Long shorelines
Is there a trend to combine anchoring and shorelines into one technique – which captures the worst of both techniques?
This has now happened twice on this Croatian cruise, once to us and once to the guy pictured in the photo above.
It was the same story both times: some boats are tied with shorelines and another boat arrives (us the first time), and decides to anchor. Perhaps they are only staying one night, perhaps they are shorthanded, perhaps they can’t be bothered to launch the dinghy. Whatever the reason,
Leave a message…
Does anyone ever use the features of
VHF DSC, for example, calling others using the MMSI number, I wonder? Or use the red button for help?
When it first came out I thought it was a great idea, especially the red button, linked to GPS. The idea of a quick press of a button to get help was great.
However, over the passage of time I suspect there are now thousands of radios with an MMSI number linked to a previous owner of the radio, or installed in a different boat. At best that seems to me to make the whole DSC concept a bit pointless, even potentially dangerous in an emergency situation.
Both my current radios have an MMSI number linked to previous owners. My last three boats were the same. I suspect all my old radios will still have MMSI numbers linked to me. What was the idea behind not allowing users to change the details whenever they needed to?
And anyway, I don’t think I have ever called anyone using their MMSI number; I just phone them.
It would make more sense for the the skipper does the swinging calculation such that if the wind goes round at night then the anchored boat will not hit any of the stern-tied boats.
Fine so far, until another boat arrives later on and, rather than anchoring, the crew decides they will also take shorelines. Now, if the new boat were to tuck up against the shore with perhaps a quarter or half boat length out – which is fine depth-wise in Croatia – perhaps there’s enough clearance in the swinging circle to avoid any contact, or at least make it possible to pull in a bit of chain to number embedded in the radio to stay put forever, but allow the records to be changed to match the radio – not the other way around.
Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?
What’s in a name?
Alan Steven Your comment last month on boat names got me thinking of some of the odder ones I’ve seen over the years. I remember thinking the racing yacht Dump Truck could have been called something more elegant. But for sheer crudity, how could you beat the name of a motorboat I saw a few years back, called Ship for Brains? How true!
Niall Rodger
A friend and I, at the ages of around 40, campaigned a 470 for some time; we named it Killing me softly (and it did!).
John Toms
I have been liking lots of the names I have seen been popping up, and I can’t help but include mine. I race a Star in Canada, and