Stop the Yachts

motorbiking said:
My experience of both is they like to use sailing boats to hunt with. Though I haven’t come across orcas in the U.K.

Plenty of whales when sailing in the Atlantic
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I've heard of 'em shadowing fishing boats but not a sailing boat - i'd love to see a pair do this up close...

playful-dolphins-riding.jpg


Daughter went whale watching in Alaska but i've never felt the urge to get too close to those big beasties, no matter how good they think their singing is. :cautious:
 
When they hunt, they drive the prey towards the boat at about 100 degrees. The fish get close to the hull and have to turn. Directly in to the path of the hunter.

When they play they just race you inline. As per the photo.

Mostly they just have a look at you and carry on.

They are faster than all but the fastest motor boats.
 
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They look playful but a dolphin has a happy face regardless of what they may be feeling. Research strongly suggests marine mammals are highly susceptible to engine noise and beaching may well be down to interference with their sonar signals. Plenty of articles out there but this one from the Guardian has credible information...

Today, ocean waters are a tumult of engine noise, sonar and seismic blasts. Sediments from human activities on land cloud the water. Industrial chemicals befuddle the sense of smell of aquatic animals. We are severing the sensory links that gave the world its animal diversity. Whales cannot hear the echolocating pulses that locate their prey, breeding fish cannot find one another amid the noise and turbidity, and the social connections among crustaceans are weakened as their chemical messages and sonic thrums are lost in a haze of human pollution.

In air, we hear only a low groan from passing vessels. The sound is mostly transmitted down, below the waves, and the aerial portion is quickly dissipated. Under the surface, the sonic violence of powered boats travels fast and far through the pulse and heave of water molecules. These movements flow directly into aquatic living beings. Sound in air mostly bounces off terrestrial animals, reflected back by the uncooperative border of air to skin. Our middle-ear bones and eardrum are specifically designed to overcome this barrier, gathering aerial sound and delivering it to the aquatic medium of the inner ear. Sound, for us, is focused mostly on a few organs in our heads. But aquatic animals are immersed in sound. Sound flows almost unimpeded from watery surrounds to watery innards. “Hearing” is a full-body experience.

Since 2017, the Port of Vancouver has enacted a voluntary slowdown of shipping traffic headed through the Haro Strait. For 30 nautical miles, large vessels slow, adding about 20 minutes to the ships’ voyages. Ship noise increases with speed, and so dialling back the throttle lessens the cacophony in a place where the southern resident whales often feed. More than 80% of vessels have complied with the project.

I'm not sure the UK has any policy in regard to protecting marine life like that but it's something that should be taken into consideration as shipping in the Channel increases year on year.
 
We had dozens of encounters in Cardigan Bay, half a dozen would appear and play in the bow wave, playing inches from the boat, or leap out of the water back at the cockpit and just look you in the eye, it always felt like a blessing when they arrived to put on a show. They'd generally hang around for 15 minutes or so then leave us.
Longest encounter was sailing across the Bristol Channel overnight. Although the night was blacker than JohnD's soul, each time they jumped they were lit up by the nav lights, red or green depending what side of the bow they jumped, they stayed with us for about 6 hours, don't know why,


[GALLERY=media, 108783][/GALLERY]
 
Odds said:
I'm not sure the UK has any policy in regard to protecting marine life like that but it's something that should be taken into consideration as shipping in the Channel increases year on year.
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It certainly does, as does most of the world...

If you look at Osbourne Bay and Wooton Rocks for example there are restrictions in place. These range from no anchoring to protect seabed life to speed limit restrictions. However, there is concern that some of these restrictions are for commercial purposes. i.e. ban anchoring and charge for mooring.

Garmin | Marine Maps

webapp.navionics.com webapp.navionics.com
 
motorbiking said:
It certainly does, as does most of the world...

If you look at Osbourne Bay and Wooton Rocks for example there are restrictions in place. These range from no anchoring to protect seabed life to speed limit restrictions. However, there is concern that some of these restrictions are for commercial purposes. i.e. ban anchoring and charge for mooring.

Garmin | Marine Maps

webapp.navionics.com webapp.navionics.com
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I see depths marked but which are speeds?
It looks like the part of the Channel where Frobisher lured in the Spanish Armada while Drake bombarded their right wing.
 
click in one of the marked boxes and then click the question mark it will show you what they mean..

e.g. precautionary area, speed limit or anchoring prohibited.
 
motorbiking said:
click in one of the marked boxes and then click the question mark it will show you what they mean..

e.g. precautionary area, speed limit or anchoring prohibited.
Click to expand...

Tried that and got the following:

46-North East Ryde Middle - Depth Contour 12m - Depth Area 12-14m and it shows a submarine cable but nothing about speed.
 
That tells me there's a tea house nearby. Handy.

But these channel waters inland won't affect marine life as it does in open water, does it? I assume speed restrictions there are for due care towards other traffic and taking care not to wash over the banks. Seen many dolphins along the Solent?
 
Yeah a few. Mostly out by the needles and Alum bay. They seem to like the faster flowing water out by hurst castle. This year, I’ve seen more in the U.K. than the med.

They aren’t inland waters and I think you are missing the fact that shipping lanes are deep.
 
Well, inlets, if you're going to get technical about it. I think more sightings of these marine mammals is becoming common as Global Warming makes UK waters acceptable to them, and adapting to their increased presence will be necessary. Last monday was the hottest Earth temperature ever recorded and the subsequent ocean temperatures are only going to increase the rate of climate change. Drive carefully.
 
Why don't you google Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) if you are struggling to find them on the chart. The UK really does put a lot of effort in to protecting the sea beds.
 
motorbiking said:
Why don't you google Marine Conservation Zones (MCZ) if you are struggling to find them on the chart. The UK really does put a lot of effort in to protecting the sea beds.
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I've seen how the sea grass has been replenished around the Cornish coast and fishing restrictions have helped stocks grow back, so steps in the right direction are taken in good faith. Always more to do, though. :mrgreen:
 
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