I know nothing about jet-skis, boats or sailing but I honestly wouldn't have thought this possible if you'd asked me beforehand.
Leaving aside the moral and legal wisdom of what he's done I'm curious to know how traumatic/risky that journey must have been?!
I honestly would have assumed it would run out of fuel or capsize in the swell once off the coast.
Wondering if any forummers who jet-ski can shed any light on just how lucky this guy was to make it or not? Or have I vastly under-estimated the functionality of a jet-ski?
The man, who had never driven a jetski before, believed the journey would take 40 minutes, but it took four-and-a-half hours
This I think sums up the risk, rather than the perfrmance limit of the vehicle.
Vastly weather dependent, too.
capsize in the swell once off the coast.
they tow surfers out and rescue them in big wave competitions
A couple of points:
1 Jet skis are the lowest form of water craft. Often popular with idiots.
2 It is not that far from Scotland to IoM. You can see it on a clear day if its calm then is easily doable.
3 For small craft like a jet ski the water state / wind / current is a massive factor and can easily reduce your effective speed. Comfort also a factor - how fast can a jet ski go into the wind and waves - the answer is how much punishment can you take. It would be interesting to know what the weather was like when he did it.
Saw this story too, probably shouldn't have found it funny, but i did!
No idea, I've only ever used a jet ski on a loch or close to shore.
They are plenty fast. 40+ mph on flat water so if it took 4 hours to go 15 miles then something has
probably gone a bit wrong
As a surfer who unfortunately has shared the water with jetski pillocks my thoughts are:
- shows it must be a piece of piss to ride the things;
- strongly approve of the idea of their setting course for the open sea and just keep going.
Come the revolution taking a potshot at jet skis would not just be legal but compulsory. The 'Rude' thread comes to mind - basically the noisy ****ers are rude from the moment they start their engines to the moment the turn them off.
Yep, the average speed he managed probably indicates a young lad so out of his comfort zone (and so cold) that any possibility of have the much anticipated shag would have had to wait until his balls had returned from where they had shrunk back to for safe keeping. And given the length of days at the moment and the time he thought it was going to take I bet he ended in the dark too.
Things people do for love - the muppet.
Seems like a lot of trouble to go to to get laid.
Still, 4 weeks in prison so he may see some action after all.
I wonder if the 4 hours time includes the walk. As otherwise he was only travelling at kayak speed on the water!
Leaving aside the moral and legal wisdom of what he’s done I’m curious to know how traumatic/risky that journey must have been?!
I honestly would have assumed it would run out of fuel or capsize in the swell once off the coast.
Wondering if any forummers who jet-ski can shed any light on just how lucky this guy was to make it or not? Or have I vastly under-estimated the functionality of a jet-ski?
He's definitely not the first person to ever make the crossing on a jetski. He might be the first to ever do it on the first day they tried jetskiing.
Its < 25 miles at the closest point. Top of the range jet skis can do >65mph, but ~40 would be common on an "entry level" ski. Even at cruising speed if he could navigate in a straight line he should have been there in an hour unless the conditions were bad.
The smallest ski's will probably burn about 25L of fuel per hour flat out, whilst the largest might be closer to 90L/hr. They'll burn far less than that if you back off the throttle, and they can have fuel tanks anywhere from about 22L to 75+L, in smooth conditions you could expect to get anywhere from 35-100+ miles.
They do capsize, but you just flip them back over and climb back on board unless the conditions are too difficult. How hard work it would be and how horrendous the experience would depend on the waves. It would also depend what he was wearing - a good dry suit with proper layers under it and a marine helmet and it could be quite pleasant; a 3mm Aldi special Wetsuit and it would be hell. I wonder if he's planning to cross back to Scotland after he is released?
Can that crossing be done safely in a JetSki? Yes.
Is it for beginners? No. A safe crossing would involve accurate high speed navigation, controlling the craft, dodging marine traffic in busy shipping lanes, not falling off the ski, and being prepared for things that can go wrong... anyone sensible would have a VHF and PLB, tools, spare fuel, food, water, etc.
And given the length of days at the moment and the time he thought it was going to take I bet he ended in the dark too.
or since the article says
arriving in the northern town of Ramsey at 1pm,
maybe not!
This story made me chuckle when I read it. The things people do for love...
I thought he was crazy/desperate for doing this, but that aside, four weeks in prison seems a bit harsh. I wouldn't be surprised if many burglars/muggers/other minor criminals have received shorter sentences than that.
Sounds to me like a mental health breakdown rather than anything else
maybe not!
So set off in the dark/just as it was getting light - relatively sensible in a totally not sensible way then!
never been on one but that is quite an achievement albeit a stupid one . i have to admit to a similar stunt in my yoof. Decided to drive from warwickshire to comrie as a surprise one weekend as the future mrs g was in a canoe slalom comp that weekend. got as far as gretna before car ran out of fuel guage never working so guessed enough petrol in tank wrong. anyhow had a good weekend and still with her. Might have been a lot different for laddo if he ran out of fuel. and he only got 4 weeks .. I got 30 years !! all brilliant ones ( in case she looks over my shoulder later). Will she wait for him tho?
burglars/muggers/other minor criminals
Given he paid absolutely no regard to the island's policy to prevent transmission of the virus, then went off to a few night clubs as soon as he arrived , his actions could potentially have had far worse consequences to than those of a burglar or other minor criminal.
Everything about this story tells me the guy is an idiot....albeit an idiot with big balls...
I have to say if nothing else it cheered my day. Hopefully they won’t treat him too harshly in the IoM prison system. Does mention he was suffering with depression, but at least he now has a story to tell. I imagine this could have gone badly wrong for him....
He's a local bawheid.
I know a couple of boys who have done that same journey, in 90 mins (I've no idea why!) it must be a rough bit of sea to be taking that gamble, idiot.
As someone who used to live on the Isle of Man and did the sea crossing from Douglas to Heysham on the ferry many, many times, this is probably one of the stupidest things I have ever read.
The Irish Sea is no joke, with dangerous currents, swells, and unpredictable weather. Without a proper maritime radio system, if he got in trouble he'd have died a pretty uncomfortable death.
As above, saw it yesterday. Shouldn't find it funny, but did!
Can’t be worse than the blokes who bought a boat and tried to travel home around part of the uk. Navigated using a road map and estimated fuel burn similar to doing the equivalent miles by car.
Think RNLI went out to them several times when they got into trouble
Must be a new record for the furthest a jetskier has ever gone from the shore.
At least he was on a mission rather than the usual..
Look at me,look at me,look at me,look at me,look at me,look at me,look at me on my jetski..................please
🙂
I’m with fasthaggis. They’re the same as when some scabby kid on a scrambler keeps buzzing you when you’re minding your own business having a quiet bike ride.
You think they could just get out of the way but instead they have to be seen or be heard.
Seems like a lot of trouble to go to to get laid.
Still, 4 weeks in prison so he may see some action after all.
🙂
Must be a new record for the furthest a jetskier has ever gone from the shore.
Some idle googling located this
https://www.jetskiadvice.com/how-to-jet-ski-from-miami-to-the-bahamas/
looks like 84km Miami to Bimini
Last line - "there are group rides leaving miami every weekend, as long as the weather is great"
Details in the guardian article convince me tj is right. A short prison sentence is probably right, but the whole story is much more sad than bad.
Poor lad, his eyes were obviously a bit tired and he was just making sure they’d be ok for work the next day.
He’s not done anything any other reasonable person wouldn’t have done under the circumstances
Weather was OK on Friday - relatively still with 1m waves.
https://www.ventusky.com/?p=54.73;-2.91;6&l=wave&t=20201211/1200
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Rather him than me - and then a 15 mile walk after landing (which is also a bloody long way!). </span>
Presumably P*rnhub was down or he's a T Rex?
but that aside, four weeks in prison seems a bit harsh. I wouldn’t be surprised if many burglars/muggers/other minor criminals have received shorter sentences than that.
In the criminal justice system on the IoM?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-53271765 (2 yrs for low value sneak in burglary)
http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.cfm?id=54541&headline=Man%20who%20demanded%20cash%20from%20shop%20assistant%20is%20jailed§ionIs=&searchyear=2020
They've been pretty tough on anyone breaking the rules:
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/woman-who-stopped-petrol-jailed-18995728
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/world-news/group-five-welders-who-bought-19037716
I think some people might say that's either why their stats are so good or justified to keep them that way:
https://coronavstats.co.uk/isleofman
He put lives and livelihoods at risk across the IoM, and it doesn't seem unreasonable to use a custodial sentence both as a punishment and more importantly as a deterrent for others in those circumstances. Whilst there are far too many people in our jails with mental health issues if all it took was a defence lawyer saying someone is depressed to avoid the jail almost nobody would be inside.
Edit, never mind
I'd love a jetski, I'll never buy one like, but I'd love one, maybe go and hire one eventually in 2021.
I’d love a jetski, I’ll never buy one like, but I’d love one, maybe go and hire one eventually in 2021.
There might be one going cheap if you can collect it...
You should Nobeer,they are a hoot,just don't be a shoreline showoff. 🙂
You could even go for one of the original models rather than a JetBike style 😉
4 1/2 hrs on a jet ski a 15 mile walk and then trip to two nightclubs? He must have earned some serious cuddle action from his girlfriend for that effort. Good work*
* by that I mean good commitment to love. Poor show breaching covid rules, maritime rules, general not being a dick rules.
You should Nobeer,they are a hoot,just don’t be a shoreline showoff. 🙂
God no, the fannies that fly up and down Largs shoreline on a summers eve put paid to that idea. I used to work with a guy that regularly launched at Culzean and nipped over to Arran in 20 minutes, then back round Ailsa Craig and chips at Girvan.
Now yer talkin.
He who dares Rodney, he who dares. We don't want them thinking us brits are chicken do we?
Jetski's seem really boring to me. When I've seen them out on the water they just seem like an annoying wasp you just want to swat.
On a similar if a bit more exotic note, legendary surfer Laird Hamilton had to be rescued when his jetski ran out of fuel. He was Keven Costner's stunt double in the film Waterworld and used to commute between Maui and Big Island on Hawaii.
I live close to the Isle of Whithorn. Chap I know there owns a jetski (a nice, expensive one with a largish fuel tank) and he makes the journey to the IOM fairly regularly in the summer.
As has been said, you can see the IOM clearly from here. It's really quite close.
Bloke lives in Ayrshire though, so he's travelled from a Tier 3 area, through a tier 1 area to get to the IOM. So a bit of a tit.
Not sure about all the idiotic jetski hate on here though....
Not sure about all the idiotic jetski hate on here though….
Agreed, start a thread on a 'fun car' and you'll be reet!
the idiotic jetski hate
When you're surfing they're just really annoying, noisy, smell of exhaust just is wrong when you're in the water, they come too close with dubious control when jumping waves, owners are always fat guys with shit 4x4 truck things they park on the beach, and they could easily piss off a mile or so down the coast but instead buzz about where they get attention, 2 jetskiiers pissing off 30 surfers.
(This based on over 10 yes ago tbf, Saltburn , used to happen quite often. Also encountered in France, but they were frencher. A small part of why I surf more off the radar these days.)
Proper lol'd, only someone from Ayrshire...
Sounds to me like a mental health breakdown rather than anything else
Have you ever been out in Irvine? Let alone the rest of Ayrshire? Sounds like a solid move to me.
God no, the fannies that fly up and down Largs shoreline on a summers eve put paid to that idea.
I hate 'spoons but it's a prime location to watch the fanny that WILL eventually misjudge the turn and either end up under the ferry or across the harbour wall.
Not sure about all the idiotic jetski hate on here though….
See above point. They launch off the lifeboat slip (forgetting who has to ultimately rescue them), fanny around the ferry slip and harass the wildlife that gets lost and ends up in the Costa del Bawbag. Plenty of water but they choose that small patch to ride up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down...
Not sure about all the idiotic jetski hate on here though….
I'll not cast aspersions on the type of person who choses to use a jet ski but just focus on what it's like to be around them.
In a sea (literal and metaphoric) of peaceful recreational users of the environment they appear to be used in the most antisocial of ways. There are very few noises quite so annoying as a jet ski being buzzed around and around with little seeming purpose. It seems to somehow pierce the mind like very few others noises. As said, they rarely take the trouble to find a more out of the way spot for this but seem to delight in obliterating the quiet serenity for everyone else. That's before one almost runs you over, and then again and again. Open water swimming in a buoyed out reserved bit of sea constantly on a alert for the high pitched buzz of the next ****wit on a jetski ploughing their way straight through it. Lost count of how many times I've had had to emergency duckdive as one screamed towards me with an oblivious pudding sitting at the controls. Chopped hopped one on a windsurfer years ago that turned 90 degrees into my path. That might not have ended well.
There is a class of jetski user that clearly have never looked at an admiralty chart and drive about unaware of nature reserve areas, speed restrictions or areas reserved for specific activities. I guess because they are such a 'squeeze and go' type of craft they allow those with zero experience access to the water so fast their knowledge does not grow as fast as it needs to, but they have the speed and range to wreak havoc.
As said above they are the water based equivalent of a motorcross bike. But are often ridden like a motorcross bike that blasts about a country park within half a mile of the main car park in front of hundreds of others trying to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet rather than disappearing into the wilderness. I'm not sure if it's an attention thing or a crushing lack of ambition/confidence thing. Whatever, it's ****ing annoying.
I'm not against them as a concept; it looks like a fun way to get from A to B (would rather have a Rib) but that's seemingly not how the bulk are used.