Boat pretending to hit kayak for fun
I was out in Cockburn Sound last Saturday morning, with two kayak fishing mates before the sun rose. All three of us had 360 deg lights etc, and head torches as required by law.
A lot of boats were headed out from the Woodman Point boat ramp, but they all steered clear of us at a respectful distance.
One boat appeared from behind though, from the direction of Carnac Island, and proceeded to head straight towards me in the pre dawn gloom. I thought he was going to hit me, so pedalled like crazy, flashed my headlamp at them and prepared to dive overboard. Way too close he veered offcourse and the boat passed, 10 metres away, with all on board jeering and hollering. It was quite obvious that they saw me from some distance away and just decided to scare me. No different to a driver driving up onto a footpath, aiming at a pedestrian then swerving at the last moment for a joke. It scared the crap out of me and I thought I was going to die. If the skipper happens to be reading this, please stop acting like this, it is not funny to the guy who thinks he is about to die, and next time we will remember to write down the rego of your boat and report you to the police.
Thank you for letting me post this on fishwrecked. I know the vast majority of boaties are respectful people and would be disgusted at this sort of behaviour.
Paul Tuckwell
Perry Home
Posts: 434
Date Joined: 07/10/10
Jeez -what a twit
Mate I feel sorry for you - thats just deadset stupid - obviously all on board haven't got a brain between them. I guess it just goes to show that although recskipper tickets are mandatory having a brain is optional. Hope they get caught without anyone getting injured in the process.
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
shame none of you got the
shame none of you got the boats name or rego number...coulda put in a formal complaint. dont need people like that out on the water. unfortunatley there are dumbarses out on the water.
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
meglodon
Posts: 5981
Date Joined: 17/06/10
Agree with Sean66
People who are incharge of boats and resort to this kind of thing to impress their mates or what ever do not deserve any simpathy from anyone if another boatie sees this type of activity they should take action to get the rego and report it. Users of the water ways have enough enermies out there trying to clamp down on where you can go what you can do etc etc we don't need to provide them with examples of idiots on which to bring in more restrictions.
If you see idiots on the water "word them up" and report'em
Smasha
Posts: 168
Date Joined: 28/12/11
What a toss bag! Sorry you
What a toss bag! Sorry you had to go through that, that's just mind numbing stupidity.
Your entitled to your opinion, it's just that yours is stupid.
sambo24
Posts: 134
Date Joined: 03/05/11
Pretty hard to see any sort
Pretty hard to see any sort of funny side to the scene you just described
Swear to god, some of the monkeys that are allowed to own/drive boats that I see in cockburn sound..
sandbar
Posts: 704
Date Joined: 25/10/09
Just goes to show that its
Just goes to show that its not just brainless d1kheads who ride jetskis(as in earlier posts), they are freakin everywhere.
What a real dumb act. These lowlifes are from same breed that do 80k's through schoolzones. I had a parent tailgate me whilegivinmethe bird in a 40 zone recently and when I pulled over she screamed abuse at me and her kids and shot off. Whats going on with these losers? Maybe its the way the planets aligned?
I hope it never happens again yakyakker
tantrum
Posts: 79
Date Joined: 09/06/12
Reckless Clowns....
Of the majority of boaties I have met since having started boating recently it has been apparent that there is a good general boating culture amongst most of us fishos... I for one would have gladly written down his rego and reported the clown for what he did. That kind of behaviour is no joke to anyone with half a brain.
Dundee bill
Posts: 52
Date Joined: 02/03/12
Hence the reason for my post
Hence the reason for my post on RST. They are idiots and its is a pitty you did not get the boat rego, I dare say you had more on your mind. I for one would gladdly reporth them in a heartbeat.
tangles
Posts: 1367
Date Joined: 17/12/06
dpi
if you do happen to recognise the boat again. make sure you ring DPI n fremantle and ask for tony merlino. he is second in charge for maritme safetyand he will make sure these guys never drive a boat again. A good bloke who wont take any shit from idiots like that. sorry to hear bout the near runin guys. If they made the rst harder so you had to actually use yr brain to study for it. Thered be a good percentage of ppl that would fail miserably because they are basically useless and shouldnt be behind the the wheel of a boat! next time launch a flare into their boat!
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
Another chance to vent the
Another chance to vent the ole spleen...they make us have a licence to drive cars, own firearms, teach kids, go fishing, yada yada yada, but yet let any halfwit have kids who grow up to be bigger halfwits and cause trouble...pheww spleen vented..
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
BJPK
Posts: 45
Date Joined: 02/05/12
have had similar experiences
have had similar experiences in the swan while chasing bream from the hobie
Brock O
Posts: 3166
Date Joined: 11/01/08
Thats Shocking
Nothing funny about that, Sh-t for brains thats all.
It happened to me once driving my restored 72 GTR torana, Dicks came flying up behind me before a quick hit on the brakes and then swerving at the last minute.
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
Truth is...too many shi*heads
Truth is...too many shi*heads in this world. We should find them a place to let them do all the stupid things they wanna do. That way the gene pool gets a cleanout..lol
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
Ericl
Posts: 450
Date Joined: 02/05/11
Motor car drivers do the same
Motor car drivers do the same to cyclists. Shout and jeer as they pass. Must be some kind of sub conscious jealousy that you are doing something to keep fit !
Don't spend all your money on beer, boats, and fishing. Save some to spend foolishly
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
I keep fit by
I keep fit by fishing...lol..As I dont have a boat Im landbased. When Im fishing and a boat gets too close to me, I get pissed at them. Go and find your own piece of ocean and leave landbased fishos alone.!
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
yakyakker
Posts: 5
Date Joined: 23/07/11
This happened early in the
This happened early in the morning, and the boat was heading towards Woodman Point boat ramp, not away from it. It was the only boat I saw all morning heading towards the boat ramp - everyone else was heading out fishing. Why would a boat be heading in at that time of the morning? I suspect that they were indeed headed out, passed me then turned around just to have their 'fun'.
Paul Tuckwell
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
Bust their arses!
Bust their arses!
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
West Coast
Posts: 331
Date Joined: 10/12/07
jumping to conclusions.....
I have been coming in on my boat just on dusk after a days fishing and just about cleaned up a whole group of surf club ski riders. You guys are pretty hard to see. I think you take your life into your own hands sitting a foot off the water when boats are heading in and out. You would have been impossible to see even with your head lamp, especially as he came from behind.
I would say they more likely would have been abusing you for being so hard to see, and obviously sitting in a spot that that was going to experience traffic!!
I am a boater - and on this one I am on the boaters side that hurled abuse at you. Bad seamanship on your behalf!!
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Might need to reread that
Might need to reread that champ. The yaker says that him and his three mates all had 360° lighting and headlights.
crasny1
Posts: 6986
Date Joined: 16/10/08
Hang on, lets be even here
The Yaks are legally aloud to fish, have all the required gear. It IS up to the skipper to at all time look out for obstacles, no matter how hard it MIGHT appear. If Yakkers was banned, then you can say such things, but they arent, and as I boater myself I would like to say that I would blame myself if I didnt see them, wouldnt yell abuse and would come over to explain what went down. That is just plain common courtesy.
Zeez men, lets all share the same ocean in some peace.
PS: A dive flag is a shit lot harder to see than a Yak, and we are expected to see that!!
"I would like to die on Mars. Just not on impact!!" _ Elon Musk
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
Interesting theory West Coast
Interesting theory West Coast and well presented on the behalf of boaties.
What about boaters who come in so close to jetties they run over the lines of those fishing off said jetty? Now please dont tell me they cant see a steel structure, that's well light, within a harbour and at least 5 metres above the high tide mark? Aren't these types of boaties irresponsible and give others a bad name? I've also seen boaties who have been drinking, running without the navigation nights at night.
The world is full of fools!
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
Albee Mangles
Posts: 985
Date Joined: 20/05/08
Definatly jumping to conclusions...
Yakyakker clearly stated he had a head lamp and an all round 360deg white light in the first post. He is also one of the Admin team on Yakfishwest, WA's biggest and best Kayak Fishing Forum where we HEAVILY promote safe kayaking, day or night, with full sections on safety, a hell of a lot more than the government does. Yakyakker is one of the most experienced Kayak Fisho's going round, and does the right thing on the water. For him to even mention this on this forum shows the gravity of this issue.
For you to accuse him of doing the wrong thing, even having bad seamanship it ridiculous. Its a good thing that you obviously, looking at the responses here, represent the minority of the perth boating community.
We have as much right to be on the water as anyone, we understand we are a low profile on the water and use flags, lights and reflective gear to compensate for this, often above and beyond what is required by law. Sure we dont reach every kayaker in WA through the forum, but we try.
Ski riders have their own club, own rules and are nothing to do with us, and frankly wouldnt listen to us if we tried.
West Coast
Posts: 331
Date Joined: 10/12/07
Tell that to the coroner
I never said yaks should not be allowed to fish!!! Just be sensible about it.
If you do not think it is bad seamanship to sit a foot off the water in a busy boating channel with very little light, with an array of background lights to confuse the matter, them I suggest you be very careful on the water.
It is often hard enough picking lead-lights up coming into different ports at night.
If yakyakker is on the admin of yakfishwest, I would suggest getting someone a little brighter to take his spot (pun intented).
kmo
Posts: 127
Date Joined: 17/01/12
Plenty of obstacles
There are plenty of poorly marked crab net floats that the skipper should be keeping an eye out for, surely a 3 foot high xmas tree shouldn't be hard to see? If they are the boaty needs to exhibit good seamanship and slow down for unseen obstacles.
sea-kem
Posts: 14859
Date Joined: 30/11/09
What to you mean be sensible
What to you mean be sensible about it??? Everything he has said seems reasonable and sensible to me. Remember matey you are meant to keep a clear and proper lookout at all time swhen in charge of a powerboat. Blended in with the scenery is not an excuse when you've run over and killed someone. Tell that to the coroner.
Love the West!
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
I fear a war starting between
I fear a war starting between boaters and yakkers...lol....im glad im landbased..haha
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
Ash88
Posts: 103
Date Joined: 17/04/12
second that lol but I have
second that lol but I have respect for yakkers I mean to be sitting in such a small thing and fishing ( which attract bities bigger than the yak sometimes ) would take some serious nerv if you ask me I know i wouldn't go in one bad enough been in a small tinny with 3 reef sharks bigger than it circling underneath would have tried catching one for a free ride if it wasn't for the fact I only had 8lb line lol
yakyakker
Posts: 5
Date Joined: 23/07/11
No one was hurling abuse at
No one was hurling abuse at me. They were yahooing like it was one big joke - not something people do when they are angry. Yes visibiity on yaks is important but in this case the problem was that he did see me and saw a target to show off to his passengers.
Paul Tuckwell
perth fisher
Posts: 132
Date Joined: 02/06/11
west coast, i think you have
west coast, i think you have the wrong attitude....
If you are a skipper you are meant to keep an eye out for obstacles, diving flags and other boats, INCLUDING KAYAKS
If you think that doing that is too hard, and you dont want to share the ocean with kayakers, then I hope you are only ever a passenger and never are a skipper......
Gadsy
Posts: 1467
Date Joined: 01/05/10
I hope you are trolling Westcoaster
because no "sensible" boatie would make the comments you have.
YOU, as the boatie have an obligation to keep a lookout, especially when under way in the light conditions described by Yakyakker and not just for kayaks.
As Yakyaker stated, the people concerned did the wrong thing.
I liken this mentality to some vehicle drivers on the road who give cyclists scant respect because they are in a car and and if they hit the cyclist that happens to be in their way then they know who will come off second best.
Sure, kayaks are harder to see in the water and as has been stated already the vast majority do ss much as possible to be as visible as possible and have every right to be on the water like you in your boat westcoaster.
Shorty
Posts: 1549
Date Joined: 10/05/08
Personally my theory is the
Personally my theory is the guys were fishing an overnighter and had been on the turps a bit to not see 3 kayaks lit up with teklites the brightest on the market plus headlamps etc, its still possible tho they were yakking amonst themselves and the skipper was not takeing a lot of notice due to not really expecting much out there, this shows an inexperienced skipper and crew ,experienced boaters are on the lookout before dawn and late at night in places like Cockburn sound/Hillarys/Ocean reef because they know kayakers will be out in force for Snapper and have been for the last 4 years or so in large numbers .
West Coast is correct in the fact lights can be a little hard to see , they can merge with lights on the shore, Garden Island and Industrail strip of Kwinana to give an example of Cockburn Sound, for boaters useing Woodmans point boatramp you can no longer head out to Garden island,Rottnest, Carnac and beyond flat stick like the old days ,the kayakers have to cross busy boating channels to get to some of the preffered snapper grounds,,they can't fly over or go under them and have the same rights as anybody else to be on the water.
Its up to kayakers to make sure they are seen and its been said the headlamps that have the red lamp feature are good addition to have,turn them on if you hear a boat approaching and they light up like you would not believe,i know from personal experience , boaters need to keep a keen look out as per usual and experienced ones do.
Yakyakker has got 100's of hours under his belt over many years as one of the pioneers of kayak snapper fishing in Perth and this is very isolated incident so thats a positive even tho its an incident one to many for him,but a heads up July 8th will also have Kayakers enmass on places like the Parmelia bank/Woodys for the Calamri Classic before light.
Lets not forget a lot of kayakers are boat owners or fish out of friends boats as well so its not a kayak V boat thing ,,its a safety matter,,
Sean66
Posts: 149
Date Joined: 18/09/11
Bright Idea
Up here in Hedland, all mining vehicles have to have an orange flag on a pole so they can be seen...how about the kayaks do that? lol.. it also works at Kmart on kids shopping trolleys...heheh...sorry, just being a clown!
but Shorty has made some good points. Still though, drinking and boating may not be such a good idea.
I'm here for a good time, not a long time. Lets go fishing!
Albee Mangles
Posts: 985
Date Joined: 20/05/08
Most of us do Sean
There are lights on the market that have a flag built in, a lot of us use them.