Bahamas Boat Ramming

[lancelot9898]

Originally Posted by Skipper Dan

In my post I was referring to most of the other stories as far as avoidance goes. Your story makes me think twice about traveling at night.
Dan

While most of the discussion has been about night travels and close call with derelick coastal cruisers, I had an incident several years ago sailing out of Solomons, Md on the Cheaspeake Bay. It was a beautiful sailing day with about 15 knots of wind and light puffy clouds against the blue sky with not another boat in sight. I'm single handing on a beam reach doing hull speed and just relaxing in the cockpit when I hear something approaching from behind. As I turn my head to see what it is, I see a maga yacht (100 feet plus) coming directly at my stern. I grab the air horn but by the time I sound it, the maga yacht is past leaving me in the biggest wake that I've ever seen. It happened so quickly that I did not even get the name of the boat, ...only saw the British flag on its stern. Rather than anger, I felt a sense of relief that I could sail on. But now I always look astern even though at 20 plus knots a boat will be on you in no time. The reason for the close call is that the maga yacht must have been on auto pilot even though I was sailing several miles from established headings and was well into the Bay from Solomons.

[rtbates]

Lots of nuts for sure. Sailing one dark night a power boat approaches, not quite on a collision course, but close. so I take my spot light and light up our main, Flashing on/off to make it hard to miss. Well, they saw it. They turn towards us, Dead on and keep on as I alter course. At the very last minute they swerve and pass maybe 10 feet off. Everyone on the power baot was laughing like crazy. Good thing I don't carry a firearm as I'd be typing from jail right now...

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by lancelot9898

... But now I always look astern even though ...

It's called "situational awareness", and it should apply in 360 degrees horizontal & vertical (3 dimensions).

[Ram]

Originally Posted by imagine2frolic

I have shined the bridge of a freighter. Leaving P.V. Mexico for Cabo halfway across. Blowing a stink, hand steering, because the a/p won't keep up. Lights come over the horizon, and I am just keeping an eye on it. She's getting closer, so I flash the sail. Time passes, and she's getting closer, so I keep the spot light on the sails. She's getting closer, so I call on the radio. Still dead on my stern, and coming on quick with my nerves jumpy.

I am thinking he can't see the light on my stern with all the wave action, and deep troughs. My nerves are now out of my skin, so I sweep his bow with the spot light. Still no deviation in the freighter's course. One hand on the tiller, and the other calling through the mic, and no reply.

The freighter's so close now I am practically peeing on myself. I light up his bridge which in my mind's eye is nearly towering over me. I have tacked thinking this is the last thing I will accomplish in life. Throw the spot light on the bridge shaking it madly. What seems like the last second, and the freighter blasts it's horn, and turns sharply. Fortunately he turned to strbrd as I tacked to my left. I am hoping that was a GOOD cup of coffee he went for........i2f

God i hate that when that happens ugggggggggggg! ive had the same experence before!

[SaucySailoress]

The Scene: The oil loading piers in Kuwait have a 3 mile restricted zone - you're not supposed to approach within three miles of them. Our marina is between two of these piers. They are 1.7 miles and 2.2 miles away on either side, so it's fairly common practise for us to sail inside the restricted zone!!

The Incident: One sunny Friday morning (Friday being the Islamic equivalent of Sunday, so these guys shouldn't even be working anyway) we were tootling past the pier under spinnaker. It was a race, we were winning. A tanker pulls away from pier. No problem, he's moving North. We moving South so we are pass him to starboard.

The Wanker: He does a u-turn to head out to sea in front of us. And when I say in front of us, we had to switch on the engine hard in reverse because we were being sucked into his jetstream (or whatever it's called).

The Other Wankers: The second placed yacht protested us for using our engine!

[Ram]

Originally Posted by maxingout

We met a Tayana 47 in Panama before we sailed across the Pacific Ocean. When we arrived in Fiji, we met him again. He told us that when he was making the 3000 mile sail from the Galapagos to the Marquesas of French Polynesia, there was a freighter that ran him down. It was a similar event in which the freighter matched him turn for turn until it struck his hull. It didn't dismast him, but it did put a crack in his hull above the waterline.

Because of that incident. I maintain radio silence whenever I see ships. I don't talk to them. I don't want them to know that I exist just in case there is a crazy helmsperson on board.

Dave are you saying, you dont have a radar reflector -??

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by GordMay

It's called "situational awareness", and it should apply in 360 degrees horizontal & vertical (3 dimensions).

Isn't that technically 2 dimensions? X & Z?

I would add looking up for bird(s)hits and down for whale strikes. Dimension Y.

Maybe that's what you mean by vertical so sorry if I misread.

That would add up to 3 dimensions for me. I always look ahead at where I will be in the next few minutes so being a smarty-pants I add the 4th dimension T.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

... I always look ahead at where I will be in the next few minutes so being a smarty-pants I add the 4th dimension T.

Indeed, and not at all smarty-pants.
It's called anticipation.

[John A]

As a singlehandler, sometimes I'd have the chart and a handheld GPS in the cockpit to match what I saw with what was supposed to be there. This procedure also helped in eliminating any questions about were I was going to be if I contined on a course relative to any currents..

[Don1500]

Something not mentioned by the OP but a thought anyway. The suspect vessel probably was some kind of not so legal operation, drugs, people, whatever. As such they did not want any record of their presence noted, in this they obviously failed, but the vessel was still unidentified. Flashing the light anywhere, own sails, other vessels pilot house, announced to the suspect vessel that the victims vessel was there and could say he saw a vessel of that description passing at that time. The suspect, not wanting any witness to it's travels could have wanted to remove the evidence. Being that he did hit the victim he might have thought he removed the witness and moved on.
Because of this I think letting go the mainsail and relaxing the jib would have been the best move. Stay invisible and out of the way. JMO.

[rebel heart]

Colregs, rule 2b, the "general prudential rule"

ColReg 2(b) — In construing and complying with these rules, due regard shall be had to all dangers of navigation and collision, and to any special circumstances, including the limitations of the vessels involved, which may make a departure from the above rules necessary to avoid immediate danger.”

Translation: It's a rule to not crash following the rules. It's remained unchanged for over a century.

[Capt Phil]

I've been in very few , if any, situations that would justify the use of firearms on board but there are time where it is prudent to be armed. Years ago I worked on a cash buyer packer buying salmon on the BC west coast. The skipper kept a fair bit of cash aboard along with a 30-30 Winchester and a revolver (legal in those days). One night at anchor about 2:00 am, I woke up to the whine of high speed props and headed for the wheel house. Ernie, the skipper, was already out of his bunk in the wheelhouse and had jacked a round into the chamber when we were hit by a high intensity light from a boat approaching at high speed. He dropped the wheelhouse window and sent a couple of rounds in the direction of the light. The light was immediately extinguished (shot out?) and the boat took off. I was stuck on watch for the rest of the night looking for approaching boats. You just never know who is out there! My heart goes out to JohnA for his loss of his home and lifestyle. On another post, I mentioned delivering a yacht from PV Mexico to San Diego and was never told by the owner of his handgun he had aboard, a clear and jailable offense in Mexico. If I were headed to the South Pacific and beyond, I would be inclined to be armed. Capt Phil

[gonesail]

Originally Posted by rtbates

Good thing I don't carry a firearm as I'd be typing from jail right now...

this is exactly what hal roth did: fire several warning shots over the boat with a 30/30 rifle. this would get their attention and let them know you are serious about being physically threatened. not sure what happens after that.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Capt Phil

... I woke up to the whine of high speed props and headed for the wheel house. Ernie, the skipper, was already out of his bunk in the wheelhouse and had jacked a round into the chamber when we were hit by a high intensity light ...
... he sent a couple of rounds in the direction of the light...
... You just never know who is out there ...

And though you just never know who is out there, you (re skipper) feels no compunction about loosing off a couple of rounds.
Not my choice of neighbour.
Neither would I hunt with a partner who takes sound shots.

[rebel heart]

If I was single handing in a collision situation the last thing I would do is leave the helm, grab a firearm from below, and shoot at the oncoming vessel.

For all of you rambos out there, just imagine what you would do if someone starting firing at you (regardless of the reason).

My boat and cruising adventures are not more important than some idiot skipper's life and nowhere in the annals of naval literature is there an example of shooting another helmsmen to save your own life.