Near miss Paynesville x 2

[Berber Boy]

Last week in Paynesville we had some terrific sailing but had two near misses.

Out on Lake Victoria we were under sail downwind and saw a Tinnie coming on a head on collision course at about 15knots or so. We waved and shouted but to no avail. The guy was half asleep and was not looking where he was going. He finally lifted his head and swerved to miss us.

The next morning we were under motor coming out of the back channels into MacMillan Channel at about 3knots. A large Catamaran was coming into the entrance to our Channel to pass on our port side when he suddenly turned right across our bows to moor in the new Marina. I had to take evasive action to avoid hitting him.

All the skipper could say was Sorry with a shrug of his shoulders. Two other craft were following him and shaking their heads in disbelief. I wonder how many people are out there with no licences.

BB

[kmclemore]

I'm glad you came away with no damage to boat or souls on board!

But I gotta say.... and maybe it's because my wife is away on a church retreat and I'm a bachelor for the weekend... but when I first read your headline this is what came to mind........ and I was gonna ask you just how near you got!

[Mac26Mpaul]

Near hit would have been the headline in that case

Yes, there are some people out there that certainly shouldn't be. Some of the Gin palace drivers on the Gold Coast have absolutely no idea about the rules. Actually I was telling my neighbour about the near miss I had with one (neighbour has a trawler at the local marina), and I said "I really cant see that they could have licences. He laughed and said, "Half the people down at the marina don't have licences, you don't need them". I'm not quite sure why they don't need them, but I'm definitely sure he is correct about them not having them.

[sunshinecoasting]

I reckon about half the boaties up here dont know the rules, they all want to pass on starboard in the river, I stand my ground and they eventually get the idea, then they give you that horrible stare as they go past.
What really chaffes my butt is the massive increase in stand up paddlers who just loiter in the channel and have no idea that a boat, especially a Mac cant just stop or turn and is effected by wind, I have only damaged my boat once so far and it was a sup just standing in front of me expecting me to go around him in a narrow part of the river, I slowed so much that the side wind got me and pushed me in to a navigation beacon bending my bow rail, he just smiled and paddled off, shame its a crime to carry a shotgun on the boat.
I,m not fond of the jet skiers but at least most of them know and adhere to the rules i'll give them that.

Cheers, Dennis.

[kmclemore]

I'm not fond of the jet skiers but at least most of them know and adhere to the rules i'll give them that.

Seriously?? Wow. I gotta move to your neighbourhood, Dennis, 'cause the clowns I've seen piloting those things tend to completely ignore any semblance of nautical rules of the road.

[cruiser]

I'm not fond of the jet skiers but at least most of them know and adhere to the rules i'll give them that.

Seriously?? Wow. I gotta move to your neighbourhood, Dennis, 'cause the clowns I've seen piloting those things tend to completely ignore any semblance of nautical rules of the road.

Some suitable poetry to recite when they are getting you down KM

Ode to a Jet-Ski person

Jet-ski person, selfish fink.
May your silly jet-ski sink.
May you hit a pile of rocks,
Oh hoonish summer coastal pox

Noisy smoking dickhead fool,
On your loathsome leisure tool,
Give us all a jolly lark
And sink beside a hungry shark

Scream as in it’s fangs you go
Your last attention-seeking show
While on the beach we all join in
With “three cheers for the dorsal fin”

Michael Leunig

PS: Hope you get the hang of some of the Australian colloquial language in the above

[kmclemore]

Nice one, Cruiser! I'm not usually a poetry fan, but I'll make an exception on this one.

[Mac26Mpaul]

Amazed Dennis, I'm only a coupla hundred Ks south of you and the Jet Skis down this way are the biggest problem on the water (and by far cause the most accidents). They scream through the moorings at 40 knots, simply do not care about 6 knot zones at all and will spray swimmers etc near beaches etc. They even talked about banning them at one stage which is a brilliant idea

On my ramp, they will launch and do 40 knots straight from the beach (6 knot zone all around here). Even most of the Gin palace drivers going past will slow to near the speed limit!