a 30 minute ride in greece i can honestly say i was bored after 10. So i do feel sorry for those who spend a fortune on these things thinking they will be as much fun as they look.

And before it gets quoted, yes we all have an equal right to enjoy the water we frequent, but i have issues with people having fun and enjoyment at my or anyone else's expense when it is so easily avoided.