[MtHopeBay]

We had Columbus Day Regatta this past weekend and had, I think, 25 boats in our little bay. We (committee boat) went out at 1100 on Saturday and set up our markers. There were crab pots everywhere as usual and the Coast Guard Auxilliary let them know that they were on a race course and should move. I didn't hear any griping near us but I'm sure there was some but they all either went in or moved up bay and we had racing all afternoon.

On Sunday word had gotten out that we were racing again and there were very few crabbers around. But as we were setting up the committee boat and course markers, one salty old crabber moved right into the finish line area and started dropping pots. One salty sailor sidled her boat up next to the crabber and let him know about the regatta, our Coast Guard permit, finish line, etc. Salty Crabber got salty with the Salty Sailor and so she just sidled away and said "have a great day crabbing".

Sailboats were soon everywhere around us getting ready to race. Dodging the little crabber and his pots and then one fast sailor, a Santana 20 I think, went by fast and then just like in the cartoons slowed to a halt like it snagged a rubber band. It went slinging back ward and a crew member deftly reached overboard and sliced the buoy line. Off they went, away went the buoy and off went Salty Crabber's short fuse. He pulled up his pots and went off to find a CG Aux boat to gripe to. They told him he was warned, there's a race, a permit, etc. Problem solved.

I wouldn't advocate it on non-race day, but it worked yesterday. I'm pretty sure the S20 did it intentionally too because the crew member with the knife was too quick to cut the line for it to be unintentional.

 

[sailingdog]

Brilliant!!!

 

[erps]

That's too bad. If that was typical commercial crab gear, the guy is probably out almost $300. If he was using a floating line, I would say he was partially negligent.

 

[Michael K]

I'm not a racer for the most part, but it seems to me we need to hold a lot more of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MtHopeBay]

"Recreational" crabber

That's too bad. If that was typical commercial crab gear, the guy is probably out almost $300. If he was using a floating line, I would say he was partially negligent.

Salty Crabber is a "recreational" crabber. Since he was warned that racing sailboats in a regatta with a CG permit were using the area for a finish line, I think he was willfully negligent. He was lucky he didn't injure someone's boat or crew. He still might be out $150 for the pot, line and buoy.

 

[erps]

Does the regatta permit gave the participants exclusive use of a particular patch of water?

While I would agree that the crabber was a jerk to exercise his state license permit to fish in a manner that interfered with the regatta's permited use of the same patch of water, I don't agree that taking the man's property to make the point is right. It's too bad folks on both sides behaved that way.

edit:

I just googled regatta permit. Interesting. A permit is required if you are going to have an event that presents a hazard to navigable waters. The crabber does not need a marine event permit, as he was already engaged in lawful conduct. So it's actually the regatta that is infringing and creating a hazard to other boaters, so much so that the government require them to get a permit.

Homeport:* Marine Event Permits.

 

[scottyt]

this is why i am mounting twin 50 cal's on my boat with remote triggers. i plan on sinking the floats before i get to em.

oh wait this is not the "do you pack a gun" thread.

personally everybody has rights to the water, the crabber has rights too. but he was inconsiderate to not move the pots, and got what karma dictated.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

Middle River is crab pot central. Even in the marked "float free" channels. I try to avoid them, but if i snag one I usually have to cut it off.

 

[ssneade]

I'm not a racer for the most part, but it seems to me we need to hold a lot more of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that particular crabber was an a$$hole. he was given prior knowledge of the race and chose to do what he did. in so doing, he got what he deserved. especially if only a "recreational crabber". but, my advice is not to go around cutting corks just because they're in your way. most of those guys are out there to make a living and don't take too kindly to such behavior. good thing there was a cg official nearby, else there could've been a different outcome. being a waterman from years gone by, i know situations like that can become ugly. so, use caution.......

 

[sailingdog]

In certain parts of Maine, a shotgun is often a response to someone cutting pot buoys...

 

[NCC320]

Cutting the crab pot lines isn't very helpful from a ecological standpoint. The markerless crab pot now lies on the bottom forever (at least until it rusts away) as a death trap for crabs and fish that get caught in it and can't escape. In our area, the crabbers seem to be ever more moving into waters that they previously avoided (including encroaching on channels). Once you accidently snag one, often the only way to get free is to cut it off, however. Still, careful helming can avoid almost all of them in daylight hours. Remember, the water belongs to everyone. Just as the crabber and crab pots inconvenienced the racers, the racers were inconveniencing the crabbers. And they both inconvenience me, a non racer. Perhaps I will demand my rights in the future and sail through both areas, taking out anything that gets in my way...that would be standing up for my rights, wouldn't it?

 

[ssneade]

Cutting the crab pot lines isn't very helpful from a ecological standpoint. The markerless crab pot now lies on the bottom forever (at least until it rusts away) as a death trap for crabs and fish that get caught in it and can't escape. In our area, the crabbers seem to be ever more moving into waters that they previously avoided (including encroaching on channels). Once you accidently snag one, often the only way to get free is to cut it off, however. Still, careful helming can avoid almost all of them in daylight hours. Remember, the water belongs to everyone. Just as the crabber and crab pots inconvenienced the racers, the racers were inconveniencing the crabbers. And they both inconvenience me, a non racer. Perhaps I will demand my rights in the future and sail through both areas, taking out anything that gets in my way...that would be standing up for my rights, wouldn't it?

true, and the potters for the most part stay within their bounds. there healthy fines for those who don't. pots aren't allowed in navigation channels, and are not very cost effective in deep water or swift tide areas as they are drug around by the currents. my personal suggestion is to avoid sailing where pots are numerous. those things are a mans livelihood and to start cutting them just because you have a right to sail where you want is not a healthy choice to make. actually the crabbers have more by the way of rights in that respect. do what you want, but fair warning: a forty plus foot workboat powered by a 6L71 detroit diesel is a lot faster than a sailboat and can easily cut one in half without much more than scratching their paint.......

 

[rayncyn51]

Doesn't matter if the subject be crab pots or packing heat, agression generally invites retaliation. And so on, and so on, until people are drawing guns and runnig over other people's boats because of a peice of rope.

Whatever happened to tolerance? It seems to me that one generally will not have one's finger broken off if it is not stuck up in the air.

 

[ssneade]

Doesn't matter if the subject be crab pots or packing heat, agression generally invites retaliation. And so on, and so on, until people are drawing guns and runnig over other people's boats because of a peice of rope.

Whatever happened to tolerance? It seems to me that one generally will not have one's finger broken off if it is not stuck up in the air.

snot just a piece of rope. ya gotta understand that is the food on the watermans table. in so doing you're stealing from him. it's not likely you'll be seen doing so, but god help if you are. they don't play. it's not a game. they don't care who you are, what you do, or where you're from. nothing about tolerance in that game. if ya wanna play rough, and to them cutting a piece of rope is playing rough, they'll be more than glad to accommodate you.........

 

[ericread]

Here's what comes of aggression:

On a July morning, it reached the boiling point when a longtime lobsterman and his daughter drew guns on two fellow islanders. The lobsterman fired, shooting a man he had known for decades in the neck, police reported...

Lobster wars rock remote Maine island

Eric

 

[ssneade]

Here's what comes of aggression:

On a July morning, it reached the boiling point when a longtime lobsterman and his daughter drew guns on two fellow islanders. The lobsterman fired, shooting a man he had known for decades in the neck, police reported...

Lobster wars rock remote Maine island

Eric

see? serious shat........

 

[MtHopeBay]

the point is sharing

some of you are missing key points: we're talking recreational crabber in a 14' boat with a few crab traps. There's no way an intelligent sailor (and aren't we all?) gets in the way of or interferes with commercial shipping or harvest. Newport has the second largest commercial fishery on the west coast (after San Fran). They transit the bay and river but commercial fishing and crabbing takes place outside of the bar. They always have right of way even though they don't because they're earning a living and have very large boats compared to our little sailboats in which we recreate. They are also our neighbors and friends and we aim to keep it that way.

Recreational crabbers and fishermen in the bay and river are different. Half of them are below average intelligence. Some of them are outright dolts. The stories we could tell. My post is just one of them.

The permit is required because we were going to present a hazard in the bay. Sure. We were permitted to have a regatta and we were going to present a hazard. All the more reason to pick up you're pots and get the heck somewhere else. Especially when you're right in the finish line. And the bay is small but it wouldn't be hard to find a spot that was out of the way of the races. But there were plenty of spots that would be equally as productive as the one he was in and out of the way. Our course marks were big and orange.
Mike

 

[ottos]

We had Columbus Day Regatta this past weekend and had, I think, 25 boats in our little bay. We (committee boat) went out at 1100 on Saturday and set up our markers. There were crab pots everywhere as usual and the Coast Guard Auxilliary let them know that they were on a race course and should move.

Just out of curiosity - were the crabbers setting/tending the pots at this point in time? Or did the CGA get the ownership info from the buoys and then contacted them?

I think that I would be perturbed if I was told to move my pots that I had set in open water, just to have a race committee come along and plunk down some marks. Was there a race notice published in the Notice to Mariners that identified and located the course? How should this work?

 

[NCC320]

key points: we're talking recreational crabber in a 14' boat with a few crab traps.

"Recreational crabbers and fishermen in the bay and river are different. Half of them are below average intelligence. Some of them are outright dolts."

Let's see...sailboaters are all intelligent, their rights and wants trump those of crabbers and fisherment, in part because recreational fishermen and crabbers are dolts?

The crabber probably has a bitter tale about the jerks in "blow boats" who were so high and mighty that he should get out of their way whenever they want the whole stinking bay for their stupid races. It really screwed
up an otherwise nice weekend.....

He had only a few traps, a small boat. And yes, it would have been better for the racers if he hadn't been there, but the water belongs to all of us and with a little effort (and not too much sacrifice) the racers could have avoided him and his crab traps. If it had been some other sailboats in the race in the way, the other boats would have avoided them, then what's the big deal in avoiding a 14' boat and a few traps. Not only did the racers mess up his day, but they cost him one of his traps. Nice going sailboaters.

 

[jrd22]

Interesting, I thought this would be 100% behind the racers. As a sailor and a crabber I can see both sides but whereas the crabber exercised his legal right without any harm to anyone else it seems the sailboat went out of their way to deliberately destroy his property. I would have gladly moved my pots when informed of the race, but if I had seen the sailboat cut this other guy's line I might have just moved ALL of my pots into the race area and parked my crab boat right smack in the way. Probably not, but I'd think about it. The reverse of this could have been that the racers politely asked him to move and he "accidentally" bumped into and scratched a nice shiny sailboat, which would have been equally wrong. Let's all play nice kids.