Hmm, this has been bothering me for a long time. Sailboat on sailboat. I am motoring out of the Marina, staying all the way to the right, going very slow, a knot or two. I see a folk boat tacking into the marina, back and forth, hes got no motor, and its common practice here for the racers to show off and sail into their slips. I am as far to the right as can be and as slow as I can be, and I don't want to stop completely because of the tidal current and the rocks. I know he has the right of way. But this guy continues to tack all the way over in front of me every time, there is plenty of room to go short and I am thinking he is just waiting to do it on the last tack, but no. The last tack he goes all the way in front of me again, and I will hit him as he tacks back. So I punch the engine and steer hard to port. He missed me, luckily. But what an A-hole, share the damn fairway! I stared him down, but he wouldn't even look at me.
I guess my point is, it ain't just stinkpots.
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Great men always have too much sail up. - Christopher Buckley
Vaya con Dios
Last edited by bestfriend : 11-12-2007 at 08:22 PM.
I can share your anxiety over that exchange bf, happens a lot over here as well. It's unfortunate that some fellow sailboaters will test their rights to the limit, even when confronted with another s/v under power.
There are azzholes at both camps. But you must admit, the scales are disbalanced
__________________ True Blue . . .
sold the Nauticat
Hello everyone,
There are rules of the road, regulations of operation, and then the real life situations...
I respect everyone's right to enjoy water. However, there have been certain moments that I thought I'd just start carrying a 2 pounder cannon aboard!
Example 1: As I'm sailing through the draw bridge on CT river, couple of jet skiers are stopped right under the draw bridge. As you would expect that the draw bridge passage is narrow as it's and there is a sailboat traffic that has been circling around waiting for the draw bridge to open... Oh yeah, you cannot stop for leisure on those locations the law says... Yet I swear to God those dumbasses were there to give us a hard time passing through!
What would you do? How do you report those idiots?
I just blasted my horn as I was passing by... So did others...
Example 2: Powerboaters who don't care about smaller watercraft or sailing vessels... Especially those cigarette boats! Are you guys simply too used to take their wakes? As I was sailing up the river, where certain passages are narrowed down by depth, the powerboaters pass by 18-20 knots and leaving a 1-2ft of wake for me to take sideways, because no room to manuever around...
A daysailing becomes a rafting adventure on weeekends... What do you do with those a..holes? I mean they act like respectful operators when there is a River patrol or Coast guard boat around!
Example 3: At the end of the CT river, there is a narrow passage with no wake zone. Powerboaters (some a.. holes at least) try to pass you by forcing you towards the rocks... What the heck?!?
I almost crush on rocks once, as this a..hole was keep coming towards me on my port side...
So, what to do here? Do we come together and attack those powerboaters like pirates? Do we report them? I don't know what to do other than get a cannon on board and shout: "Fire!"... (Just kidding...)
First things first... Why were you sailing through the draw bridge????
It sounds like you have a smaller sailboat??? (under 25 ft.??) Most of those big stink boats aren't cheap and in the end they generally don't want you hitting them and leaving a scratch. If I were you I'd stop yielding so easily.
__________________
"I won't insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.”
-William F. Buckley, Jr.
Merrtan I've a 30ft boat and get tossed by 40 -60 powerboats plowing a wake 4ft high! Many just get as close as they can on purpose, others just have to pass in front of the sailboat. I've had them do that in 6ft of water! No matter what .. they just have to get in front!.
The CG around here says they don't get enough complaints. They added that the best way is to take pics of the boat. the dangerous manuver, and the regs numbers on the boat and then send it in to the CG.
They are responsible for their wake but most dn't know/care. Our YC is on the river and the shipping channel. Th ships don't make as much wake as the stinkpots.
Again.. not much you can do about it. It will most likely get you into a bigger boat sooner LOL!
This where video cameras are a big help.... You'd be amazed at how much better a response you get from the USCG and local authorities if you have video of the bastages doing something stupid.
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Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
If you're new to the Sailnet Forums... please read this POST.
Being a professional seaman, I've worked both sides of the fence. And found that there are sailboaters that push their luck and right of ways to much.
Have had them cross my bows. Watching them closely I see that flurry of activity in the cockpit that tells me that they are coming about. I reach over and throttle back to neutral then start backing down hard. and when the vessel I'm commanding is at a complete stop I go out on the bridge wing and look down at the fool. He hollows: "Get out of my way I am in a race!" Yet he had put his boat and crew at risk by crossing the bow of a power vessel and then coming about again with the intention of crossing again at close quarters with no idea of our closing rates in speed. Have had sailboats under power with the sails "DOWN" and claiming right of way because they are a "sailboat."
I've taught sailing at the Navy Yacht Club in San Diego. Have owned my own sailboat (Catalina 30) and am planning on getting another sailboat.
So I've seen fools on both sides of the fence. But if you are damaged, injured and/or felt endangered by the actions or wakes of any vessels passing by, then you should call the LEOs and report the vessel by Name, type and present course they are on. We should be courteous on the waters, mainly to ensure the safety of those around us and our own safety, Sail or Power.
And Watch out for the really big ships also. They can't see you if you are too close to them. They really can not see you. Rule of thumb: If you can't see the wheel house clearly then they can not see you. Use the VHF and let them know where you are at in relation to them
First things first... Why were you sailing through the draw bridge????
It sounds like you have a smaller sailboat??? (under 25 ft.??) Most of those big stink boats aren't cheap and in the end they generally don't want you hitting them and leaving a scratch. If I were you I'd stop yielding so easily.
To get back to my docking... I waited till it opened and started to pass beneath the bridge. What's wrong with that?
BTW, once my or anybody elses life on board is challanged by those guys, I don't care who he/she is, how much is that piece of plastic costs!
There have to be a regulation for education for how many HP one should be allowed to use... For Christ sake, I wouldn't let those idiots use an RC boat!
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Materialism: Buying the things we don't need, with money we don't have, to impress people who don't matter.
Gotcha
As you would expect that the draw bridge passage is narrow as it's and there is a sailboat traffic that has been circling around waiting for the draw bridge to open... Oh yeah, you cannot stop for leisure on those locations the law says... Yet I swear to God those dumbasses were there to give us a hard time passing through!
Denise, Bristol PA, Oday 30
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