Please delete

skibum said:
If the sailboat was under power, he probably noticed the impending collision and fired it up in an attempt to get the heck out of the way.

Sailing is fun, so I have no ill feelings about sailboaters. They can be a "pain" sometimes because they do inconvenience me on occasion. I sometimes feel bad when I go by one on plane, even at a distance, knowing that they aren't going to enjoy my wake when it gets there. So I guess we inconvenience them on occasion as well.
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I had to fire up my 9.9 on my Catalina 25 on more than one occasion. We'd be sailing across the bay and some of the big ships would make a turn in the deep channel when we thought we were on a safe heading. They can "sneak" up on you when they make a course change. We'd think they'd pass well behind us and we'd be off Poplar Island...then they change course more to the east....


Then there was the time we were barely moving when the wind died in the middle of the bay and we hear a cigarette boat poker run heading our way-before we could see them. Not much we could do there...just hope they see all the sail on my 50ft mast.
 
Fat Tony said:
Then there was the time we were barely moving when the wind died in the middle of the bay and we hear a cigarette boat poker run heading our way-before we could see them. Not much we could do there...just hope they see all the sail on my 50ft mast.
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Wonder if it would be acceptable to fire a flare off at them at that point? ;)
 
Jbaffoh said:
Wow, I’ve never seen such ignorance emmanate from one site like this.
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Who the hell are you?

My comments about local sailors was derived from my own experience in my area, not an implication that this sail boat’s captain was anything but competent. I didn’t offer an opinion about the charter boat captain because I have no idea what going on in his head, but it seemed obvious enough that he made some mistakes.

As far as the “sail infested waters” comment, I’ll explian:

I boat on a lake that is 40 miles long, 2 miles wide at its ends and maybe 5 miles wide at its widest. It’s very common for me to enter the lake at the south end to see 40 or more sail boats circling around in a 2 mile area. Why the other 38 miles of the lake are unused by them is beyond me, but threading through them safely and correctly in a safe manner is challenging.

I often find that as soon as I take steps to give way to one there are three others heading towards me. It’s not uncommon for a sail boat here to be under power with sails furled and conspicuously keeping his heading regardless of what’s around him.

The sail boats here are entangled and in each other’s way far more often than the power boaters are and myself, I’ve never had so much as a close call.

Why? Because I know what’s going on and bust my ass to stay out of the way.

Be careful who you call ignorant.
 
I imagine the reason Winch wants this thread removed is perhaps at the request of the attorneys / MV operator...

He did state some things that might be construed as harmful facts. Though, if they are his testimony to what he witnessed I don't think he should be concerned about what he said...Though they might drag him into court....

In any event, guys, CSR is being linked to many FB groups about this story....Prepare for many sailors to join here and point out the obvious to make themselves feel better....

I welcome Winch's posts and thoughts as we can all learn from them...
 
bgytr said:
Typically it's when sailboats infringe on the small commercial crab boats that I cringe. Ya you might have right of way, but the crabber is trying to eek out a living. Stay out of his way.
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I've sailed on the Pacific coast. We always figured crabbers tending their pots were "Vessels restricted in their ability to maneuver" or, at least "Fishing vessels engaged in fishing". That would give them the right of way over a sailboat. From a more practical position, they tend to throw a lot of pots out. (Often blocking passage in and out of harbors, but that's a different subject altogether.) They have floats and lines. These seem to have an affinity for...no, wrong word...an unholy love of props. Not only do they get pissed when you start dragging a pot (or cutting a line if you are motoring), but it's no fun having to dive to clear a fouled prop. Especially in the warm waters off of Washington or Oregon. We would avoid them like the plague.
 
Trolls will always show up on a topic like this so that they can share their "informed" opinions. Within seconds of sharing their brilliant wisdom, they "bait" established members by taunting them and being disrespectful. Eventually, it comes crashing down when the troll is banned and the thread is closed. The troll doesn't care and just finds a new site with members to piss on.

I'm glad no one got hurt in the boating accident.
 
Soulshine said:
Who the hell are you?

As far as the “sail infested waters” comment, I’ll explian:

I boat on a lake that is 40 miles long, 2 miles wide at its ends and maybe 5 miles wide at its widest. It’s very common for me to enter the lake at the south end to see 40 or more sail boats circling around in a 2 mile area. Why the other 38 miles of the lake are unused by them is beyond me, but threading through them safely and correctly in a safe manner is challenging.

I often find that as soon as I take steps to give way to one there are three others heading towards me. It’s not uncommon for a sail boat here to be under power with sails furled and conspicuously keeping his heading regardless of what’s around him.
.
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Calling people names is definitely out of line. I do, however claim the snipe about you saying "sail infested waters". That phrase does have a tone (at least to me) of a "us vs them" thinking. I suspect that one reason that area is so full of them is they also enter at that point. (Not knowing the lake it's just a guess.) They sail a little, tack, and do it over and over. Personally, I always tried to sail clear of such a group if I was sailing. Too much to watch for (especially if you find yourself in the middle of a race), and yes, there are yahoos that don't follow the rules even among sailors. But time is also a factor for it, I suspect. For them to use the other end of the lake would be a all-day or possibly even an overnight trip. They just can't go as fast as a powerboat. So they stay close, especially if they are small and have no motor. It really sucks having to paddle or row your boat back if the wind dies. It is what it is.

That being said, I am a firm believer of everyone out on the water needs to know the rules and follow them. Whatever boat they are in. If they are motoring in a sailboat, they are considered a motorboat. Regardless of if the sails are up or down. They need to act like one. At night, they need to turn on the lights showing them as motoring and not just sailing. No cheating allowed just because nobody can see the motor running.

We all need to follow the rules, work together, and make the waterways safer. There's idiots with sailboats and idiots with motorboats. As a boating community we need to somehow educate those people and try to get them all to be better boaters. Bottom line, any day out on the water is better than one not. However you get there.
 
Urtica,

“Who the hell are you?” was not directed at you and the tone you assigned to the “sail infested waters” comment was not intended, but shorthand for the fact there are a million sailboats concentrated in a very small area as explained.

I have two friends who sail out of that marina, the only sail boat capable one here and they’re both highly experienced charter captains piloting boats in the 60 to 90’ range and the have made similar observations about the traffic.

I’m going to check out here before more feathers get ruffled.

I’m glad this accident wasn’t as bad as it could have been and hope things get settled appropriately.
 
I was wondering why so many "new members" popped up in this thread. It's because we are linked on FB somehow?
 
tdschafer said:
I was wondering why so many "new members" popped up in this thread. It's because we are linked on FB somehow?
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FB posts go viral especially since the OP gave a first hand report. It doesn't take long for something like this to attract attention. With the OP's post gone.....those seeking to comment just move on since the story has disappeared.

What is more disconcerting is that there are so many people who "feel" they have to publicly say something even if it comes out as babble, false or condescending. Most of the members of CSR take great pride in their boats and are incredibly helpful to one another. That's why it is easy to spot the trolls who don't qualify on either point.
 
PlayDate said:
FB posts go viral especially since the OP gave a first hand report. It doesn't take long for something like this to attract attention. With the OP's post gone.....those seeking to comment just move on since the story has disappeared.

What is more disconcerting is that there are so many people who "feel" they have to publicly say something even if it comes out as babble, false or condescending. Most of the members of CSR take great pride in their boats and are incredibly helpful to one another. That's why it is easy to spot the trolls who don't qualify on either point.
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I agree. The first "new member" that I saw definitely took the wrong tone in his post. There were a couple others though that were coherent, respectful posts that were absolutely fine. I just had noticed several new members in a row with their first post on that thread.
 
I'm sure I can dig up a cached copy of the topic. Really no reason to delete. Very interesting.
 
You're famous!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...ory.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.f78d9a0fe86b

Chesapeake boaters escape serious injury after collision

TZTY6JVCUMI6RA6SOAQDXDL3IQ.jpg



Two boats, one a sailboat and the other an engine-powered fishing boat, collided on Friday in the Chesapeake Bay, a crash that caused no serious injuries, authorities said.

Two people were aboard the sailboat, named Levitation, and seven were on the fishing boat called Hunter, the Coast Guard said. Maryland Natural Resources Police said the crash occurred near Thomas Point, which juts into the bay south of Annapolis.

The Hunter — which police described as a charter fishing boat from Kent Island, 10 miles east of Annapolis in the bay — overrode the sailboat and ended up atop its hull, until the two were almost perpendicular.

The bow of the fishing boat projected beyond one side of the sailboat’s hull, the port side. The stern projected beyond the other side of the sailboat.

In a photograph of the tangle, the fishing boat’s bow is seen pointed up, the stern down, touching the water.

A sailboat under sail and not running its engine has the right of way, police said, speaking generally. A fishing boat could have priority if engaged in a certain kind of fishing, but authorities declined to say whether that was the case here. and also did not say whether the sailboat’s engine was running.

2YTPMQFCUMI6RA6SOAQDXDL3IQ.jpg

A boat collision in the Chesapeake Bay caused no serious injuries, authorities said. (Maryland Natural Resources Police)
The police described the sailboat as a J/105 based in Annapolis. Available specifications put its overall length at 34.5 feet. It has a large cockpit and can cost more than $100,000.

In the photo, the two boats seemed to have melded firmly, with the lower edge of a sail draped across the front of the fishing boat, just in front of its cabin windshield.

The hull of the fishing boat apparently left a V-shaped gouge across the hull of the sailboat.

Coast Guard officials said that after they evacuated the seven people from the fishing boat, it slid off the sailboat. Authorities called in a commercial salvage company to tow both boats back to shore, which is standard practice when an incident does not result in a medical emergency.

The Coast Guard is still investigating the cause of the crash.

The height of summer is the most dangerous time for boating, said Capt. Melissa Scarborough of the Maryland Natural Resources Police, one of the agencies that initially responded to the crash.

“July is historically, without fail, the biggest boat accident month that Maryland has,” she said. “August is the second highest.”

So far this year, boating incidents have killed 16 people in the Chesapeake and its tributaries, Scarborough said. This month, two have died — one in an incident on a creek off the Potomac and another in Frederick County on the Monocacy River.

Some on the water think of boating as purely recreational, Scarborough said, and forget that, just like cars, boats can be dangerous and even deadly.

“I think that sometimes changes their mind set and the care that they take,” she said.
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Soulshine said:
I boat on a lake that is 40 miles long, 2 miles wide at its ends and maybe 5 miles wide at its widest. It’s very common for me to enter the lake at the south end to see 40 or more sail boats circling around in a 2 mile area. Why the other 38 miles of the lake are unused by them is beyond me, but threading through them safely and correctly in a safe manner is challenging.

I often find that as soon as I take steps to give way to one there are three others heading towards me.
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It sounds like the sailboats are engaging in what is commonly called a regatta. A race around marked points.

winch1995 said:
Yesterday, I was passenger on a 34' fishing charter out the eastern shore MD below the bridge. We had fished all morning and by noon we headed in. It was brand new dead rise boat, first trip out. 6 passengers plus the Captain.

We were underway for about 10 minutes, and I estimate our speed was around 30 knots.

Visibility was unlimited.

Most of the passengers were hanging out enjoying the ride, and no one was really paying attention the situation on the water.

I was on a port side bench seat, looking toward the stern. Suddenly, a guy yells "WATCH OUT!!!". I spun around to look forward and all I saw was white sail through the windshield.
Then impact. We t-boned a 30' sailboat with 2 guys in the cockpit. We were thrown to the deck. Now we are on top of the sailboat as you can see by the picture below.

Our captain was kind of dazed, so being an experienced boater, I first told everyone to grab a life vest. We did a head count and injury check and nothing serious beyond cuts, scrapes, and bruises. I could not tell what was happening on the sail boat. Anyway, I turned on the marine radio and Mayday'ed. CG answers and I give GPS coordinates. The guys in the sailboat are shaken up but ok (everyone was shaken up but no panic).

So now we are sitting up on top of the sail boat, with our stern precariously close to being swamped. I found the bilge pump switch and turned it on to "auto" but it did not appear to be working. Switch to manual mode and it started pumping water overboard. The switch set up required that you hold the switch down for the pump to work.

Now I'm at the helm holding this fricking switch down, dangerously close to swamping, and I'm thinking if we swamp, I'm gonna be trapped in the cockpit with no way out. It was kind of dicey at that point.

CG arrives about 15 minutes later and transfers the sail boaters to another boat, then they start to transfer the 6 passengers from the charter to another boat. I have to admit that the CG did an awesome job. Once we were all safely transferred, the CG actually went back to the charter boat and retrieved our coolers!!

DNR, Marine Police, Fire Boats, Tow Boats, we had 'em all.

I was kind of surprised that only 1 boater offered assistance.

So, as far as I know, no serious injuries, but we were so lucky in that respect. It could have been a whole lot worse.

For the life of me, I cannot understand how this happened. Broad daylight, Captain was not drinking, etc. One guy said that he thought the sail boat changed tack.

I guess my big lesson is this: Stay far away from all other boats because you don't know what they might do.

Sharing this story reluctantly since the Captain is a good guy, but it's all over the news anyway. As a Captain of your vessel, be alert at all times. Don't put yourself in a situation where you are too close to other boats. As a passenger, be a second set of eyes for the Captain. Give wide berth to other vessels.

Stuff happens fast.

I have this anxiety right now about boating, but I'm gonna go down to my 27' Sun Dancer and do some maintenance work. I'm sure I'll get over it but I'll not forget yesterday.[\quote]
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Having sailed for 30 years and the past several years powerboating I can attest to both sides having valid gripes. Some powerboaters don't understand the maneuverability of sailboats as it relates to speed and the inability to make quick directional changes in lower wind conditions. I understand that sometimes powerboaters have to maneuver around sailboats but what especially irks sailors is that some powerboaters don't look back to see the effect their wake has on the sailboat or worse when fishing boats decide they're going to anchor around a dedicated racing mark.

Sailors on the other hand don't understand how fast 'stuff' happens on a powerboat. Some sailors also take the 'rules of the road' too literally as in "sailboats not under power have the right of way". Some not understanding that there are several categories of vessels that have priority over them. I've seen sailors perilously close to burdened vessels.

Both categories would benefit from stepping on each others vessels for a day and understanding each other.
 
Marc Smith said:
It sounds like the sailboats are engaging in what is commonly called a regatta. A race around marked points.
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Please...

While there are regattas occasionally this is just weekend traffic, unless there’s a new kind of regatta in which the boats go in all directions at once hoping not to crash into each other.
 
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