FULL SPEED AHEAD

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 108, 2 November 1929, Page 25

FULL SPEED AHEAD

PILOTING A SPEED-BOAT

RULES AND REGULATIONS

More- than ono writer has stated that driving a spoc-d-boat is as easy as driving a ear. This is an exaggeration at oueo stupid and dangerous, says a writer iv an overseas journal. It is dangerous because such a statement is apt to lead the beginner to take risks that will cause disaster both to himself and to others. . > It is truo that in a modern motorboat there are fewer controls to think about, and no gear changing, but, to a certain extent, this is offset by other factors. Ouo of theso is that a motor-boat is not so ilexible and therefore not so immediately under control as a motorcar when it is required to stop. It is highly necessary to remember this, especially when picking up moorings, for not only is a motor-boat comparatively slow in losing way, but there is, the effect.of the tide to consider. It requires a certain amount of vn'aetice to get accustomed to easing down at the right moment. / There- is another difference between a motor-boat and a motor-ear, which is likely to fog tho beginner for a time; and that is the method by which a boat turns. Although the turning movement is the same iv both eases —-the boat, like the car, goes in the direction in which the wheel is rotated —it is the stern of tho boat that begins to swing in the opposite direction, whereas in tho ear it is in the front that begins the circle. A newcomer to' motor-boating who has been used to handling a car is likely to forget this, and when leaving a quay is liable to causo damage to the stern, especially if the wheel is put over too quickly. However, a little practice will soon put him on the right line. DIFFERENCE IN s RTJLES. It should also be remembered that there, aro definite rules of the sea just as there aro of the road; and here again there aro differences. . .When two boats approach head-on it is a fixed rule for them to pass port to port; that is, they pass each other on the left sides. In tho matter of overtaking vessels, discretion playa an important part, together with the amount of water available and the positions of other craft. There is ono inflexible rule, however, and that is that power boats. have to give tray for sail. . Most rules of the sea apply to all classes of craft, so the driveT of a speedboat must abide by them in the same way as other users,-, of the water. After due practice, piloting a speedboat offers no great difficulty, providing reasonable care and thought for others are exercised. Naturally, the wise man will not dream of going all out the first time he takes the wheel. ART OF TURNING. J The first lesson he must learn is the art of turning, for although the majority of modern fast boats are difficult to capsize, it is, nevertheless, possible to meet with disaster in this way if tho wheel is put over too suddenly, for speed-boats going all out can turn practically iv their own length, and, in consequence, bank to a considerable angle. An experienced driver can perform remarkable evolutions in turning, and indeed part of the thrill of tho sport lies in being able to do this; but it requires practice and should not be attempted before the handling of,the boat is thoroughly masterpd. It is a curious fact that no two boats even of tho same design behave alike, and therefore it is necessary to find out the moods and fancies, as it were, of individual craft. One boat will be found to require more helm, and therefore a greater turn of the wheel, than another. Again, banking will be greater in a certain craft. All these points can only be discovered by experiment. Turning should be practised wherever possible in deserted water, in order to avoid possible collision with other craft. Tho first evolutions should be carried out at moderate speed, the speed being gradually increased as one becomes accustomed to the feel of the boat. In order thoroughly to get used to turning, a good plan to adopt is to turn as quickly as possible from one side to the other, until figures of eight can be fonnedJ • Then practise complete circles, reversing from right hand to left. In this way complete control of manoeuvring can be gained. It must be remembered that, in speed-" boat racing, cornering is one of the most important factors iv winning, and the art of turning is the essential feature of this. More races have been lost through bad cornering than through any other cause.