What I dont understand is how a fisherman and his kids, sitting on their boat, cannot see a fleet of cats racing towards him. I can understand that maybe if he was close to the shore and had little to no room for maneuverability, that it would be your fault, but if hes in the middle of a lake or whatever, he should follow the basic rules of the road and get that skiff out of there.

I went through a similar case when I was coming in at the end of the day from sailing around the lake on my H16. I was close-hauled on a port tack with the shore parallel to me and to port about 20ft from me and was approaching my entry/exit landing when suddenly I heard a man start screaming and looked just in time to see his pole ripped out of his hands and into the water. I immediately headed-up and appologized to the man profusely. I explained that the shore was crowded and I had NO idea that fishing was even allowed at that section of the landing. Fortunately he calmed down when we found that he only lost a hook and a worm. Not that he could have caught anything there anyway with all the boats moving in and out of there.

Years ago, a buddy and I were testing a tunnel boat on a river.These boats top 70 mph no problem. Anyway, my buddy is ripping down the river and fails to notice this old guy fishing from the bank. He runs over the guys line and the rod flies from this guys hands and launches about 30' in the air.The line breaks and the rod/reel heads into the trees on the other side of the bank still heading uphill. The old guy is stunned. He gives me a WTF just happened kind of look.After he recovers, he starts making noises that it was a $200. combo. After a bit of searching, the rod was found tangled in a tree about 25' up. My buddy climbs the tree and retreaves a K-Mart special rig worth about $10. Shortly after that, the butt beat a hasty retreat.I would never pay without a reciept.

He's fishin, he got the right to fish, he does not have to get out of our way, you had the decision to make, tack, miss the boat lose the race, or sail through, cut the lines and salute. those split second decisions are what make or break life, you paid the price, and maybe learned a lesson be happy for it. now you asked what I would have done, I know that fishermen have the right of way, and I keep clear in this situation I might have done as you did, and then I might have been abliged to let the helpful guy on the beach that offered to pay for the rig do so, I might have been drunk on the beach and not liked being yelled at and kicked his butt or died trying. However if the wife was there drunk or not I would have paid the man and been pissed and felt it was wrong. I think you did what you had to, do not feel bad, it could only have gone different if you tacked.

A fishing boat TROLLING is not a burdened vessell, it still owes a sailboat under sail the right of way. A trawler is, as is a para-sail boat "Restricted in it's ability to maneuver" Ram. If it is a large vessel it would probably be "constricted by draft"CBD also.
Your fisherman had no rights according to the Coast Guard.
I've had the same thing happen numerous times, including getting yelled at in the Ches. Bay for sailing through a guys chum slick,not even near his lines.He was real irate, I had a flare at the ready just in case.
I fish alot and have more problems 100 fold with other fisherman than with sailors.
Next time pull your knife and cut his line and tell him you just saved him a rod and reel.

It's called fishing. It's a fishermans responsibilty to tend his lines. Not just float them out there. A golfer is responsible for the flight of his ball and a fisherman is responsble in the same manner.

I've had a few encounters with fishermen and I try to avoid them when possible however when they fish in channels or near them or float thier lines far from the shore I have no mercy.

Lastly I wouldn't have given him a dime. What would have happened if the line had popped up out of the water and caught you in the face. Who's responsibily would that be??

Next time tell him to tend his lines.

I would have called the cops to intervene long before I would have paid him any amount over $50. Cops usually tend to side with the guy who is not out of control, yelling obscenities and acting like a jackass.

You both have the responsibility to keep clear of each other, you were both equally wrong, in my opinion, but his actions afterwards put him more in the wrong. And he didn't have to hit you for it to be assault, verbal threats are enough. You should have called a cop, maybe that alone would have sent him on his way, without your $250.

Although I didn't witness the incident I was sailing in the race. I would venture to say that the lake is one of the most sailed on lakes anywhere. Regattas take place nearly every weekend during the warm months. The 8 marks on the lake are essentially permanent when the ice is off the lake. Some marks are very close to shore, which facilitates great spectating but brings the sailing close to shore.

So unless it was the fisherman's very first time there ever, he should have known what was going on.

Basically, an unfortunate "accident" occurred. Rhino on his Nacra 5.8na had no way to avoid the lines by the time they were visible without ramming a Bimare XJ. No one was injured, just a $20 WalMart fishing pole goes in the drink. Normal humans would have discussed and resolved it. At most, Rhino could have offered to split the cost of a replacement as a goodwill gesture but not an admission of culpability.

When the "victim" went berserk (my kids heard him cussin' 300 yards away), the police should have been called. The likely outcome would have been: Drunk Fisherman Disrupts Regatta.

Instead, Rhino pays $250...outrageous. So why did it happen?

Other well-meaning sailors on the beach--not wanting bad blood with other boaters (and I understand that)--sided with the ranting, out of control "victim," claiming they would help pay for the lost gear. Well, they and their check books all disappeared as soon as the crazy man felt validated.

Rhino, I say cancel the check!

I'm happy to share the water with powerboaters, fisherman, swimmers, etc; but it makes no sense to validate irrational and unjustified tirades.

I had a fisherman cast infront of me as I came past with the kite up in the Hurricane 5.9

No time to avoid etc.

He got real shitty, wrote to the sailing club sailing I had taken his lines. Very litte I Could do. I paid up "without admitting liability". I know avoid these people if at all possible. A small number (I assume) They cause problems out of spite (and wish for financial gain).

Put it doen to experience, but I would have called the Cops as someone said above "Drunk fisherman causes regatta problems, goes mad infront of kids etc.."

OK..... Racing on our local bay, we are coming down wind under spinnaker. There is a boat moored close to a lay line obviously fishing. We pass atleat 50 feet from one side of the boat and snag 3 lines tipping the lures of them.

My problem is why do they have to cast out so far if they are in a boat...... And how the hell are we to see which direction they go out in and how far until its too late. The lines are near invisable and cast out that far, our deep boards will pick them from a fair distance underwater.

Atferwards we slowed down, said sorry and continued. Next lap we gave them a wave again and appologiesd again. They later chased down our start boat and was very abusive stating that we cost them about $90 AU in lures.

tell the guy that you are fully insured for your activity and it is probably best that they sort this issue out bearing in mind the 'large' claim that he is making, and give him your insurance details , then ask him for his insurance details that cover him for what he was doing - that shuts them up!

The rights of way rules try to give right of way to the least manouverable/slowest boat. so you were probably in the wrong - but never admit it.

I still want to know what the guy expected to happen to his rod and reel if he hooked a fish.

To get right of way becouse you are hindered by fishing equipment, you need to show the proper day signals as you do at night with lanterns. In this case, it was not obvious that they was fishing, did not fly any signals, and thus can not claim that the cat should have understood that they was fishing (might be some vessel size limitations on this). The least they could have done was to shout a warning and show their fishing-rods.

Routing this to the insurance companies is probably the best answer. De-fuses the situation and leaves it to a third party to decide what should be done. If the fisherman dont accept that, call the cops and ask for help.

Exactly what I was going to say

He probably would have sued the fish or national lake management for the US$ 250 rod and reel.

Wouter

Good lord, not another government bureaucracy!

I'm not on the fisherman's side on this. Just because you have some invisible lines coming off the back of your boat doesn't give you right of way. (or the right to be a jackass)

Didn't some W1000 sailor one time get a fisherman arrested for casting a lure into his spinnaker? I seem to remember that happening.

That guy got his fishing license jacked for life at Hattaras.

It was during the Worrell 1000 and the fleet was approaching Cape Hatteras. We (ground crew, media, etc) had jumped on local SUVs and had made it out to the point. There were hundreds of fishermen there.
One of the event officials notified everyone that the boats would be coming soon and they pass very close to shore.

One particular fisherman muttered, "OK Boys, Target practice!"
I was video taping Randy Smyth as he came close by the point with his spinnaker up. Suddenly, from the side of my camera a casting rod flicked, the line spun out and a huge lead sinker (pointed and with a hook right below flew out, went across the kite and ripped the sail in two."

A bunch of sailors jumped the guy and held him. Soon the Ranger showed up and tried to sort it all out. He was not sure what had happened and the fisherman denied anything.

I politely asked the Ranger to look at the video I had just taken. The Ranger grabbed the guy and arrested him on the spot. He has since been banned from fishing on Hatteras and had to pay for the sail.
They talked about jail time, but I don't believe that happened.., too bad!

Had that sinker hit one of the sailors it would have killed them. It was big and heavy and sharp.
Rick

A couple of stories happened at the Dam Regatta at a reservoir in Columbus, Ohio.

Mary and I were on a Hobie 18 and there almost no wind (pretty typical) and we stayed right on the line. With about a minute to go a fisherman buzzed up and sat there right in the middle of the line.
The RC was yelling at him to get out of the way and he stubbornly replied, "This is MY fishing hole!"

The next year Tom Tannert's son was leading a Hobie 18 race, rounded the leeward mark and headed up wind. Somehow he caught a fisherman line and broke it (nothing lost, just a lure.., or perhaps only a hook and a worm)
The next lap around the guy jumped in the water and grabbed his rudder and would not let go.

They do seem to mark to a different drum. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
Rick

Hey All,

I was at the event, though I heard of the incident 2nd hand as well…
That Pete drove over this fisherman’s essentially invisible line and maybe pulled a pole from THE BOTTOM of his boat , is distantly secondary to the violent, irrational reaction that he "provoked".Why are we so willing to pound insane , violent and purely cathartic behavior, into an entirely false context of establishing fault ?! The is a world class example of the increasingly pervasive "on the edge / social pathology" that will eventually visit all of us…This guy was certain to explode at someone that morning.If the guys on Rhino hadn’t provided a conduit for that violence, I suspect the victim would have been much younger, more proximal and would have addressed this poor nut as Daddy…
Rhino, your $250 likely bought an eight year old girl her front teeth and delayed the reception of a memory that’ll wound her long after the damage is repaired…


Paul

2005 Hobie 16 North Americans, Ventura, CA - the upwind legs were very one-sided. Start on stbd., tack as soon as you could, then bang the right corner (if you could clear the Ventura Pier).


In the first race, one of the Puerto Rican teams was leading us into the weather mark when I noticed a fishing line zipping through the water behind him - he had snagged it on his sail. He evenually did two laps around the course and made it to the beach with it still attached. Never heard what the fisherman said - they were 50 ft over our heads on the pier. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />