Is This A Dumb Sailor or What?

[Stu Jackson]

I wonder what folks have been

sailing in since questions like these seem to persist. There's a lot of water out there, and unless you're in fog, or it is your first time out, those BIG ships are easy to deal with. Stay the %$%^ away from them. It's not that hard.

 

[tom]

Sunfish and Ship

Not to say that no collisions have occured but a ship impressed me at Charleston Harbor. We had trailered our Mac 26 and spent the weekend sailing around Charleston harbor. A ship coming into harbor actually avoided a sunfish that was in the channel. Incredibly the sunfish had headed in front of the ship and it slowed almost stopped and started using the 5 whistles to make it's displeasure known. It wasn't a huge container ship but it was a ship. We were sailing out of the way and watching the show. If the small sailboat had had a radio I bet the conversation would have been colorfull. I guess some people just get out and are having a great time sailing and don't appreciate what is going on around them.  On wheeler lake there aren't any ships but there are large barges that are surprising quiet. We have been out enjoying ourselves and suddenly noticed a large barge coming in our general direction. Nothing close enough to get 5 whistles but close enough to remind us to pay attention. On the open lake it's no problem but in the river a large coal barge coming around the bend is scarey. My technique is to get out of the channel and idle speed until the barge passes. I feel safer on the inside of a bend. My fear is that the incrediblly strong thrust of the barge's engine might push me aground.

 

[Ross]

The tugs on the gravel barges don't bother

with five whistles. They just tie the horn down and you hear one continuous blast for about ten seconds. They have to clear the Amtrak bridge and don't have any room to maneuver. If you can't get clear then you are history.

 

[DC1417]

Lake vs. Bay

I've done most of my sailing on small lakes (Lake Geneva, Lake Champlain, Buckeye Ocean) where the biggest "ship" is a house boat or party/site-seeing boat. Our greatest threat is often jet skis or water skiers. Two weeks ago I sailed a Catalina 22 in San Diego Bay. Holy crap! If it wasn't a Navy gunship baring down on us it was a cruise ship dead ahead or a giant barge taking up half the bay (what do they do with all that sand anyway?). Then there's the pair of America's Cup yachts out for a little race (do they care if my little 22 has the right of way?) My co-worker had never sailed and she asked me "and you find this relaxing?"

 

[Sandy Stone]

I got one for you...

Doing a Gulfport to Pensacola race a few years ago, we were approaching the same Pascagoula ship channel a little after sunset when we heard another competetitor on the VHF, "Ship in the channel, this is the sailboat on your port bow." A voice with a heavy foreign accent replied to the hail, and the sailboat continued, "We are approaching on a colission course, what are your intentions?" The ship replied, after some hesitation, "We are at anchor, you may do as you please." I think he was trying to stifle his laughter.But really, it just goes to show how hard it is to estimate the course and speed of a big ship. I just stay away from the front end.

 

[Jeff]

Yes, Tonnage Trumps

Tonnage trumps, especially when it is unbeleivably obvious. IE: 3 tons vs 30,000 tons.I like to argue, especially when I know I'm right. But in these cases, time spent arguing is much better time spent running like smoke and okum. Motors screaming and sails bending.