Staying Clear With Sir Robin Knox-Johnston
Book Extract
Good sense and good seamanship go hand in hand when it comes to observing traffic rules in busy shipping channels. Robin observes from the other side.
Motoring up the Solent at 18 knots on a large liner puts a new perspective on the meaning of close quarters situation. What no doubt appears to be safe distance from the cockpit of a yacht looks dangerously close from the bridge of the QE2, but the most concern was caused by boats whose movements were difficult to interpret – those which were heading straight across the path or angling diagonally to cross it.
The QE2 is 72,000 tons and is not able to swerve in time to avoid something close ahead and, as the Captain pointed out (and he is a yachtsman), even if she did alter course, it would only threaten other small vessels to one side or the other which had been clear up to that point.
My immediate assumption was that yachtsmen were not aware of the local byelaws covering shipping in the Solent area, but examination of the log of the accompanying safety vessel indicated otherwise.
Most boats that were challenged admitted that they had heard there were rules although not all knew the details. Excuses given for getting in the way divided pretty evenly between:
‘I was well clear’ (in one case from a yacht 100m in front of an approaching container ship when the moving exclusion zone extended 1,000m ahead!)
‘The ship was going faster than I realised and I thought I had time to get across’
‘The wind went light’ (so use the motor, please, sir!)
‘I’m sorry’
For those 35,000 yachts that habitually use the Solent, there are some significant points to be appreciated. The first is that most of the ships coming out of the Port of Southampton, except the very large tankers, only slow down at the Prince Consort buoy if coming from the east, and almost at Calshot Spit if from the Needles.
They need to keep speed on in order to turn sharply at these two points and, once committed, cannot manoeuvre out of the way of yachts in the channel. Every yachtsman knows that if they want to turn sharply they need to put on high revs to direct a good wash against the rudder – well, this applies to giants as well.
The safety boats that now accompany vessels coming through the channels will tow becalmed yachts out of the way, but they rely on the intelligence and watchfulness of other boats to keep well clear. If there are a number of yachts becalmed in the channel there is going to be trouble, since there just won’t be time to get them all.
The classic case of this was when the offshore racing fleet was becalmed and many kedged right in the channel, in the centre of the zone of concern.
The container ship coming through had a simple choice: hit four ahead or three astern. It took the cheaper alternative!
There were, no doubt, some indignant yachtsmen as a result, but they only have themselves to blame. A tight dredged channel into a busy principal port is hardly an intelligent place to anchor and this is clear example where the Rules of the Road take precedence over the racing rules.
Surprisingly, on average, only three are hit each year, or perhaps that should be put the other way round, as on two occasions recently the yachts have rammed the ships. One was a sailing school boat which went bow first into the ship’s side; the other was a small cruiser, out for the first time with new owners who could not get their engine started quickly enough.
They bounced down the side, damaging hull and rigging in the process, and were lucky enough to avoid serious difficulties at the stern where the propellers create a suction. Either way, it was a sad start to their new ownership.
This happened on a Sunday in early October, so the Solent was only moderately busy; it must be a nightmare during Cowes Week. The port authorities do have power to take owners who flout the rules to court, but thus has been very sparing so far.
If yachtsmen don’t want a rash of summonses, the rule has to be: if you see a large vessel coming up the channel, get clear of the zone of concern in good time. It is both considerate and common sense – in other words good seamanship.
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Knox-Johnston On Seamanship & Seafaring is written by Robin Knox-Johnston. Robin Knox-Johnston rose to fame in 1969 when he became the first person to sail non-stop and solo around the world. In an illustrious sailing career he has also set records for the fastest circumnavigation and last raced solo round the world in 2007, aged 68. He was knighted in 1995.