Beach Fishermen conflict

Hi everyone,

In my opinion the sailors are out of order.  On the sea, the fishermen have as much right to fish as sailors have to sail.  We all know that in certain conditions, sailors 'short tack' along the shore for the benefit of less tide.  If boats sail too close to the shore where people are fishing, it is inconsiderate as the fishermen can easily be spotted and the area immediately infront of them can be avoided.  Fishermen do not usually have to have a licence or a permit, or be a member of a club, to fish in the sea.

To sail within thirty yards or so of the fishermen is out of order.  It is obvious that if this occurs then lines will be broken and tackle lost, at the cost of a few pounds and causing inconvenience, particularly if the fishermen do not have spare tackle with them.  The problem is worse if the water is fairly shallow as some fishermen who are 'beachcasting' might be casting over a hundred yards so their lines could be quite high in the water for a considerable distance (alot more than thirty yards).

It is a case of both anglers and sailors being considerate to each other in order to avoid conflict.  It is not difficult.  One of the problems is that many fishermen do not understand what racing is about or what the sailors are doing.  I was speaking to a tackle dealer last week who fishes on a local tarn where there is a sailing club and sailing school.  He made the same complaint about the sailors.  I asked him where he was fishing and why.  He said that he was fishing near to a 'buoy' as it was a 'feature' (ground tackle, weights and chains, etc.) for fish to be attracted to.  The so called 'buoy'  was in fact a 'windward mark' so there was little wonder that he was bothered with boats.  I spent some time explaining to him about sailing and racing and he said that it was the first time, in fifty years, that anyone had explained things to him.  He also admitted that he had never made any effort to find out. 

Sailing through lines, throwing stones or casting hooks, leads, worms and maggots at sails is out of order. A bit of consideration, forward planning and maybe a few words of explanation is all that is needed.

Ian  (Yorkshire Dales S.C.)