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When new legislation was proposed for the Lake District national park, the House of Lords proposed an amendment that set “the quiet enjoyment of the environment” as a goal. The RYA leapt to the defence of motor boats, much to the consternation of many sailing boat members, myself included. In the end, the word “quiet” was removed, but motor boating is due to be phased out on Windermere. Now the New Forest is proposed as a national park, could we see similar pressures on the Solent? I am afraid that I have some sympathy with the many sailing yacht owners who would welcome such a development.
Fizzboat Alley. That is our name for the stretch of water between the Calshot Spit light float and Hamble Point buoy. At weekends it is a mass of yachting traffic (with the odd commercial ship and ferry thrown in for good measure). On Saturday mornings the flow is outbound, while on a summer Sunday afternoon there is a rush back to the moorings. You may have been sailing gently with the tide in the Solent, but the wash from the high speed motor yachts throws up an irregular wave pattern that simply destroys any flow in the sails. Many is the time that I have just given up and turned on the engine until clear of the area.
There are some motor yachts, usually of a more classical build, who go to great lengths to minimise disturbance by slowing down or deviating their course to increase the distance at which they pass, Too many just don’t bother. Of course everyone claims an equal ‘right’ to the water, and I suspect that many, especially newcomers lacking any sense of maritime tradition or courtesy, are simply unaware of how unpleasant they are making it for small craft and sailing yachts.
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