A gripe - The most unseamanlike vessels on the planet?

[chucklesR]

I've got a sailing buddy who has been sailing since childhood, taught me to sail, but certainly not how to skipper a boat.
His main bit of fun is to put his boat on collision courses with stink boaters and force them to give way, even (or expecially) if he has to tack to do it - in his view this teachs them the rules of the road.
As to licensing and registration - I prefer enforcement - but since the world runs on taxes and American's are adverse to paying for the goverment they want (because we are too busy paying for what we get) you can't have enforcement without rules, and people/resources to enforce them.
My slip owners are USCG Aux members who patrol weekly, both in the upper 70's and still very active; they just switched from SB to PB three years ago. They can't ticket, have no law enforcement powers at all, I'd change that and let them at least give a ticket.

And the next time I see a fishing boat anchored in the channel at the mouth or the Magothy River I will swear I'll run the dinghy back and cut his anchor rode. I had to dodge three boats this past weekend. Wonder what the law enforcement folks would do, ticket me, or thank me for clearing an obvious (and oblivious) hazard to navigation.
Okay, ranting done....

[Lancer28]

Good one! We had a lady in a pontoon boat who likes to park in the transient parking in the exact same space every time (at the very end of the pier). Let me add that there is no "special" parking at the transient dock; it is just first-come-first-serve business. She's just anal about where to park because it is easy to get into.

She is about 55 and a total skedge looking person - comes back to find a little 185 Sea Ray parked in "her space" so she docks in the next slip over and starts bitching. This is where I started paying attention as she looks around with her drunk husband (didn't see me sitting in the cockpit reading a magazine) and unites the sea ray, pushing it out into the cove where the wind blew it across and grounded it on the beach.

I was so mad that the park rangers said, "we didn't see it so we can't do anything," I went over at about 3AM and cut them free letting them float across and ground on the beach too. the best part was not hearing her screaming that woke me a few hours later the next morning, or the crowd that was watching from the marina (pointing and laughing), but that nobody would go over and help them pull it back off the beach. It was about 9AM before they were floating again.

That's my little "bad guy" story. Similar to what you should have done with that fishing boat!

[Lancer28]

I forgot to mention since I cut them free, I left the huge ugly wad of 1000 wraps around the cleats on the dock just so they knew it didn't happen on accident.

[thedudeistoocool]

A little off topic but I gotta ask

Lancer what kind of boat is your avatar - I think I want one !

[Lancer28]

Zeydon Z-60

[joeasburyp]

I think we (most) except purist..., are "stink pot's" at times: thinking about that most "bone head things I've done, were under power!" Yes that means more than one.
The difference, IMHO, is that all boating is sailing, and all boats sailed untill the late 1890's, therefore, we have one hell of a standard to live up to. Boating is a new term. This term has led to the mass production of afforable boats. Which leads to that "mass" thing.
Boat - OR - Sail,
Most ships, open sea or harbour, have an education to the craft. I.E. ( nav, tides, planning, thinking, ect..) Most sailors I know, like to read about these's (-)'s and master.
Boater's, ("stinkpots, megayatchs, sailors, cargo, ect") are a hazarad to sailing...we all need to look out. I would rather, give way and have a story to tell than repair my boat.
I am the only "Sailboat" at my marina in Dover, NH. So, the local pub is right there. And I would have to say that all "stink pots" are very considerable. Those that use the lauch, well that is a different and oppisite opinion.

I see it as a matter of Pride.

I can be the "BEST" sailor I can and accept and reaserch, untill I can.

Having driving a few PWC, My IQ drop's...there fun! But, one needs to be by themselfs. Fast boat, jetski, whatever, to fast to be close, without education.

Law's will not do any good, until we enforce the one's we already have. So, let's spend more money making more laws that we will never enforce. That big lake(can't spell unless I look up) southern NH, has just passed law's...difference being that most homes on the lake are 1/2 million or more, and the laws are enforced.

I sail in the coast of NH, and see more enforcement officers, and see that most do enforce or rules.

To end, I think that well all need to keep the tradition of sailing to far port's,
and am sure you have not heard of 3-4 Ft motor boats sailing across an ocean. Yet, Small sailboats, year after year, come from points far and wide.

With that, I have never meet a person from France, In NH, that came with the bottle of wine, IN a Bayliner 19Ft bowrider. A Flicka, yup, I can see that.

Thankyou to all "sailors out there...! ... Lead by Example" .

joe
New to me Tartan 27, #461

[Wayne25]

It doesn't take extra money to do the enforcement either. If the local existing marine police would set up randomly at the entrance to a marina and check the operators as they came in and enforce the existing laws, the stupidity would grind to a holt. Do the same thing at the usual spots where stupid things happen ( you know the places) and enforce the law, stupidity would stop. I shouldn't say stupidity. I should say lack of respect.

[Lancer28]

I've always been under the impression that a Boat goes ON a Ship... so for me, boat applies to anything dinghy or tender-esque...

I think we should really work on enforcement of current issues as a #1 thing to work on.
Next, how about requiring all boats to carry insurance (that could reduce my nerves about floating buttholes), in which the insurance companies require certain safety classes on a recurring basis. Sure, there are guys on the water like guys on the road who aren't insured, but maybe it will reduce the dummy factor?