93045 Drunk

14 Feb 1993 MARS

Seaspeak
- Irish Coast.
- Report No. 93045.

Own vessel was approaching a harbour entrance at night. There is a rocky shoal in the middle of the harbour entrance, with buoyed channels to the east and west of it. The east channel is the one most commonly used by both inbound and outbound traffic. An outward bound vessel was dropping her pilot inside the harbour, to the northwards of the shoal. We had been in VHF communication with the pilot, who would board us when we came into the harbour. As the east channel is narrow, and weather conditions were poor, I slowed down to allow the other vessel to clear the channel before we entered it.

Having dropped her pilot, the outward bound vessel was seen - by radar and visually - to swing to starboard and enter the West channel, so I proceeded inwards. Shortly after I entered the channel, the other ship was observed to swing sharply to port, towards us, right across the middle of the shoal area. I had no option but to continue on my course, keeping as close as possible to the starboard side of the channel. " .... off on to your own side of the channel", said a rather thick voice on the VHF, as the other ship passed close to our port quarter. I mentioned this incident to the pilot when he boarded. "I am not surprised", he said. "Her skipper was so drunk he could hardly stand upright".

I am constantly working in coastal waters and have a lot of problems dealing with fishermen. As a typical instance, whilst approaching a river estuary one day, a salmon netter called us up on the VHF. "Go to starboard" he cried excitedly on channel 16. I went to starboard. "No, no, no! The other starboard!" he shouted. He obviously meant starboard as it would be for him looking at us.