Why ship pilots go grey...

[Jim Cate]

OMG... just saw the writeup of the latest craze in the SF Bay area:

https://www.latitude38.com/lectronic...endless-summer

I can just imagine the language used on the bridge as a swarm of tiny wing sails/board converge on the bow of your 100,000 ton ride, quickly passing into the blind spot and potential oblivion for the winger.

I guess it could be fun, but eventually some poor bloke will get shredded by a prop and the poor skipper and pilot will face severe charges and likely equally severe guilt feelings.

wonder what the authorities think about this "fun activity"?

Jim

[CaptTom]

Forgive me if I have trouble working up a lot of sympathy for the wing sailors who get themselves killed or injured this way.

Since all great discussions on CF must end with Nav Rules, let's go there now...

Freighter "collides" with wing "sailboat" in the channel. Who's responsible?

I'm thinking Rule 9 (b) A vessel of less than 20 meters in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the passage of a vessel that can safely navigate only within a narrow channel or fairway.

Of course, it could be argued that the wreckage of a wing sail vessel and/or it's rider are unlikely to "impede" the ship. And the definition of "narrow channel" is open to interpretation.

[tkeithlu]

The skipper probably would not know that it had happened. Don't forget the freighter that docked in Yokohama with a mast and rigging tangled in its anchor.

[goboatingnow]

The harbour master controlling Cork harbour , ( a big big place) visited all the yachts in the area and said he’d ban all small boat racing and confine yachts to a designated route if the practice of sailing across ships persisted. It was quite a “ talk”

[SV Siren]

I'm with the "what are these people thinking?" crowd. I also am having a hard time digging up some sympathy for those who aren't bright or aware enough to get out of the way of a large ship.

There is even a book, with two editions even, on just how to avoid large ships. The reviews are spot on..

https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Sh...ustomerReviews

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

The harbour master controlling Cork harbour , ( a big big place) visited all the yachts in the area and said he’d ban all small boat racing and confine yachts to a designated route if the practice of sailing across ships persisted. It was quite a “ talk”

Visited all the yacht clubs in the area

[Jamme]

Originally Posted by SV Siren

There is even a book, with two editions even, on just how to avoid large ships. The reviews are spot on..



https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Sh...ustomerReviews

Funny how Amazon is not pulling those reviews down!

[Stewie12]

Irresponsible is one way of putting it.

[Jdeuel]

Originally Posted by Jamme

Funny how Amazon is not pulling those reviews down!

There are some similarly awesome reviews for high-end Rolexes in the $20k range on Amazon...

[Lodesman]

I wouldn't see it as much of a problem. As long as they don't cut in front of the bow. They're basically just small vessels going alongside, same direction, same speed. Lot more confusing when some idiot in a ski-boat is making a beeline for you. Only if they try to ride the stern-wave too close, would there be any chance of chumming the waters.

[Davidhoy]

I smell some Darwin Awards in the making...

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Jamme

Funny how Amazon is not pulling those reviews down!

Nooo! There are some real satirical gems in there!

[Tayana42]

“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.” -Albert Einstein

[redneckrob]

You're not going to get "sucked into the prop" from anywhere beside a ship, let alone far enough away to be riding the ship's wake. Propellers just don't work that way.

No my cup of tea, but let's not get hysterical about this. And no, nothing in the rules of the road preclude a vessel from paralleling another vessel. As long as they don't cut across the bow,and there's no reason for them to do so, the freighter doesn't have to even see them as their job as the stand on vessel is to maintain course and speed.

[captmikem]

Many years ago, I was second officer on a large RORO (RORO or Rollon/Rolloff is a container ship that still has the trailers under the containers) we were coming into Miami on a Sunday afternoon and I was assigned helmsman, the area was thick with little boats coming in and out of the ship channel and our view under the bow was quite limited. When the Pilot came aboard and we headed in I said to the Pilot "What about all these little boats?" His response was "They will move". Simple as that.

M