AIBU to think a Russian ship firing in home waters matters?

[Gizzaeycon]

Shouldn’t we all be making a bit more fuss about the fact that a Russian ship fired at a British boat in home waters? That’s a very serious thing to happen, right?

The Russians did all that. The couple confirm they heard the 5 warning blasts and moved "2 degrees port" . Now anyone who doesn't know how to navigate, change that into a clock face and the prats moved from dead on 12 o'clock to 20 seconds to 12 o'clock!

So yeah the Russians or any other navy in the world would have noticed " we clearly changed course " .

Allowing for an error at it was actually 20 degrees that's just over 4 minutes to twelve!

Remember to drive on the road you need a driving licence. To sail nothing. These people might have been sailing for years but they were bloody stupid.

Anyone who goes on about right of ways etc think about this ... I am cycling, just a head a lorry turns left across my path. I steer around it and I am OK, a little annoyed, but OK. I carry on because it's my right of way and I am dead...I am turning those handlebars

Just to add this was in international waters in the busiest shipping lanes of the world

I accept I was wrong about the waters part, although to be fair I was referring to the english channel / our backyard, rather than making precise statements about demarcation lines.

All the best!

Forgot to say - I would have been more amenable to correction, had you simply pointed out my error, rather than attacked me over "bullshit".

But we live and lean! have a nice day!

But then you asked why didn't they use their siren or flares when all the media reports said that they had. Are you just reading headlines and making the rest of it up in your head?

So did the navy handle these yachts with gun fire? Genuinely curious.

I don't know the international convention for warning yachts but if I was in a yacht and a Russian helicopter hovered above me I'd be a lot more intimidated than by the ship firing up into the air to attract my attention.
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I understand all that, thank you, but you didn’t answer my question.

I listed the options open to them for communication before firing weapons, I didnt say what they did or did not do.

I still consider they had options other than firing weapons. Its difficult not to see this as being linked to the earlier RN action against a Russian tanker.

Interestingly, this report says the incident occurred in home waters, I guess that terminology is looser than we imagine.

A Russian frigate has fired warning shots at a British-flagged civilian yacht in the English Channel, in the most direct military confrontation between Russia and the UK in home waters in recent memory. The incident follows the Royal Navy’s seizure of a Russian shadow fleet tanker in the same waters just days earlier.
The British yacht reported coming into close proximity with RFS Admiral Grigorovich before warning shots were fired at a distance of approximately 500 yards. The incident is understood to have taken place in the sea between the Isle of Wight and Normandy. No injuries or damage were reported, and a seaboat from HMS Tyne visited the yacht to check on its occupants and gather details.

Russian frigate RFS Admiral Grigorovich fires warning shots at a British yacht - Navy Lookout

@BlueSherbet you asked why they hadn't used other methods. When they had.

How long did it take you to find an article that incorrectly said it was home waters?

I said:

Yes they could have used their radio, a flare or siren to warn the yacht.
Or they could have sent their organic helicopter unit to warn it off.

They could still have tried these things, even if no luck with them the first time. I have seen nothing which suggests they used their chopper - maybe they felt they didnt have time?

It didnt take me anytime to find that report, I had read it the other day - as the website is a news site focusing on the royal navy I assumed it would be an accurate source of information.

So again I would reject your accusation of "bullshit" if I had been misinformed by a reputable source of navy news 😀

How do you know the reports you have read are fully accurate?

The report I reference suggests a lot isnt clear. For example:

The incident is understood to have taken place in the sea between the Isle of Wight and Normandy.

The warship is thought to have sounded an alert to the yacht (this suggests a siren)

I would not be surprised if there was a lot of face saving dubiety being introduced as to what happened and where.

Interestingly, this report says the incident occurred in home waters, I guess that terminology is looser than we imagine.

For what little it's worth but there may still be parallels I wore light blue decades back, was involved in the aviation analogue to this sort of thing, and the 12 nautical mile limit offshore was where sovereign airspace ended and beyond that regardless of what the airspace was then called policing powers became very limited/close to non-existent..I'm assuming that's similar in the maritime world.

..and with regard to the use of a helicopter to warn the yacht off it's entirely possible if the Russian vessel had one on board have one they may have not been able to get one up quickly (and was the weather suitable)..

And that's assuming the helicopter is airworthy. And hasn't been scavenged for parts for ones on the front line.

Wasn’t it foggy, so not sure time and weather conditions suitable for helicopter. You don’t normally just jump into a helicopter and fly off

Most vessels turn away before the incremental escalation gets to warning shots. Nobody will answer your specific question as this is most likely not in the public domain.

Most vessels turn away before the incremental escalation gets to warning shots. Nobody will answer your specific question as this is most likely not in the public domain.

Sailor here. The whole sailing community is embarrassed about this couple of numpties!
They didn’t hear the radio message from the ship. WTAF??? All sailing vessels should have their radios on and tuned to channel 16. This is part of keeping an effective lookout by sight and sound, required by the international regulations for prevention of collisions at sea (Colregs)
They didn’t change course ( 2 degrees is FA) when they heard 5 blasts. Again, Colregs require a substantial course change to make it obvious you have heard.
And finally they didn’t give the correct explanation of what 5 blasts means to Victoria Derbyshire . It doesn’t mean “ can you see me?” It means “ I do not understand your intentions”.

If a warship says that to you… turn away from them smartish! 2 degrees my %#se!
My brilliant sailing school in Chatham has offered them a free course to learn their Colregs properly.

Judging by the splash, the navy dropped something bloody heavy in their vicinity as a warning. Piss-taking yacht was sailing close to the coast despite being told the area was off limits due to live-firing practice (splash might have been from that to be fair, which is probably worse!), and the navy were rather forthright over the radio about it.

Having sailed across the channel a few times, a) right of way for sail is all very well if you don't mind getting squashed to prove a point, and b) if I was close to getting squashed by a ship I would welcome any harmless measures they took (including firing in the air or indeed off my bow) to warn me I was in danger.

I don't think people realize the size of the ships navigating the channel - I sure as heck didn't. Imagine a towerblock bearing down on you and that's a rough idea

Agree @Fleetbug
We sail too and we, and everyone we know who has a boat, feels the main issue here is poor seamanship on the part of the yacht crew. I'm not sure why so many people who clearly have never sailed in coastal waters are so reluctant to accept the view of those who have, and have suddenly become experts in the col regs.
@PissedOffAutistic absolutely agree with you too. I also think people don't realise how fast a large vessel can come up on you, how much momentum they have, how long it takes them to change direction and that they can't exactly stop! We have only had one real "oh shit, where did that come from?" experience which was with a ferry rather than a warship but still terrifying. We decided it was better not to die shouting "power gives way to sai....crash,bang....glug, glug, glug" and we didn't piss about making a 2 degree course alteration I can tell you!

Ok - so as far as anyone can tell none of them fired warning shots.

Once again, they didn't. They fired into the air. It was to warn the yacht off what looked to them like a collision course. Imagine the hullabaloo if a Russions ship had run down a British yacht.

Sigh....and the UK has got 0 navy, 0 army, 0 willing men to fight for it but a lot of money to house 3s world undocumented men. What a country, w-h-a-t a country mate

The English Channel consists of both home waters and international waters. They were in international waters. The couple themselves don't say they were fired at or over. This is just trolling, basically. Get your news from a more reliable source, and that is not the Telegraph or the Daily Mail.

Hilarious that they tried to assert their ‘right of way’ over a Russian Warship!

I still believe that we should be allowed to discuss what happened.