Jump to content

Please Hoot


system 4-50

Featured Posts

or wave your knickers in the air. Or anything to indicate what you are intending to do!

Gt Haywood, a few days ago.  I am coming off the water point which is just above the junction, to the north, facing south, intending to turn right at the junction to head west.  There is a bridge over the arm making it difficult to see round it. I give a good hoot, one for turning right, and listen.  Nothing.  I start the turn.  When I reach 45 degs on the turn into the junction the prow of a long boat emerges tentatively from the blind junction, slightly angled to show an intent to turn north.  There is room to turn inside me so no problem. I ease off and keep out of the way.  He gets sufficiently clear and I resume my turn.  Then a second boat appears from the junction, not tentatively at all! I am now directly proceeding towards this emerging boat and need to turn to one side or the other to avoid it.  Any indication of whether he wants to turn to the left going north or right going south?  Not a bit of it. I reverse furiously and gesticulate at the oncoming boat who has accelerated to try and get out of my way.  Eventually light dawns and a hand signal indicates that he wants to turn right and go south.  I swing my bow in the opposite direction and stop reversing with my stern against the bank, and he just manages to get past and we all resume our journies.  No boats were hurt as this saga unfolded, but it would have been so much easier if a few hoots were given to indicate what people wanted to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you cross anowl with a skunk you get a smelly bird that couldn't give hoot.

 

if we approach a junction in similar circumstances I send crew to the bow as look out. Approach slowly. Having said that, I am 50+ feet away. Crew seems to do nothing if there's nothing there. Not even an all clear. I'm asumming that crew will wave and shout if there is an approaching boat. Sounding horns is ineffective. You hear a horn. You sound your horn, you both stop. Could be there for days. 

Why do these people with cars, motorists, sound their horn at a humpback bridge doing 30+ miles per hour. Car approaching in other direction sounds their horn at 30 mph. Windows closed, radio on. In most cases you could clearly see the road ahead if they had slowed down, as you should when approaching a hazard. It's so annoying. I have to go and peel a grape!!

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And try and pass on the correct side.. had one coming out of bucky who insisted on coming on the wrong side , inspite of hoots light flashes etc, scrapped past glaring at me. Then did same to hire boat behind.

In the locks which we shared the hite boat skipper ( ex royal marine submariner) informed the female steerers language almost made him blush. God help anyone in blisworth

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I see this a lot at Great Haywood, people seem to like to come flying out the junction often hitting the opposite bank, then reversing and moving in the direction they wish to travel.  When I come out the junction I give a horn signal, come out at a pace where I can stop if required and use the width of the bridge so I don't have a need to get anywhere near the opposite bank.

I see this at marina exits often as well where some seem to think they can exit a marina without any warning or checking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you are approaching a blind obstacle, by all means hoot to say you are there -- but still expect that boat to appear suddenly without warning. We forum members are responsible boaters, so it's up to us to avoid collisions by expecting the unexpected. We all know there are idiots out there, otherwise why would we bother to hoot in the first place?

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

 

I see this at marina exits often as well where some seem to think they can exit a marina without any warning or checking.

We had this at Cropredy Marina early this summer. We were approaching one of the entrances when the prow of a boat started to emerge. I sounded my horn, and the boat stopped and appeared to be reversing back into the marina to let me past. As we were only some 30 yards away, he suddenly engaged forward and shot out right in front of us. I usually go to help other boaters through locks, but at the lock just beyond the marina I somehow forgot to: I didn't want to get involved in a "frank exchange of views" with the other boater.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find it really frustrating when you get absolutely no eye contact from another boater who is planning to do something. 

 

There you are mid channel trying to work out their intentions. Are they coming past you, mooring, or reversing to that water point? 

 

Im obviously happy to wait, but want to put my boat in position to help not hinder. 

  • Greenie 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, MHS said:

I find it really frustrating when you get absolutely no eye contact from another boater who is planning to do something. 

 

There you are mid channel trying to work out their intentions. Are they coming past you, mooring, or reversing to that water point? 

 

Im obviously happy to wait, but want to put my boat in position to help not hinder. 

Agreed -- and it's often possible to establish contact by signs and gestures (!) well before you can see the whites of their eyes. Having said that, it seems that some people don't realise that gestures 100ft or more away have to be quite exaggerated to be visible at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, MHS said:

Im obviously happy to wait, but want to put my boat in position to help not hinder. 

I'm like that for the first few minutes or so. 

 

After a while I start working out the best angle to ram them to nudge their boat to where they obviously want to go but can't manage :D

 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Athy said:

We had this at Cropredy Marina early this summer. We were approaching one of the entrances when the prow of a boat started to emerge. I sounded my horn, and the boat stopped and appeared to be reversing back into the marina to let me past. As we were only some 30 yards away, he suddenly engaged forward and shot out right in front of us. I usually go to help other boaters through locks, but at the lock just beyond the marina I somehow forgot to: I didn't want to get involved in a "frank exchange of views" with the other boater.

You could have engaged in a Gentlemanly discussion(With Missile and Vitriol enhancements)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Recently, when approaching Bridge 39 on the Shroppie (you know, THAT bridge), I gave a good toot on the horn and heard no reply so proceeded albeit at tickover so the inlaws could take the obligatory pics. To my surprise I met another boat nosing in, so I promptly backed away to let him through. We exchanged pleasantries as we passed and then he asked "Out of interest, did you hear my horn?", I replied I hadn't and did he hear mine, to which he replied he hadn't either. Can only summise we had tooted at exactly the same time and for exactly the same duration. The only other explanations are either the geography blocking the sound from being carried, or that he was a big fat liar ?

  • Greenie 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Hudds Lad said:

Recently, when approaching Bridge 39 on the Shroppie (you know, THAT bridge), I gave a good toot on the horn and heard no reply so proceeded albeit at tickover so the inlaws could take the obligatory pics. To my surprise I met another boat nosing in, so I promptly backed away to let him through. We exchanged pleasantries as we passed and then he asked "Out of interest, did you hear my horn?", I replied I hadn't and did he hear mine, to which he replied he hadn't either. Can only summise we had tooted at exactly the same time and for exactly the same duration. The only other explanations are either the geography blocking the sound from being carried, or that he was a big fat liar ?

Perhaps you should have given two hoots! :D

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As an aside, when I started boating I was taught that left is shorter than right, red is shorter than green and port is shorter than starboard.  All the "shorts" go together, as do the "longs".  Great way to remember things, until you introduce sound signals....?

 

 

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Recently, when approaching Bridge 39 on the Shroppie (you know, THAT bridge), I gave a good toot on the horn and heard no reply so proceeded albeit at tickover so the inlaws could take the obligatory pics. To my surprise I met another boat nosing in, so I promptly backed away to let him through. We exchanged pleasantries as we passed and then he asked "Out of interest, did you hear my horn?", I replied I hadn't and did he hear mine, to which he replied he hadn't either. Can only summise we had tooted at exactly the same time and for exactly the same duration. The only other explanations are either the geography blocking the sound from being carried, or that he was a big fat liar ?

Was he big? Was he fat? Two out of three! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.