Today’s pillock

[The big T 41]

$150 for straying into a bus lane on Queen Street (and I still don't know where), really p###d me off.

$200 for endangering a ship (and potentially the whole local environment), seems rather lopsided.

We must appreciate Councils can only operate within the tools they are given but bus lane fines are automatic, arbitrary and revenue generating. Infrequent Nav and Safety infringements cost Councils (us) with no return. 

[harrytom 679]

4 hours ago, Psyche said:

It would be better to encourage people attend a boating education course

compulsary would be better. I did a boat masters back in 1986,can remember most things but lights would get me.Dredge/constrained by draught.

[Jon 395]

6 hours ago, Psyche said:

It would be better to encourage people attend a boating education course

Yes but carrots only work if there are sticks

And $200 is not a stick to any boat owner now

[Psyche 739]

The last thing we need is water police handing out fines,  being stopped and told off in front of friends and family is often embarrassment enough, there are plenty of laws you can hit someone with if we want to go there. 

[Suspect Device 12]

Had to make an account just to post this. Drifting back into gulf harbour in the piedy a few months back. light easterly breeze, only fumes left in the gas tank so had to sail as far as marina security would allow, out going tide from the weiti river pushing us onto the cliff. the pictures don't really show it but we were danger close to the reef (close enough I honestly thought, and hoped, that this pr*ck was going to hit the rocks).

Saw him on the next pier over when we got in, yelled out and said "bloke you pull that stunt again you're gonna get a bottle through your fkn window", his response?  "mate i don't know what you're on about, what did i do?". I mean it's not like we are inconspicuous, the boats bright pink ffs. 

I'm not advocating for more laws or licensing, I'm dead against both of those things. my only regret is not making use of the empty bottles I had on hand. 

[Young Entertainer 61]

I taught my kids from early on,  if you can hit it with a bottle then it is too close.  so i create the bottles and they prepare them for use,  i have found that green bottles have the best range so i tend to stick with them

[harrytom 679]

Try little passage at Musick Pt,Tamiki river, no one gives a stuff. Would be nice to see the police vessels cruising around for a change.wait not going to happen dont see them on the beat onshore.

[ynot 52]

Paint ball gun

[Black Panther 1,701]

I think the interesting thing about SDs post is the guy had no idea.  Not being malicious,  just totally ignorant. 

[Psyche 739]

19 hours ago, Suspect Device said:

Had to make an account just to post this. Drifting back into gulf harbour in the piedy a few months back. light easterly breeze, only fumes left in the gas tank so had to sail as far as marina security would allow, out going tide from the weiti river pushing us onto the cliff. the pictures don't really show it but we were danger close to the reef (close enough I honestly thought, and hoped, that this pr*ck was going to hit the rocks).

Saw him on the next pier over when we got in, yelled out and said "bloke you pull that stunt again you're gonna get a bottle through your fkn window", his response?  "mate i don't know what you're on about, what did i do?". I mean it's not like we are inconspicuous, the boats bright pink ffs. 

I'm not advocating for more laws or licensing, I'm dead against both of those things. my only regret is not making use of the empty bottles I had on hand. 

 

That's just plain bad manners

[marinheiro 362]

On 9/06/2022 at 7:28 AM, wheels said:

As soon as you move CG from Safety to Policing, everything changes.

Not saying that it would certainly follow the same here, but in both Oz and the US, the Coastguard have become a very harsh rules enforcement authority and not an organisation that is there for rescue, aid and education.
However, I do think that the NZ CG could be given a tooth or two at least and be able to enforce some laws. Although, the difficult part of that is the authorisation of CG people to be able to stop, board and enforce. It's not all that easy. People with such authority require special training. Not something you are going to get Volunteers doing.

The US Coastguard is a federal law enforcement agency, whilst the Australian Volunteer Coastguard is the same model as NZ, local volunteer groups working under a common umbrella with no enforcement powers. In Australia maritime enforcement is handled by the respective states' Department of Transport and Police water units.

I looked up current pleasure boat registration fees for WA, they are effectively just another tax

[Muzza 18]

I would rather see the people who are causing the problems get crucified than see every innocent boatie saddled with the cost of registration. licencing I could probably go along with but even that doesn't seem to work on the roads and I fear won't make much difference on the harbour. Compulsory registration does enable the culprit to be quickly identified but at great cost to boat owners that know how to safely operate their vessel. There is no magic solution where everyone will be happy.

[harrytom 679]

really simple registration,doesnt need to be expensive,a one off fee like getting a call sign for vhf,you take that number from vessel to vessel(power boats I'm thinking)all yachts that race are registered(except when I raced)in current owners name registered. a onn off fee $50 should cover it?

That part on speed has me baffled though,200m from a shoreline/ swimmer/diver 5knts but passing another vessel at 50m at what ever speed you like gets me.fizzy doing 25+ virtually no wake but these new design launches you can surf behind.

[Psyche 739]

HT what happens is bureaucratic creep, once an agency is created people begin to get all kinds of ideas on how to get more value out of it. Registration, vessel inspections, seaworthiness standards.... 

As mentioned previously, you need people to police it who in their spare time will be coming aboard to check if your inflatable lifejacket has been serviced or you get a ticket etc. The point here is educate not legislate if we want to retain the freedom that yachting gives us.

[Muzza 18]

59 minutes ago, Psyche said:

HT what happens is bureaucratic creep, once an agency is created people begin to get all kinds of ideas on how to get more value out of it. Registration, vessel inspections, seaworthiness standards.... 

As mentioned previously, you need people to police it who in their spare time will be coming aboard to check if your inflatable lifejacket has been serviced or you get a ticket etc. The point here is educate not legislate if we want to retain the freedom that yachting gives us.

Psyche, you beat me to it, these things get introduced with seemingly innocent intentions but later you suddenly find that the innocent $200 per annum that you initially paid has steadily climbed towards thousands, this has always happened with taxes in the past. I hate to see any kind of freedoms encroached on and this is where it will eventually lead. Proper registration does cost, keeping it updated like car rego is an expensive exercise and of course these government agencies have a mentality that says user pays. The perception of these people in Government and local Government departments is that if you own a boat, you can afford it.

[Psyche 739]

59 minutes ago, Muzza said:

The perception of these people in Government and local Government departments is that if you own a boat, you can afford it

Don't get me started!

Westhaven fees for small boats (12m and under) as a prime example, as tax and rate payers we cough up for white elephant rugby stadiums etc but its seem that fellow taxpayers are unwilling help with our marina fees

[Maca 4]

On 18/06/2022 at 2:56 PM, marinheiro said:

The US Coastguard is a federal law enforcement agency, whilst the Australian Volunteer Coastguard is the same model as NZ, local volunteer groups working under a common umbrella with no enforcement powers. In Australia maritime enforcement is handled by the respective states' Department of Transport and Police water units.

I looked up current pleasure boat registration fees for WA, they are effectively just another tax

I think the fee structure illustrates the numpties that administer local government charges. How does it cost more to register a longer boat and why are they in nice tidy 5 an 10 metre units? Don't get me started on how much it costs to register the mutt. 

[Muzza 18]

54 minutes ago, Maca said:

I think the fee structure illustrates the numpties that administer local government charges. How does it cost more to register a longer boat and why are they in nice tidy 5 an 10 metre units? Don't get me started on how much it costs to register the mutt. 

They do it because they can, they don't answer to anyone.

 

[aardvarkash10 1,070]

1 hour ago, Muzza said:

They do it because they can, they don't answer to anyone.

 

They do it because it approximates the ability to pay and it is administratively expedient to use fixed measures to set price points.

There are many examples of seemingly illogical or usurious pricing in private commerce.  Airline tickets and hotel rooms are classic cases in point.  Uber taxi fares.  Charge rates for plumbers. Sky TV sport channels.  None of these businesses have directors that get voted in or out by the public every three years, so they effectively answer to no-one. 

/threadjacking

[dutyfree 170]

apologies to the yacht (sorry missed your name) just off the viaduct this afternoon that I almost crossed in front of.  Was weird wind down the harbour this afternoon, seemingly yachts on all sorts of contradictory tacks in the light wind.  My wife and I both debated which direction you were heading before it became pretty obvious which way you were going, so sorry for the late direction change we undertook to keep clear.