Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

[tpenfield]

Of course not my my sailboat . . . instead with my 33 foot powerboat

We happened to be heading out of the harbor yesterday morning and as we came up the channel, I noticed the local yacht club was having a sailboat race (12 foot sailboats). The sailboats usually race in the harbor and typically there are no issues, but today was different.

It was dead low tide and 20 mph winds, so most powerboats are confined to the channel. It turned out that the race course was laid out so that it was using a fair amount of the channel, . . . we ended up intermingled with the sailboat race.

Of course the sailboat guys are yelling at us that they have the right of way and are in a race . . . the Admiral just gave it right back to them that we were in the channel and had restricted draft. All the while, I was trying to figure out how I could get out of the way.

Anyway, we got clear of them for a while and it looked like (to me) they were headed to a course marker near the breakwater, which was fine. But oh no, here they come back again . . . They are using the channel marker (green buoy) as as their course marker. :facepalm: So, here we go again.

I'm not sure if we won the race, but I think we made a couple of boats loose the race. :noidea:

 

[JoLin]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

Ted, if I knew whatever club organized that one, I'd be tempted to file a complaint with them and with local LE. I always respect the rights of sailboaters, but some of them are just plain arrogant jerks. Many are under the mistaken impression that they ALWAYS have the right of way. I've had sailboaters, operating UNDER POWER, yell that they have the right of way. Idiots.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

Ted, if I knew whatever club organized that one, I'd be tempted to file a complaint with them and with local LE. I always respect the rights of sailboaters, but some of them are just plain arrogant jerks. Many are under the mistaken impression that they ALWAYS have the right of way. I've had sailboaters, operating UNDER POWER, yell that they have the right of way. Idiots.

Yea, they have been racing around these waters for 100 years, give or take, so there is the arrogance factor in play . . I was an officer in the particular yacht club for a while about 10-12 years ago. So, I'll let it ride.

It seems that it is a 'race committee' issue, in that they need to put more thought into laying out the course, so as not to interfere with regular boat traffic so much, and possibly schedule more according to the tides. Using a navigational buoy as a course marker is just plain dumb though

Contrary to what the sailboaters may believe, we 'stinkpot' drivers do try to figure out where their course is and avoid being in the way as much as possible. . . . but if they are using a channel marker as part of their course, there is no way to tell . . .

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

my favorite bs misconception some of them have is that you always have to "get out of the way" I've actually been nearly hit by a blowboater in a 30+'er while on anchor and then 10 minutes later a LEO shows up saying that they had a call that I refused to yield right of way!

I explained that I had been at anchor for 4 hours and that they chose a collision course and he apologized and left, looking quite irritated.

I also once had an issue with a guy in a 12' dingy in a creek (7' deep in the center) who apparently thought I needed to drive mine up on the bank and wait for him to pass..... I had moved as far to the side (away from him) as possible without running aground and was shifting in and out of gear moving as slowly as I possibly could to maintain control. He proceeded to cuss me up one side and down the other even bumping into and grabbing my boat and threatening to "kick my......" He finally left when I pulled out my cell phone and pushed 3 buttons.

Don't get me wrong tho... Most of the sailors I've encountered are very polite and knowledgeable.. I've done a little of it and would love to get into a 40+ footer one day for some world travel.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

I'm not sure if we won the race, but I think we made a couple of boats loose the race. :noidea:

Heck, I'd have won the race.

Since you seem to have an idea of who was involved in setting up the race you ought to get in touch with them and politely suggest a few improvements they could make the next time. It might just fall on arrogant, deaf ears, but on the other hand you might help avoid an unsafe situation in the future.

 

[agallant80]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

You did not know that the guy on the sail boat always has the right of way even when under power? Shame on you. I don't know why people on sail boats are so arrogant.

 

[emilsr]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

I'd stop short of calling blow boaters arrogant; could be that they just don't know....just like many powerboaters.

Even when we know, sometimes we don't do the right thing. On the inagural run of an event a few years ago we were running up a river channel in unfamiliar waters and found ourselves running by small fishing boats anchored near the shoreline. Honestly, I thought maybe we should come off plane at the time (our group was mainly 25-35' powerboats) but the "herd mentality" kicked in and we went blasting through. I'm sure we made a lot of folks angry that day; ("those arrrogant powerboater assholes"). Thankfully we though about this for subsequent runs and put in place a "rule" for the run that we would come off plane and idle by the smaller boats so as not to disturb them with larger wakes. We were certainly more welcomed then and got lots of waves from the fishermen. The sad thing though; despite being a very experienced boating crowd, we still screwed up the first time.

"Let he who is without sin" boys......if you've never made a mistake while boating you're in the minority.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

Yea. I was a blowboater since my kidhood days. Only been power boating for about 10 years. So, I understand both vantage points.

bottom line is that the vessel with the least maneuverability has the right if way, particularly in confined waters.

Today, while headed out of the harbor we encountered a swarm of Optimist sailing dinghies . . . Kids having sailing lessons. We were able to navigate through them without incident.

 

[kdp89]

Re: Got into a sailboat race yesterday . . .

I don't know about elsewhere, but up here on lake Ontario the blow boaters seem to have a vendetta with the fisherman. Everyday I hear a new story about a sail boat running a collision course with a boat out trolling for salmon, and this is not in a confined space, usually a couple miles offshore.
I actually had a buddy who had his center rod snapped in half by a sailboat who took a run across his stern. Couple inches closer and it would have taken off his outboard. The worst part is that the troller was doing all he could to evade the sail boat without opening up the throttle and losing all his gear. Luckily it was caught on video and the local marine squad was called, sailor wash charged.