Observations In A Danish Port

[Nausikaa]

NAUSIKAA is currently berthed in Faaborg in Denmark. The rain we have been plagued with the last two weeks has now abated but the wind is whistling through the rigging of the boats berthed in this delightful harbour town. On Monday NAUSIKAA will put to sea again so long as the wind is less than storm force..

Yesterday evening, whilst sitting in the warmth of the cabin with the light of an oil lamp being reflected by the newly oiled teak and mahogony and clutching a glass of good Cape red I was reflecting over two observations I have made in the past few days:

1. Only about half of the boats in port are taking their flags down at 21:00 (sunset being much later in these northerly latitudes at this time of year). I always observe the practise in port or at anchor of raising the flag at 08:00 (summertime) and lowering it again at sunset or 21:00, which ever comes earliest. Am I a relic of the past? Will yachtsmen in the future keep their ensigns flying as long as the vessel is in commission?

2. Sailing yachts are generally much better equiped than motor vessels. Why is this? Most yachtsmen arround me (and I use the term yachtsmen rather than cruisers to indicate that they are not generally going farther from home than a motorboat might) have fitted their boats with heaps of safety equipment, carry a sufficiency of anchors and rode and an ample supply of rope. Their crews are usually seen wearing lifejackets and many have fitted securing points for jackstays and for securing lifelines. The motorboats on the other hand tend to be equiped with fishing rod (pole) holders, cup holders, fish-finders and plastic flowers(?). To my way of thinking, this would indicate that yachtsmen and cruisers take safety as a more important issue than motor-boaters. Is this so? If it is, why?

Aye

Stephen....in a reflective mood

[Nausikaa]

I should of course have included in the above that I generalise concerning motorboaters. There are many responsible motorboat owners who fit out, maintain and sail their craft in a very seamanlike manner. My appologies to anyone offended but the fact remains that, in general, sailing yachts appear to be much better kept, fitted out and handled than motorboats - at least in this part of the world.

Aye

Stephen

[duckie]

Originally Posted by Nausikaa

2. Sailing yachts are generally much better equiped than motor vessels. Why is this?

The motorboats on the other hand tend to be equiped with fishing rod (pole) holders, cup holders, fish-finders and plastic flowers(?).

re safety preparations, two thoughts in response:

1. Would motor boats be more confident about being able to get to port quickly if the weather turns bad? Even if the confidence might not match reality.

2. Perhaps more yachts should have plastic flowers.

If you think back to photos you have seen of yachts in distress (aground, dismasted, capsized, etc), how many had plastic flowers on view?

duckie

[Nausikaa]

Hi duckie,

You raised a very moot point regarding a motor boat's ability to get back to port quickly. I am sure many have been lulled into that false sense of security. When bad weather is long foretold then I have no argument with that however sometimes bad weather (particularly in this area in summer) appears like a bolt of lightening from a clear sky.

It is also interesting to ponder that more capable and seaworthy vessels probably have been lost due to stranding when trying to make port in bad weather than have gone under riding out bad weather at sea.

And perhaps you are right, maybe we should invest in plastic flowers but for me, nothing beats the real thing. I just don't have them on board. I raised the point of the plastic flowers because I have seen several boats with them where other, more important, items of a boat's equipment are missing.

Aye

Stephen

[Aquaria]

Hi Stephen,

yes, you are right, flags go down with sunset and up with sunrise, if you are already awake (or later, if you slept in). This tradition deteriorates in the north european wateres and it has never been so strong in the south - let's say in France, Portugal and Spain. There it seems that you buy a boat, fix the flag to the aft stay permanently and leave it there until it is gone by the sun and the wind.

We stick to the tradition while we sail in northern european waters and take away the flag with sundown, but we must admit that we keep the flag on the wind generator rigg day and night while we sail distant shores. And we notice, that most blue water sailors do the same and never take away their flag.

And then we had this moment, where a portugese coast guard ship came towards us well offshore and way past mitnight and asked, where we had our flag! We pointed to the wind generator rigg and they were satisfied and turned away.

Question: Do we sailors have to show the flag when sailing at night well offshore, but still in national waters?

And now the motor yachts: I guess they follow another philosophy of boating.

Once you leave the rather protected waters of the Baltic Sea with nice marinas every 20 miles or less, you do not find as many motor vessels.

Most of them do not do the long passages: Lots of them are under way in the Med, but almost none take the European Atlantic shoreline and not even longer stretches on the North Sea. And we noticed (in Gibraltar) that many motor vessels are put on cargo ships to get back to northern european waters (and of corse vice versa).

Guess, just we sailors ar so 'crazy' and sail long distances at very low speed - and there it's better to be well equipped. (And I would not dare to take most of these motor boats over the Biscay, even though they make it in a day or so... )

So, let's keep on sailing

Cheers

Uwe

SY AQUARIA

[JeanneP]

I just have to use my limited time tonight adding to this thread. As sailors who now cruise in a powerboat, and who have had their boat transported to the Baltic from the US by a freighter, we have seen both sides of this topic. Perhaps 4 sides!

We know that we should be lowering our flag at sunset, but as with most Americans, once it's up, it's up! And I don't remember ever seeing a cruiser who didn't leave their ensign up 24/7.

Sailors more safety conscious than powerboaters? Absolutely. Sailors have to learn how to sail, and they know that. Powerboaters, in general, think that there's no difference between driving a boat and driving an automobile. Of course there are competent powerboaters, but the majority (in the US, at least) are not. They're pretty unknowledgeable about the risks on the water. Though I would say that the Baltic power boaters today were pretty rude and clueless.

I must find the picture of about 15 people on a small powerboat, with children, not a life jacket to be seen. Scary.

Peter commented today that most boaters in the Baltic ALL wear life jackets, not just the children. OR they wear nothing at all! We couldn't believe all the women in bikinis and men going shirtless on their boats. We were bundled up with several layers to keep warm. (Right now it's about 65 degrees F outside, the water is less than 60, and when the wind is blowing, it's COLD. Fall in the water and you'd lose consciousness before somebody could get to you. A life jacket is really a necessity. Peter even insisted we wear them in the dinghy).

However, in the States, we usually don't keep a life jacket on, in the dinghy or on the boat.

Anything else I say would be a bit more insulting than I care to be today. It was a lovely day if we had just dropped anchor in one place and stayed for 24 or 36 hours. Just because this powerboat can go faster than a sailboat and reach more places, doesn't mean we should. Sorry, I'm tired. Two more days of rushing about willy-nilly, and then a week or two of leisurely cruising and sightseeing.