Seems to me most of the people on this forum are the guys doing the right thing. Over and over ones reads about guys talking about preparation, safety and responsibility. Even participating in this forum and sharing experiences, tips and techniques for being on the water leads me to believe its a forum made up mostly of the kind of people who pay attention to their surroundings.
Unfortunately, there are enough people out there with poor judgment doing the wrong things, that force commercial traffic to paint all recreational boaters with the same brush. You know your going to move out of the way, but the pilot bringing 70000 tons of ship on a carefully considered transit doesn't know that. He's thinking of the countless encounters he's had with people who don't seem to see him, don't care they've seen him, or don't realize that it's not that the ship doesn't want to slow down and go around them, but that they can't. The gong show in front of the Capilano river just before first narrows bridge is a perfect example. Lots of fisherman are doing the right thing. Lots aren't. Same with sailboats. There are oodles of excellent sailors on this coast, but unfortunately there are just as many who clearly have no training or aptitude. Commercial traffic HAS to assume the worst for everyone's good.
I agree that's no reason for attitude, hope my Russell Wilson joke didn't ruffle any feathers! At the same time, if commercial traffic has to hail recreational boaters at all, they are already in the way.
So many sail boaters think they have "right of way", forgetting rule 9 and 10 require THEM not to impede power driven vessels in narrow channels or traffic lanes. I've also seen 18' boats keep trolling ahead because the tug towing an 8000 ton barge is on their port side. Common sense dictates that's ridiculous, as well as the fact the tug is avoiding back eddys, fighting tide set, trying to make a tide ect ect ect. English Bay is usually the worst spot, with obviously clueless fishermen who don't even realize there are commercial traffic lanes, much less they are right in the middle of them. It's stressful enough trying to get business done out there, without having to worry about people endangering their families lives right in front of you.
As a fellow fisherman I always try to give fisherman a wide berth when I'm on the tug. Especially one with a fish on! But with thousands of tons on the line, deep sea traffic ahead and behind, and building tides and back eddys to deal with, yes you will get five short on the horn if your in the way. That said, I've also seen the port authority boats sent out by pilots to lay down the law, totally get it wrong and yell at the wrong boats!
Again, huge respect for the fisherman on this forum. I've learned a ton on here about more than just fishing.
Kildonan, meant no attitude your way at all, enjoyed the post.
Can't comment on the pilot boat happenings because I wasn't there, but doesn't sound very cool. I just wanted to point out that pilots are the elite mariners protecting our coast, and were not to blame said happenings.
