Ending the hostility - raggies v stinkies

[Robin]

Robin,

have you read 'Narrow Dog To Indian River' by Terry Darlington ?

The sequel to the excellent and very funny 'Narrow dog To Carcassone'...I was amazed and horrified by his description of the many beasties ranging from Aligators to No See Em's out to get one !

As for the supposed antipathy between power & sail, as I've tried to get across I think this is a fading thing, everyone gets on much better than they used to; I like the sound of thanking people for keeping the wash down, a habit we sailors could usefully take up here, though I'd worry about cluttering Channel 16 in the Solent, I doubt the Coastguard would be happy if everyone started being courteous !

So best kept to a wave of the hand as motorcyclists do ?

I saw the episode on TV. We haven't seen a live 'gator yet although I had deep fried 'gator tails as an appetiser in Aunt Catfish's one lunchtime, poor imitation of chicken nuggets if you ask me.

VHF communication for overtaking on the ICW is a written rule but often ignored, however the call is quick and appreciated. We called a tug with a floating crane and were told which side he preferred us to pass on, which as it was a narrow and shallow channel (yet in a wide open expanse of water) was helpful.

As we always did, we wave to all (except PWCs there are exceptions!) regardless of power or sail and do the same here. Roughly 90% waved back here so far, the other 10% mostly raggies did not but employed the straight ahead stare tactic, their loss.

[Chrusty 1]

Robin said...

"As we always did, we wave to all (except PWCs there are exceptions!) regardless of power or sail and do the same here. Roughly 90% waved back here so far, the other 10% mostly raggies did not but employed the straight ahead stare tactic, their loss."

Psssssssst...........hey you............yes you.....Listen, do me a favour, tell me, what's all this waving thing about???? I just don't understand it, never have really...............I mean, there I am enjoying a quiet sail, not bein' a bother to anybody, next thing I know, there's a pair of tilley behatted loonies waving at me from some passing yot!

What do these people want?? Are they in distress?? has something happened to me boat and they are trying to tell me about it?? I mean, it aint like I know 'em or anything, I mean, you wouldn't want to know 'em by the look of most of 'em! Are they just drunk?

It's now got to the stage where if I notice that some boat or other is going to pass within waving distance, I make sure I have me back turned towards it as it goes by. I just wish they would stop botherin' me with their incessant waving!...........

[Penton Hooker]

Chrusty, perhaps you have a habit of trailing a fend-off?

[Chrusty 1]

Chrusty, perhaps you have a habit of trailing a fend-off?

Eh!!??? Wassat??

[ffiill]

Nothing against people waving and waving back BUT it annoys me no end hereabouts in the north west highlands when despite there being 100s of square miles of empty water there are those who seem to be attracted to another boat so that they can tack in front of them or overhaul them!
Thing I might just start sailing naked(brrrr)!

[little_roundtop]

Nothing against people waving and waving back BUT it annoys me no end hereabouts in the north west highlands when despite there being 100s of square miles of empty water there are those who seem to be attracted to another boat so that they can tack in front of them or overhaul them!
Thing I might just start sailing naked(brrrr)!

One of the first things I ever learned about sailing was that if two yachts are sailing in the same direction it's always a race!

[snooks]

What do you think?

I've met some tools who've owned yachts

I've met some tools who've owned powerboats

I've met some tools who've owned both


Life is too short to start jumping up and down at strangers

[dancrane]

I just wish they would stop botherin' me with their incessant waving!

Echo that.

Those who always wave at other people who just happen to be similarly occupied, are like dogs in cars, suddenly excited when they spot other dogs. Imagine, if it was expected as a courtesy, to wave at all other road-users you encounter! It's no less daft, at sea...

I read somewhere, of "...the bargeman's slow, accustomed nod of acknowledgement..." as his vessel passes another, similar craft. Or some such description of restrained good manners. That ought to be enough for the thinking contingent of yachtsmen, too. No need for waving like nine-year-old girls on a sugar-high.

On the matter of sail and power, it's interesting that nobody of any creed excuses exponents of PWC. The point being, those machines were only, deliberately designed from the ground up, to satisfy the hooligan-instincts of unsubtle, aggressive types...

...and the difficulty here arises when skippers of 30, 40, 50 foot motoryachts are still, in their hearts, cutting loose on a jetski.

Interesting that we uncover so much we disagree upon, when I reckon we'd largely concur on the reasons behind the problems:

- insensitive use of power by large motoryachts, and by frustrated inadequate types in smaller mobos;

- sailing dinghies and small keelboats racing with selfish singlemindedness in constricted areas;

- idiotic choice of anchoring spots;

- PWCs.

That's about it. All pains in the collective ass, yet we tend to form sides when the issues are raised. Except about PWCs...

...is there any excuse for them? They're only manufactured so overgrown children can hurry about in noisy, scrappy circles...

...perhaps there ought to be large cages, more than a mile offshore, where PWC users can play waterborne Mad Max games. A sort of Jetski cage-fighting? Ideally with a 'Two go in - One comes out' arrangement, reducing overall numbers, over time...

[Lakesailor]

Boaters could moor around the cages and wave.

[dancrane]

Boaters could moor around the cages and wave.

You've got something there, Lakesailor! When half the lungs of one rider have been sucked up by the impellor of the other rider's machine, the victor turns to the crowd, to see if they're indicating thumbs up... ...or down...

...as long as they're not just waving like a lot of quarter-witted jessies.