SLIPWAY ETIQUETTE Draft ...

[SPR]

This is the Slipway Etiquette Guide i did last year...again comments, as i said in other post this served the purpose i intended!

S.


SLIPWAY ETIQUETTE

Remember the Slipway is not your personal Slipway and that other users do use it. The following will stop any conflicts or potential damage to your boat or 3rd party’s boat.

LAUNCHING:

1) Park away from slip, and prepare boat for launching, this gives your wheel bearings time to cool down as well as giving you time to load boat up, remove trailer board, remove most of the straps, leave one on bow, don’t not rely on Trailer Winch by itself. Insert Drain Plug!
2) Pay Harbour Master for Launch, use machine for parking, if you don’t have season tickets*
3) When Slip is clear/your turn, reverse boat down and launch, this should be at least a two person operation, one for car and another to drive boat to Harbour IMMEDIATE after Launch. Depending on your vehicle you might want to use ropes to lower boat down slip.
4) Park Trailer in designated Area this is usually at the grass at top of slipway, or where Harbour Master tells you.

THE HARBOUR BAY IS A NO WAKE ZONE (Lowest speed you can go without losing the ability of steering)

RECOVERY:

1) Drop of the car driver at Harbour to get trailer and Car. Wait few minutes then head to Slip.
2) Check to see if another craft is being launched or being recovered before coming into the slip. The Slip at Elie is very narrow with rocks at either side, and another craft coming in can cause serious problems. If in doubt stay out and wait offshore for few minutes to judge what is happening. Most Launch/Recoveries only take 5/10 minutes at most if done correctly.
3) Once slip is clear, your driver will place your trailer in water ready for recovery, once on trailer, secure it with at least one over method other than winch strap and tow to quiet place to unload and secure fully, grease wheels and attach lights etc.

IF COMING INTO SLIP FOR ANY REASON, PLEASE FOLLOW POINT 2 ABOVE.

It is important that anytime on the slipway or slip access is to the minimum, this allows other users to use the slipway when you are doing other tasks that don’t require slip access.

[9D280]

Of interest, points L1 & R3 are "forced" upon you at Balloch (Loch Lomond) where they have 2 lanes for prep & recovery work so the slips are kept for exactly that - launch & recovery. I think on busy days the rangers "traffic manage" the feed & recovery queues.

Part of the reason I only use it in the depths of winter for engne testing!

[RRIBS]

As before, thank you.

[Jizm]

A nice little guide, if only all the slips I use had a handy harbour to use. We usually end up wading in to waist depth.........
and I'm a tall chap!

[wavelength]

yep all slips are different and some of that is obviously specific to a certain slip wherever that might be. However the bit about preparing the boat away from the slip so you dont block it for others is something that most of us do automatically but is a courtesy some self centered ******** seem quite unable to grasp! rant over

[Jizm]

Originally Posted by wavelength

yep all slips are different and some of that is obviously specific to a certain slip wherever that might be. However the bit about preparing the boat away from the slip so you dont block it for others is something that most of us do automatically but is a courtesy some self centered ******** seem quite unable to grasp! rant over

You're not wrong, lost count of the times we've had to wait while some numpty attempts repairs on the slip....

[Jizm]

Maybe an idea to post this on the jetski forum...

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Jizm

Maybe an idea to post this on the jetski forum...

Can jetskiers read?

[Jizm]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Can jetskiers read?

not when it matters......

[SPR]

Originally Posted by Jizm

Maybe an idea to post this on the jetski forum...

feel free it was a jetski that inspired me to write this, since he decided to come into slip as I was launching...

[wavelength]

you read into the post something I was trying to avoid. The two idiots that come here occasionally park up in the middle of the slip with skis and cars, have a chat and a bit of a scratch and then when you ask them to move so ya can get past turn aggressive with the comments nobody else was here when they arrived, Bollox we were all in the car park getting boats ready and getting changed. These prats havent even got their drysuits outa the vehicle at this stage. Bugga, another rant must be having too much caffeine

[havener]

A few points which (sadly) arise from actual experiences...

If you haven't got a boat, don't allow your kids to run up and down this slipway, and especially don't let them use someone's mooring line for skipping,

When a large vehicle with an orange boat and blue lights flashing arrives at the top of the slip, don't get so panicked to move you reverse your three week old Freelander fully into the sea thus giving us another job to deal with :-)

If you are a chav, it is probably very funny to keep a straight face and shout helpful comments like "left a bit" to an unsure driver, leaving them to reverse off the edge of the slip (modern day wreckers perhaps?)

One thing I do know for sure, the best thing we ever did was fit a front towbar...

[tim griffin]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Can jetskiers read?

Can read fine thanks
Ta
Tim

[Poly]

Originally Posted by havener

If you haven't got a boat, don't allow your kids to run up and down this slipway, and especially don't let them use someone's mooring line for skipping,

actually you could probably add "avoid walking behind trailers on the slipway" - not only is it difficult for the driver to see you, but if the trailer or boat is going to detach then this is probably where it will happen.

When a large vehicle with an orange boat and blue lights flashing arrives at the top of the slip, don't get so panicked to move you reverse your three week old Freelander fully into the sea thus giving us another job to deal with :-)

given the typical response of drivers on the road when blue lights appear behind them this doesn't surprise me. Might be smarter to turn the lights off when you arrive so as not to panic the people on the slip, and politely speak to the drivers asking them to move as required.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by tim griffin

Can read fine thanks
Ta
Tim

You don't count-you're in the 0.1% that's got a clue

[tonymac]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

You don't count-you're in the 0.1% that's got a clue

Don't be too sure of that - he's still a jetskier!!

Thanks for the lists BTW.