BZZZZZTT - Wrong Answer!!!!

The number one concern is to safely operate the boat and not get run
over by an idiot operating a much bigger boat. Singlehanding in a
strong wind near shore doesn't allow the luxury of screwing around with
a handheld radio and trying to chat up the the yacht operator.

Do any of you "Should'a called him on the radio" folks have ANY
experience singlehanding a 32' sailboat? It seems really obvious to me
that the answer is NO. Give it a try sometime and you might start
posting from a position of experience.

If Roger had not had a handheld radio, would he still be "wrong" to
expect a professional yacht captain to know and obey the rules of the
road? Or do you think that since he didn't have a fixed VHF radio, a
Bluetooth headset/microphone for it, a VOX mike, and an autopilot, he
clearly is under equipped? Give me a break. The yacht operator needs
to have a unpleasant chat with the Coast Guard and some remedial
training.

Roger didn't get run over and lived to post about it. We should all be
thankful that the event turned out as well as it did.

What happened to the guy that says he knows the yacht captain? What did
the yacht captain say?

I pulled this passage from rec.aviation.homebuilt. There was a
fatality at Oshkosh this year. A Grumman TBM Avenger ran over an RV6
and killed the person in the right seat.

Begin quoted text

I'm prejudiced. Of course I'm prejudiced. In 5000+ flight hours, I've
never come as close to a midair as I did at Oshkosh 1999. Oshkosh
Tower: "BlueOnBlue Cessna, number three for runway 27. Ercoupe put it
on the numbers. Flight of three T6s, cross over runway 27, right
downwind for runway 27, caution the Cessna at the gravel pit."

(Warbird flight leader) "OK fellers, let's show them what a warbird
arrival is like."

The Cessna is looking, looking, and turns downwind. The copilot
screams, "Oh, my God " and the pilot turns hard left, only to see two
wings perhaps fifty feet below. Tower tells warbirds that they nearly
had a midair with a Cessna. Warbird flight leader, "Then tell tell the
little b@$+@rd to get out of our way."

end quoted text

In my opinion, the attitude of the the warbird flight leader mirrors
the attitude of the yacht operator.

YMMV


Richard wrote:
If there is any doubt concerning the actions of the other yacht, you should
definitely call them on the radio.

wrote in message
oups.com...
What part of Roger's explanation did you miss?

The strong winds?

The fact that he was operating single handed?

The fact that he had the right of way but was bullied into giving it
up?

Just exactly when is a singlehanded sailor in a strong wind expected to
drop the sheet or the steering apparatus to pick up, turn on, tune in
the correct channel, and broadcast a radio call on a handheld radio?
When some rich asshole in a big yacht is about to run him over, I
guess.

That is totally ignorant. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Why don't you do a google search and look up some of Roger's previous
postings? He isn't exactly a rookie...


Capt. Bill wrote:
On Sat, 29 Jul 2006 14:59:32 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

Yeah, I could have called him on the radio but the rules of the road
were written to make it possible to deal with something this simple
without having to yack and negotiate on the air. Having to make a
radio call in a case like this means someone already isn't observing
the rules.

Let me get this straight, you didn't use the radio because you
shouldn't have to if some one is following the rules, but at the same
time you state they weren't following the rules and you still didn't
use the radio.

So at what point would you use your hand held radio? After they had
run you over to call for help?