Cowes - are we welcome? - Page 4

qcamel · 10 June 2007, 17:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Sorry to be so negative but these days that is a polite way of saying "bugger off we can't be bothered"!!!

Have you noticed that when an official makes a major cock up these days it is never their fault - they either need more training or more funds or they will change their procedures etc.

It was the same in the case of the poor little girl beaten to death because social services didn't do their job properly - at the end of the day someone dropped a bollock and they should be punished for it but they never will.

Hardly comparable, a slight question of speed limits and the death of a small child, have a little thought about your words before spouting them out please.

codprawn · 10 June 2007, 17:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by qcamel

Hardly comparable, a slight question of speed limits and the death of a small child, have a little thought about your words before spouting them out please.

If you read my whole post you will see I was referring to the modern trend of officials avoiding blame and responsibility.

Nos4r2 · 10 June 2007, 20:17

Well...

Having just come back from Cowes I found the harbour master to be polite, helpful and quite chatty. No problems with any of the officials either.

I did however witness many ribs,powerboats and a few yachties acting like complete and utter pricks up at Newport. If I recounted it all I'd be here all night but I'm surprised someone wasn't killed and no-one sank.

One particular *&($£%* in a tatty grey pac22 thought that 10 knots within 10 feet of swimmers while manoeuvering among very closely moored (mostly within 20 feet of each other) was acceptable.

I did have to laugh at the naked ginger bloke who jumped aboard a launch that was being driven like a complete knob as it passed his boat, stole their beer and then jumped in with it... Classic!

HMJB · 11 June 2007, 10:24

Was also up at the festival on Sat night - think I was anchored a couple of boats away from you.

Understand you had a handle broken on the boat so reasonable that you are irritated, but seriously - "I'm surprised someone wasn't killed and no-one sank"!!!! Really don't think anything too bad was going on!

The guy in the PAC was going a bit quick, but he didn't hit anyone.

The naked guy was quite funny - the CILB were there and they were having a laugh with him and didn't seem to have any problems (with him or anyone else).

Why was the launch "being driven like a complete knob"? He went up infront of everyone turned round and then motered slowly through the anchorage.

"If I recounted it all I'd be here all night" - you make it sound as if it was total carnage - recon it was just a load of people out having a good time.

Am genuinly sorry to hear someone broke a handle on your boat - but in all honesty that could have happened in any anchorage, a marina etc - its annoying, but its part of owning a boat, there are inexperienced people helming boats out there everywhere....

Am sure there was some dubious driving over the weekend at points, but I don't think any of the above was too bad!

Hightower · 11 June 2007, 13:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMJB

Am sure there was some dubious driving over the weekend at points, but I don't think any of the above was too bad!

Till it happens to you

HMJB · 11 June 2007, 14:10

fair point, was just suggesting that "surprised someone wasn't killed" etc was all a bit over the top - if I'd read it and hadn't been there I'd have thought the whole thing sounded like a bit of a nightmare. Whereas in reality no one was hurt, or even came close to it and everyone seemed to be having a pretty good time!

Sixy_the_red · 11 June 2007, 14:22

What you obviously didn't see was the tiny wooden dingy with 2 adults and 2 kids aboard that Mr. Pac 22 almost hit, and the fact that when he came between us and the boat anchored 10' away he took his hands off the controls and covered his eyes.

Nos4r2 · 11 June 2007, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMJB

Was also up at the festival on Sat night - think I was anchored a couple of boats away from you.

Understand you had a handle broken on the boat so reasonable that you are irritated, but seriously - "I'm surprised someone wasn't killed and no-one sank"!!!! Really don't think anything too bad was going on!

The guy in the PAC was going a bit quick, but he didn't hit anyone.

I suspect you didn't see him heading towards the children in the water next to a couple of dinghies and swerve aside at the last second when the dinghies must have been out of sight below his bow. He came through 4 or 5 times and the safety boat was elsewhere most times. On one occasion he nearly swamped the family in the pram dinghy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMJB

The naked guy was quite funny - the CILB were there and they were having a laugh with him and didn't seem to have any problems (with him or anyone else).

He was hilarious-very car crash tv!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMJB

Why was the launch "being driven like a complete knob"? He went up infront of everyone turned round and then motered slowly through the anchorage.

He touched us as he came past and I suspect he did the same to naked bloke's boat-even though there was twice the room on the other side of us and more water. Got to give him some credit having someone on the bow watching though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMJB

"If I recounted it all I'd be here all night" - you make it sound as if it was total carnage - recon it was just a load of people out having a good time.

I think you'd left by the time the real knobbery took place. The safety boat had gone too-there wasn't much water left.
One guy had his engine tilted and decided to soak everyone beind him for a fair way by opening the throttle. Another (same raft, different boat) was idling while being pushed backwards past dingies and other boats with engine fully tilted and in gear.

Another rib (think it was that pac22 again-it was dark, the rib was big,grey and I think it was after you left) was obviously drunk and appeared to run straight into 2 anchored yachts on the eastern side of the channelwhile still going too fast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMJB

Am genuinly sorry to hear someone broke a handle on your boat - but in all honesty that could have happened in any anchorage, a marina etc - its annoying, but its part of owning a boat, there are inexperienced people helming boats out there everywhere....

Am sure there was some dubious driving over the weekend at points, but I don't think any of the above was too bad!

Your above or mine?

HMJB · 11 June 2007, 16:50

Apologies and fair enough to all of your points - sounds as if I had left by the time most of that happened and didn't see the half of it!

It sounds as if the situation was getting worse as the evening wore on!

Nos4r2 · 11 June 2007, 16:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMJB

Apologies and fair enough to all of your points - sounds as if I had left by the time most of that happened and didn't see the half of it!

It sounds as if the situation was getting worse as the evening wore on!

It did-luckily we were just watching most of it from further upriver.

Muse were incredible. It's a shame you didn't see them.

ADS · 11 June 2007, 17:20

Good to see you Matt on Saturday, I left Cowes at 6:30am this morning, as me and my brother both had work. You thought Saturday night was bad you should have seen Sunday night, soo many drunkards, that Pac 22 was there again going far too fast, I think the problem was it idled so high and he was going with the tide, the sensible people were slipping it in and out of gear. As you know I was on my parents yacht with the SR 4 safely tied up on the stern and in my opinion most of the ribs knew what they were doing and they were no great concern as they just bounce off.... The yachts however... I towed two off our anchor chain with the rubber dinghy within the space of half an hour, and one tit came in and bounced off everything before impalling himself on someones bowspirit! After 40mins of untangling himself he bashed into a raft of yachts and tied up. At midnight when the river was clear he did exactly the same thing again! Same boat. Everyone was shouting abuse!

HMJB · 11 June 2007, 17:31

I know, one other boat we were with wanted to leave as they thought it would get to shallow, but I thought we'd make it out. Should have put my foot down and made sure we stayed to the end!

Nos4r2 · 11 June 2007, 17:40

Was good to see you too ADS. I was gobsmacked to see it coming upriver. Glad I didn't stay Sunday then...

HMJB- we were very close to grounding so you might have been wise.
We had to move twice using paddles during Muse's set to make sure we didn't ground and we had so little water under us when we left that the sounder wasn't registering. If we still had a flooding hull we might not have got out.

Did anyone notice how many unusual ribs were about? It's the 1st time I've seen a Flatacraft Force 5 or a Wildcat.

Nasher · 13 June 2007, 08:37

I’ve now been contacted by the Cowes Harbour Master, and one of his officers.

They appeared genuinely concerned by the impression that had been given, and have even provided me with a breakdown of numbers of each type of vessel ‘spoken to’ over that weekend. The split between RIBs and Motor Vessels is almost even. Interestingly RIBs are split from ‘Sports Boats’.
I don’t think it fair to publish the content of their correspondence without asking permission.

My faith has certainly been restored, and actually boosted by the professional yet friendly attitude shown in the correspondence, the HM has said he will reiterate the need to be polite to all boat users and to act in an even-handed manner. The politeness of the officer was never in question however.
He assured me there was no new policy specifically targeted at RIBs. There is a new policy to have a more visible and active presence at the harbour mouth.

Nasher.

jwalker · 13 June 2007, 12:25

Nasher, you may have done everyone a favour by making an issue out of your experience.

Neal · 13 June 2007, 15:42

Thank you Mr Nasher if all goes well should be in there Sunday so we can see how things are

Searider · 14 June 2007, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Sorry to be so negative but these days that is a polite way of saying "bugger off we can't be bothered"!!!

ACTUALLY,

For the rest of the week the behaviour of the water taxis / ferries was much improved and the RIB moorings were better supervised.

So, as far as i'm concerned Cowes HBR Authority responded well.

Neal · 18 June 2007, 12:37

Spent the afternoon there yesterday no problems, did see the harbour masters RIB. There was very littlle traffic while we were in for such a nice day.

Hightower · 18 June 2007, 13:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neal

Spent the afternoon there yesterday no problems, did see the harbour masters RIB. There was very littlle traffic while we were in for such a nice day.

Glad to see you back on the water Neal

Neal · 18 June 2007, 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hightower

Glad to see you back on the water Neal

Thanks Andy and thanks for your help the other week. I will put a post together soon about all the work I ve done this year but the end result is she started and run the best she ever has yesterday

. I did not post we were going incase we had to give up on the slip again.