 | TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 17:57
"--- A lot more responsible than some of those lunatic racing sailors in the Solent then!!!! Agreed.
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 18:07
 Scotty-be aware that Trident submarines in the Clyde all seem to be a bit past their sell by date. We used to live on Canada Hill,Rothesay,Isle of Bute and the view from our kitchen window(which I still sorely miss)encompassed the Clyde from little Cumbrae up to where it turns towards Greenock.There was one memorable summer about 10 years ago when a Trident would come out of Faslane-get as far as Little Cumbrae and then have to call out The AA-well tugs actually and get towed back to Faslane-over and over again. Then there was Christmas one year when a Hunter/Killer turned up in Rothesay Bay decked out in Christmas lights-totally amazed me how narrow end on the coning tower was.Only thing was shortly after New Year it appeared that a safety valve had blown on its boilers and it vented steam for about 4 hours(this is a nuclear powered beast!) Then last but not least one morning I looked out of the window to see what appeared to be a u boat-turned out to be an Argentinian sub of some post ww2 vintage on a visit to Faslane. By the way if you want to examine Faslane in detail just go there amazingly enough on Google Earth! Sorry Im a bit off the point of the Solent! Phil
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 18:21
Thanks for that Phil I wonder why they were so concerned about us on our trip. I think one of the assets of this site is that people do stray off the point a bit, but considered discussion usualy prevails. I would really love to live up there but simply wouldn't be able to bear the cold and wet for a considerable length of time each year, however to spend more time sailing up there out of mosquito season would be grand. Scotty
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 19:09
 I think we have had this discussion last year on this site and there is no defence for selfishness, is there? Think that where the problem arises - the definition of selfishness... probably has a lot to do with the era that one was brought up in. W.
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 19:46
Sitting twixt and between... self-interest n. and selfless adj. in the Pocket Oxford English Dictionary, I find selfish adj. concerned mainly with one's own needs or wishes and derivatives selfishly adv. and selfishness n. Hope that helps you Wolfie, but hey, I know your the selfless one, i.e 'one who is concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with ones own'. 
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 20:51
Well today up on the way to Skye we have had another day in the mid 20s!-thing about Scotland is that when weather is good you have everything here-white shell sand beaches;crystal clear water-anchorages galore;amazing scenery etc etc. Phil
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 22:43
 ---"Hope that helps you Wolfie, but hey, I know your the selfless one, i.e 'one who is concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with ones own'. "--- I'm sure he is Scotty; Wolfie serves with the RNLI!
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| Edited: 14/05/08 22:44 |
| TMS Poloshirt winner |
14/05/08 23:30
exactly Chas, I've taken in Wolfies blogs in the past and very proud we all should be of him and the RNLI as a whole. S.
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
15/05/08 09:59
I m all embarrassed now! Actually I work for the RNLI so I m not quite as selfless as others as I get paid to be here. Having said that although we re a full time station (the only one) we actually don't get paid for shouts - they are done as 'volunteers' like the rest of the crews. W.
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
15/05/08 17:46
Problem may be that taking to the water is a selfish sport?-I admit to it-what I want and luckily get is a large bit of water to myself where I can sail a straight line of my choosing;stop;go round in circles;etc Other problem is that some boating activities have a show off macho element within them-EG.wet biking;power boating;water skiing;carving a jybe on a windsurfer;motoring backwards;springing a boat alongside -you want everyone to see you doing it! and I think we are all guilty of that. So we all want the space but equally we all at some point in time like the attention and praise. Phil
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
15/05/08 18:57
Hi Wolfie, why is your station manned by full timed paid staff then? S.
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
15/05/08 19:30
Er, Phil. I've had attention, but never praise. Wot's it like?
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
15/05/08 20:21
I don't know either; I just get the blame when it goes wrong and someone else gets the praise when it goes right!
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
15/05/08 21:11
Scotty, I think a lot of it is due to tradition and the station history, however we are very remote and the only way you could crew the boat is with a fulltime crew. Also there is nowhere near here that an all weather boat could be stationed and crewed in the normal way. Have a look at the station website and you ll get a better picture - www.spurnpoint.com/lifeboat.htm Chas - I know that feeling well too!  W.
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| Edited: 15/05/08 21:12 |
| TMS Poloshirt winner |
15/05/08 21:31
It's tough at the bottom Wolfie!
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
16/05/08 08:52
Hey heres some sailin gaff s from Dublin.... Last summer I joined a smal team to race saturdays on the dublin bay in a shipman stripped for racing. My 3 captains were mirror images me of the the 3 dudes in Last of the summer wine .All certified skippers nonetheless. While racing it was the rounding of the bouys which caused much amusement and abuse between skippers/helmsmen/women as kite poles pulpits touched/brushed or tangled briefly... from maxis to the occasional lasor we charged at the bouy.... Of course the occasional "just out for a sail yacht/ or motorised plastic barge" would pass through the fleet during this crucial manourve ... somehow... Lovely chaos in a tiny area on a bay which is so HUGE!!!!! Post race finish all would bugger off back to their pontoons for a beer... As for "just sailing or motoring around the bay groupies" a rare breed in deed are they in the dublin bay. All of the above negativitie s posted by others above have been experienced by myself during the summer of 2007 while trying to do my diverse job under 3 different sets of instructions... I am a born and breed kiwi yachtie who prefers to sail and - bugger the competitive types - and their all or nothing attitude to being first. While racing may teach one the finer points of extracting a half knot out of a zepher of breeze the culture itself of relaxing enjoying the naturalness of a wet nature and climatic conditions is the ultimate challenge. Not to mention its a form of therapy which is as unique as being in the mountains or bush of which I am also immersed in. One key aspect of this side of the irish sea is that it is under utilised despite the many large plastics whether motor or sail powered which are " semi permanently" tied up in the marina s. With the exception of the racing fraternity the bay is relatively empty so unlike what I am used coming x NZ. With the severe irish micro-economic reversal which is complimenting the global financial mess is now beginning to impact. the few pontoons available in marinas will I am sure increase and the bay will become even more under used...... (Of course one would hope a drop in fees would also reciprocate ... but that s not in the irish culture to do so...) So to fill a tiny gap in the HUGE bay I am in the process of upgrading a sadler 25 in newry to crusie these virgin waters... BUT I will be keeping well clear of the competitive sailing types in the bay and parallel to this saying cao to my former masters on the shipman ie Last of the summer wine competitive dudes. And as for those annoying jet skies they prefer to stay close to shore to parade their egos to a land stuck audience amounting to about 3 observers - which usually includes a stray dog and 2 seagulls.... happy sailing all ross
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
22/05/08 20:04
Mr Israel Hands would have LOVED the Solent. Zero elevation and all those expensive targets!! Seriously though, shooting is actually a good idea - but with a camera - for evidence. Keep one in the cockpit all the time and use it. (I've got photo details of a couple of naughty boys around Oban, and one day 'we'll meet again', as Vera Lynn and the lads across the water used to say.) Creating hell on Ch 16 and naming names might be a good idea too if there are plenty of people listening. I was once on the M6 years ago and there was a crazy truck driver doing all sorts of dangerous lane-changing. I just got on CB ch 19 and shouted 'There's a bear in the air' and he suddenly started to behave himself....those were the days..
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
22/05/08 20:57
You been watching Convoy or Smokey and the Bandit John?! (Yes I have both in my DVD collection). Seriously thou it is worth calling on Ch16 as it ll be recorded in the local MRCC... likewise some plotters can replay things - excellent if linked to AIS and radar W.
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| TMS Poloshirt winner |
23/05/08 17:06
If a racing skipper is acting recklessly by playing chicken with cruising boats, causing them to take avoiding action at the last minute, it might be of benefit for all on the water to do a call on ch16 as Wolfie suggests. It might go something like: Securite Securite Securite, This is yacht 'Seagull' at position X. I have just experienced a near-miss situation with yacht 'maniac' who disregarded Colregs. Up here in the frozen north the harbourmaster has had to contact clubs who've had racing boats crossing closely in front of ships in the fairway. I believe the clubs have changed rules to avoid this happening. It appears to work successfully. So if in a harbour a written report to HM, backed up by pics showing the name of the boat in question may have a cooling effect on the conduct of the racers.
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We can all get cross about this - and I/we clearly do - but we need to channel our anger. I think the point to all this is that the 'authorities' out there exist (and are paid to police) and should do something about it off thier own backs/initiative. We therefore need a mechanism and strategy to get this across to them (because they are not doing all that they should in their jobs). Lets face it, have you ever seen the Chi harbour master 'pulling over'/educating one of the 35 ft plus yachts, with crew, motoring full tilt with it's main (and often foresail) hoisted and pulling, without its cone daymark showing - as practically 90% of them piling out of the harbour each weekend do, pretending they are a sailing vessel and trying to use this to their advantage? No? Me neither! What about those entering the harbour at excessive speed creating wash two three meters high? ...And I'm not getting at the Chi guys....The problems is ubiquitous. Have you ever seen QHM take any action against any of these idiots coming in and out of Pomey, overtaking at speed and not keeping clear of the vessel they are passing, causing close quarters third party collision situations? What about those morons shooting into/out of the fuel berth at Gosport who pay no attention what so ever to our 'rules of the road'? What about all the gin palaces/monster ribs on Sunday, on autopilot , heading in their straight line past Gilkicker from Cowes to the inshore passage on their way home to Chi, who miss any vessel "in their way" by meters at a speed of 25knts. Where's QHM (with their radar evidence) when there is such dangerous (for there is no other word to decribe it) seamanship? Why do the police and harbour master launches not cut away all the rediculously placed and illegally marked (in SVTS area anyway) "lobster pots" that are in the middle of the channels in the Solent and many harbour approaches...and so on and so on. So, how do we stop just getting angry (and using up multiple air canasters for those five blasts) and get all these officials to do their job in this negelcted area of their work? Ideas please.
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