<rant on> ColRegs

[sonofasailorsailing]

Just a quick one.

In April of this year, our club was headed to Panama City to view the air show at Tyndal AFB. Our friends were behind us in their Hunter 30. We were in our Glander 33. Putting along at about 5 kts.

We were approaching bridge at Tyndal (50' clearance, mast height 45') so we slow a bit to ensure we clear. The mast always seems to grow when we go under bridges, why is that?

Anyway, we were under the bridge, breathing sighs of relief that were weren't scraping the bridge. Out of the blue, two large powere boats, 30' each, zoomed by us, passing one on each side, under the bridge. Our friends in their baot behind us said later that there were no more cobwebs under that bridge, as our mast swept 45 degrees to a side! Luckily, we managed to stay in the boat. My wife, ever the planner, had stowed all our stuff below safely, so the only thing damaged was whatever damage done by the spike in blood pressure.

[hellosailor]

So, you hoist flag signals for "minesweeping, keep clear" and deploy a couple of paravanes off the stern quarters using polythene lines.

They eat a paravane, wrap their prop...TFB, they ignored the signals. In this day and age, who can be blamed for routine minesweeping, as a public safety measure?
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