Numpties and regulations

[Malc]

As the fishing was quiet on Saturday I had a bit of a think. When I was up in Scotland there was not much chatter on the radio apart from safety messages for the area and creel men swearing and chattering on ch 12. Now I am fishing off Northumbria and Durham it's a different ballgame, boats needing a tow, paddle boarders in the middle of the Tyne shipping channel, engine failure and on Saturday Humber were speaking to a vessel on Ch 16 and I couldn't pick up the vessel as it later transpired that they were just south of Holy Island. They couldn't give a positional lat and long there may have been a medical problem and eventually Humber said that if someone had a phone to dial 999 and speak to the coastguard. 

I'm not having a go at boat owners as jetskiers, paddle boarders, kayakers, creel boats etc can be just as bad when they go out without the right equipment or knowledge or generally lax attitudes. Yes accidents happen and we have emergency services for them in life but sometimes I wonder if things are getting out of hand. 

So do we need to tighten up on the likes of kayaks, SIBs, paddle boarders, jetskiers and boats? Or do we need to thin the herd through Darwinism?

[Odyssey]

23 minutes ago, Malc said:

As the fishing was quiet on Saturday I had a bit of a think. When I was up in Scotland there was not much chatter on the radio apart from safety messages for the area and creel men swearing and chattering on ch 12. Now I am fishing off Northumbria and Durham it's a different ballgame, boats needing a tow, paddle boarders in the middle of the Tyne shipping channel, engine failure and on Saturday Humber were speaking to a vessel on Ch 16 and I couldn't pick up the vessel as it later transpired that they were just south of Holy Island. They couldn't give a positional lat and long there may have been a medical problem and eventually Humber said that if someone had a phone to dial 999 and speak to the coastguard. 

I'm not having a go at boat owners as jetskiers, paddle boarders, kayakers, creel boats etc can be just as bad when they go out without the right equipment or knowledge or generally lax attitudes. Yes accidents happen and we have emergency services for them in life but sometimes I wonder if things are getting out of hand. 

So do we need to tighten up on the likes of kayaks, SIBs, paddle boarders, jetskiers and boats? Or do we need to thin the herd through Darwinism?

There is a case for a minimum requirement to use a boat and other water craft….

[Andy135]

40 minutes ago, Malc said:

 So do we need to tighten up on the likes of kayaks, SIBs, paddle boarders, jetskiers and boats? Or do we need to thin the herd through Darwinism?

This is a perennial challenge in that the only bar to getting afloat is the size of one's pockets rather than a legislative requirement for training/licensing. Ton @JonC's point, even with licensing there will always be fools on the water. I suppose if we think about the number of numpties needing help as a percentage of boat owners we probably have far fewer of them than the car-driving equivalent, and the consequences for numpties are by and large limited to themselves rather than hurting others (this is a generalisation, I know). So perhaps no change is needed - let Darwinism take its course unless the RNLI can get there first.

[captin slows old outlaw]

6 hours ago, Andy135 said:

This is a perennial challenge in that the only bar to getting afloat is the size of one's pockets rather than a legislative requirement for training/licensing. Ton @JonC's point, even with licensing there will always be fools on the water. I suppose if we think about the number of numpties needing help as a percentage of boat owners we probably have far fewer of them than the car-driving equivalent, and the consequences for numpties are by and large limited to themselves rather than hurting others (this is a generalisation, I know). So perhaps no change is needed - let Darwinism take its course unless the RNLI can get there first.

  yes i agree

[Malc]

Points taken but it grinds my gears when you see an accident waiting to happen and you know that to Joe Public and his wife that you are thought of as the same kind of muppet. 

Anyhoo are the mackerel in yet? 😁

[Andy135]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

Points taken but it grinds my gears when you see an accident waiting to happen and you know that to Joe Public and his wife that you are thought of as the same kind of muppet. 

Anyhoo are the mackerel in yet? 😁

Agreed, and in that situation I'd suggest that any conscientious boat owner should find a way to help educate the numpties about the potential for an accident. Hard I know, but necessary for the good standing of boat owners everywhere I'd propose.

[Andy135]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

Anyhoo are the mackerel in yet? 😁

🤣