Fog ,Radar , Dying

[beemer]

It seems that the excitement of catching a halibut has led to some delirium by some local fishermen!!
I was talking to a Coastal Pilot yesterday and he asked me to post a warning about setting up in shipping lanes , especially in the fog. He was piloting a ship off Discovery Island in the fog last Saturday when they nearly ran over a 20 foot? boat that was at anchor in the shipping lane . They came within 20 feet of the vessel. The boat had no radar reflector and was not visible on the ships radar. These guys nearly bit it.

I am of the belief you should not be out in the fog without radar, depending on a ship to always "see" you is foolish. Is a halibut worth dying for?

beemer

 

[Redfisher]

Shipping lanes are exactly that.... transport lanes for vessels operating within our marine transportation system.

Radars do not prevent collisions at sea. They are to be used as a “navigational aide” but a proper watch and using sound signals are what is legally required.

I cringe at some sports fishing practices I see in limited visibility and in particular don’t like how radar is seen as the be all.

Hate to see people hurt needlessly and believe that a SVOP type course should be required for anyone operating boats over the size of a rowboat.

 

[hambone]

Well said... it’s surprising this isn’t a more talked about issue.

 

[advTHXance]

Nobody would willfully park their car in the middle of a highway, yet you see people anchored in shipping lanes all the time. Its the same thing!

 

[finaddict]

Whenever I am running out to the bank in fog, it is really easy to see on my radar screen who has radar and who is running blind on GPS alone. The radar guys see your reflection and make corrections to their course. GPS guys just run straight and usually flat out.........

 

[Redfisher]

And I have been on scene when a guy with radar on has run over another boat. Saying sorry doesn’t really work when you cause an avoidable accident.

 

[Tips Up]

I don't have radar but added reflector last year and feel better that I did.
I never anchor in the shipping lanes.
Sadly I don't think some people know how to read a map and probably don't even know they are in the lane.
There was lots of freighter Traffic off Victoria on the weekend and I heard lots of horns being sounded.

Also sadly when I took my SVOP and MED3 Courses, I felt they were mostly a course on how to pass the test.
I was disappointed in what I learned. (or didn't) I did not get my moneys worth.

Be smart out there!

 

[brutus]

Whenever I am running out to the bank in fog, it is really easy to see on my radar screen who has radar and who is running blind on GPS alone. The radar guys see your reflection and make corrections to their course. GPS guys just run straight and usually flat out.........

see it all the time,not going to name anybody,but there is one in particular that comes to mind at PRM that runs flat out indense fog ,no radar,good thing my anger management is somewhat working cause I want to crack him upside the head lol

 

[spring fever]

I don't have radar but added reflector last year and feel better that I did.
I never anchor in the shipping lanes.
Sadly I don't think some people know how to read a map and probably don't even know they are in the lane.
There was lots of freighter Traffic off Victoria on the weekend and I heard lots of horns being sounded.

Also sadly when I took my SVOP and MED3 Courses, I felt they were mostly a course on how to pass the test.
I was disappointed in what I learned. (or didn't) I did not get my moneys worth.

Be smart out there!

I think a lot depends on who your instructor was-I took my courses in Courtenay -I was really impressed. I am a former military pilot and I thought my instructor did the best job I have ever seen on getting guys to understand weather, fog and use of radar in such a short period of time. Radar is a hands on thing-especially at sea-it takes practise to be reasonable . Common sense is what is required when it comes to anchoring in shipping lanes but unfortunately common sense is not that common!

 

[SpringVelocity]

There si also a lot of bad

I don't have radar but added reflector last year and feel better that I did.
I never anchor in the shipping lanes.
Sadly I don't think some people know how to read a map and probably don't even know they are in the lane.
There was lots of freighter Traffic off Victoria on the weekend and I heard lots of horns being sounded.

Also sadly when I took my SVOP and MED3 Courses, I felt they were mostly a course on how to pass the test.
I was disappointed in what I learned. (or didn't) I did not get my moneys worth.

Be smart out there!

The boating courses that power squadron does tend to be better. They are two hours a week spread out for months. They are not designed for people going into industry. Yours are crash course for people that need them so crammed together.

I have both levels of power squadron the boating and the advanced one. I didnt take the piloting one.

If I had it my way everyone would take the power squadron level one. I think the boating competency one people do online is a joke. Same with radio it should be part of condition of driving a boat that you have that done as well.

This is where these issues stem from like anchoring in shipping and lanes and being dangerous out there. So many guys have zero clue but the government doesnt treat a boat like cars. So what can we expect?

 

[Corey_lax]

If I had it my way everyone would take the power squadron level one. I think the boating competency one people do online is a joke. Same with radio it should be part of condition of driving a boat that you have that done as well.

The online boater exam has improved quite a bit at least. When I did it, me and my buddy were 19 years old, drunk on a Friday night, and decided for the hell of it to get our boating licenses. Zero studying and just wrote the test, passed, and away we go. We didn’t have much boating experience and were able to pass.

Now it’s mandatory that you have to spend some time to get through the course. I don’t know how many hours it winds up being but my fiancé did it a few years ago and spread it out over at least a few days. At least now you have to put some time in instead of just winging it like I did in regards to signage, right of way, etc.

 

[Ground Tackle]

There si also a lot of bad


The boating courses that power squadron does tend to be better. They are two hours a week spread out for months. They are not designed for people going into industry. Yours are crash course for people that need them so crammed together.

I have both levels of power squadron the boating and the advanced one. I didnt take the piloting one.

If I had it my way everyone would take the power squadron level one. I think the boating competency one people do online is a joke. Same with radio it should be part of condition of driving a boat that you have that done as well.

This is where these issues stem from like anchoring in shipping and lanes and being dangerous out there. So many guys have zero clue but the government doesnt treat a boat like cars. So what can we expect?

 

[Islander57]

In the late 90's, I fished quite a bit out of Port Renfrew. So many times I saw other boats out at Swiftsure Bank, no radar, fog rolling in and they would continue to fish. There were a few close calls out there as that is a busy shipping lane.
I don't have radar on my current boat. I fish primarily out of Bamfield. I won't run out to Big basnk unless I am paired up with a buddy boat who has radar. The fog can roll in out of nowhere out there.

 

[brutus]

In the late 90's, I fished quite a bit out of Port Renfrew. So many times I saw other boats out at Swiftsure Bank, no radar, fog rolling in and they would continue to fish. There were a few close calls out there as that is a busy shipping lane.
I don't have radar on my current boat. I fish primarily out of Bamfield. I won't run out to Big basnk unless I am paired up with a buddy boat who has radar. The fog can roll in out of nowhere out there.

Still like that now,, guys running flat out in dense fog, fishing the ranch no radar, not all that sharp if you know what i mean

 

[Aces]

There si also a lot of bad


The boating courses that power squadron does tend to be better. They are two hours a week spread out for months. They are not designed for people going into industry. Yours are crash course for people that need them so crammed together.

I have both levels of power squadron the boating and the advanced one. I didnt take the piloting one.

If I had it my way everyone would take the power squadron level one. I think the boating competency one people do online is a joke. Same with radio it should be part of condition of driving a boat that you have that done as well.

This is where these issues stem from like anchoring in shipping and lanes and being dangerous out there. So many guys have zero clue but the government doesnt treat a boat like cars. So what can we expect?

I agree, SV.
As far as I’m concerned they should have multiple levels of boat operators. Mandatory basic level to operate in SOG and the advancements level if you want to operate anywhere else.
I took the pilot level a couple of years later when I wanted to explore more challenging waters. I still employ some of their principles even 35 years later.

This is probably too much work for the powers to be Ottawa.

 

[halimark]

I do not have radar, wished I did a few times. I was hali fishing last weekend in the fog. There were lots of boats anchored around me in the Mud Hole, I heard many fog horns on ships, felt the wakes pass, I took pics and swore at a couple tankers, when fog lifted and we could see them, not sure if my aluminum top shows up as a contact for them. My question is; do the commercial huge tankers stay in the shipping lanes? The answer is NO, they were steaming right between all the anchored hali boats, VERY close to some anchor balls behind me. I was well over a mile NW of the shipping lanes according to my GPS plotter. I will ask Beamer to chime in on regs. I think this issue goes both ways, I am 100% sure us hali fishers were far from the outbound shipping lane yet ships passed in front and behind me and thru the hali fleet. WTH Sorry pic is flipped.

HM

 

[bpsuls]

I think i saw that boat you are talking about! i was fishing off discovery on the Saturday of that weekend and we were heading out from oakbay southbound past the shipping lanes in pea soup when i saw a red blip on my radar screen, and could vaguely make him out as we passed him a few hundred yards out. I said to my buddy hey, look at that clown anchored right in the shipping lanes, not even the pink area, RIGHT IN THEM. Moron. Anyways we went quite a ways out from the lanes because I dont want to die for flatfish. I heard the big freighter blow horns a lot that morning.

 

[brutus]

I think i saw that boat you are talking about! i was fishing off discovery on the Saturday of that weekend and we were heading out from oakbay southbound past the shipping lanes in pea soup when i saw a red blip on my radar screen, and could vaguely make him out as we passed him a few hundred yards out. I said to my buddy hey, look at that clown anchored right in the shipping lanes, not even the pink area, RIGHT IN THEM. Moron. Anyways we went quite a ways out from the lanes because I dont want to die for flatfish. I heard the big freighter blow horns a lot that morning.

No fish worth dying for, some guys do scetchy **** out there

 

[halimark]

There’s a few possibilities why a ship could be out of a lane. Maneuvering for collision avoidance, headed to an anchorage etc.

I am fairly sure I know why they come inside the lanes and thru the mud hole. They head south after Vic then have a turn west some miles out, instead of doing the turn far out in the correct lanes they cut across the "corner" and sail thru us in the mud hole. Only 3 out of maybe 12 ships did this. No inbound traffic there, its all for time and money saved, easier to cut across then go out the extra couple miles then turn west, also Pilot has already been dropped at Vic, so no eyes on. They have probably done this for years, but now hali boats are anchored in 340Ft+ and there are now hundreds more of us. Its become dangerous.

HM

 

[Rockfish]

Unfortunately it will get more crowded out there thanks to the Federal Liberals and their politically motivated Fishing Closure west of Otter Point. The guys that use to come out of Sooke Harbour and turn west to go anchor up for Hali way inside the Shipping Lanes will now be fishing in the Halibut grounds off Greater Victoria where there is a lot more shipping traffic. Just another negative side effect of a completely unjustified massive area fishing closure.