Sailboat meets aircraft carrier

Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
Great story! Was it a duce? I thought the bolt was always forward unless you were racking or after firing in single shot mode.
It was like this one. These guys aren't always out in the harbor. I think I have seen them twice between 2005 and 2008. I tried to sail every weekend back then.

The Marines up here at Camp Pendleton has something similar. They don't bother me when I go in and out. I guess they have a database from the Base Marina about what boat belong there.

Yeah the bolt on a machine gun is always forward except when it is ready to fire. Just the opposite of a rifle which the bolt should never be forward unless it is ready to fire.
 
Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
I was sure the old lady at 0:15 was a goner!
I liked the 5 horn signal just when it was about to hit. Guy should have given the signal a little sooner. Then he does it again as he is hitting the sea wall. LOL
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,980
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
I didn't get the whole name of the vessel but what I did see was "Hornblower." Apt! BTW I didn't see any pedestrians hanging around to assert their landlubber rights.
 
Apr 28, 2005
274
Oday 302 Lake Perry, KS
In the mid 90s (well before 9-11 and all the security they have in and around Coronado Island today) I took a client out for a sail in San Diego Harbor on a Catalina 22. Sailed that 22-foot boat along side all 1,092 feet of the USS Abraham Lincoln. But did give the ship plenty of room! Now, they put big float lines around the ships and they patrol it with those guys with big guns. You can't even begin to get close.

That same trip was during the America's Cup and I had that little Catalina 22 trimmed out really well and was humming down the bay. About 30 yards off my starboard side Dennis Connor and his America3 boat came through - soon put my boat in it's wake. I was wearing an America3 cap and the crew saw the cap and waved and yelled at me. Lots of fun that day.

But amidst all the fun, I did avoid hitting a stationary aircraft carrier!
 
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JRacer

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Aug 9, 2011
1,393
Beneteau 310 Cheney KS (Wichita)
In the mid 90s (well before 9-11 and all the security they have in and around Coronado Island today) I took a client out for a sail in San Diego Harbor on a Catalina 22. Sailed that 22-foot boat along side all 1,092 feet of the USS Abraham Lincoln. But did give the ship plenty of room! Now, they put big float lines around the ships and they patrol it with those guys with big guns. You can't even begin to get close.

That same trip was during the America's Cup and I had that little Catalina 22 trimmed out really well and was humming down the bay. About 30 yards off my starboard side Dennis Connor and his America3 boat came through - soon put my boat in it's wake. I was wearing an America3 cap and the crew saw the cap and waved and yelled at me. Lots of fun that day.

But amidst all the fun, I did avoid hitting a stationary aircraft carrier!
America3(cubed) was Bill Koch's program
 
Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
I've sailed drunk, but I've never been "sail into a docked ship" drunk! A new life goal, perhaps?
 
Dec 2, 1997
9,011
- - LIttle Rock
'I hit a museum". Explain that to your insurance.
Reminds me of a story I heard years ago about a VHF conversation at night. A large ship underway near the coast of (I forget where) saw lights ahead just barely off his st'bd bow and he was closing fast. The captain strongly suggested that the other vessel turn to port and got a reply, strongly suggest YOU turn to port instead. This exchange was repeated twice...until the captain exploded, "Turn to port NOW, dammit!" To which the other voice replied, "That would be impossible sir, we're a lighthouse."
--Peggie
 
Dec 25, 2014
84
Catalina 27 Pasadena, Md
After reading 13+ pages about the "Collision today" some of the posters on that thread likely would think the carrier should be partially to blame as it didn't take evasive action to avoid the collison. :);)
 
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Oct 19, 2017
8,119
O'Day Mariner 19 3444 Littleton, NH
After reading 13+ pages about the "Collision today" some of the posters on that thread likely would think the carrier should be partially to blame as it didn't take evasive action to avoid the collison. :);)
Neither did the lighthouse in peggy's story where it could have by simply identifying itself to a captain who obviously didn't know he was heading for a lighthouse. What's the liability of a lighthouse that is partially to blame for a ship hitting it?

In landlubber law there is this idea of an attractive nuisance. Could that apply to the USS Midway?

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jun 1, 2015
217
Macgregor 26d Trailer Estates, Fl
You couldn’t take a rubber dinghy within 300 yards of an active warship without challenge. If you actually managed to strike one you ...
<tongue in cheek> More recently you couldn’t manage to strike one because they have been lashing out first. <tongue removed>
 
Sep 15, 2016
858
Catalina 22 Minnesota
Any bets it was this guy? (this is the pier next to the USS Midway.

That's the 3rd time I know of this happening with the tour boats on the pier there. I used to work on them. The late horn is because the captain had no idea he was in trouble until it was too late. Some of the captains come in hot and "walk" the boat to hug the dock. The problem is that the controls to the bridge are electronic not cable driven and on most of the boats the generator for power is shared with the sound system etc... Occasionally (not often) there is a power surge and the engine controls freeze up with the engines in gear. Thus when the captain moved to neutral or reverse nothing happens. This is immediately followed by the face of Whaaaat and then hit the emergency collision horn and brace for impact. The engine room on this vessel is 5 decks below the bridge and is unmanned so there was no way of avoiding the collision in time. Usually the captain is not found at fault and is not fired from the job. Most of these captains are well experienced retired merchant captains with thousands of sea miles and hours behind them. They are just looking for something to do in their golden years and these 200' or so tour boats feel like toys to most of them.
 
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