By Paul Knieste
During my many years of boating, I have seen many incidents. Most were dangerous, some bizarre, and others funny, but they had something in common — most were preventable.
What do I mean by incidents? I watched a jet skier hit a wake only to have his young passenger fall off the rear. He didn’t notice his companion was missing until he traveled 50 yards. An angry and seemingly intoxicated boater impulsively rammed his boat into reverse while his buddy was trying to drop an anchor off the bow. His buddy, the anchor, and their cooler flew from the bow and into the water. A racing boat running at a high rate of speed cut in front of an anchored boat, wrapping his prop in the line and knocking the occupants of the anchored boat off their feet.
Boater education to prevent painful, costly, and harmful boating incidents is vital. However, knowing the rules of the road alone cannot prepare captains to avoid all hazards he or she may encounter. Skippers must maintain situational awareness, be patient and courteous, and always consider the steps they can take to mitigate injury and damage.
According to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, excessive speed is among the top five contributing factors in boating accidents. In my experience, it’s nearly impossible to spot potential hazards quickly enough at speeds exceeding 25 knots. Boat wakes, waves, and glare reduce visibility, obscuring debris or other vessels until it’s too late to maneuver your way to safety.
As on the highway, it is important not to “tailgate” the vessel in front of you when running at high speeds. Keep a buffer of 80 feet between you and the other vessel (or more if required by law, regulation, or circumstances). You can follow a larger boat to allow it to flatten out the sea for you and then pass after a sounding the horn. Cross the boat wake at an angle of 45 degrees to avoid pounding.
Never speed in a narrow channel or one where the waterway bends. Approaching vessels should go dead slow and pass port to port only when the channel widens.
Local knowledge and circumstances may cause you to speed up slightly to maintain steerage due to currents as you pass under a bridge. However, keep your eyes peeled for vessels crossing in front of you.
Jet skis are, by their very nature, speedy vessels. Yet their swiftness presents challenges to operators and to all nearby boaters. It’s chilling to be on larger boats and look astern to see jet skis riding our wake. Stay vigilant, skipper!
Jet ski operators must always be alert, too, scanning the water for potential perils, and adjusting speed to match the situation at hand. While jumping wakes is enjoyable, stay far behind the boat and make sure you’re visible to the person piloting the boat. To ensure you’ll be around to enjoy your ride another day, slow down in high-traffic areas.
Dead slow is the rule for all vessels when nearing smaller boats and those at anchor or on moorings. The occupants of these boats don’t appreciate rocking by giant wakes, and you can cause damage.
Other ways to reduce the likelihood of incidents include paying special attention to boats or barges under tow. That towed vessel has no steerage and may drift sideways, so never pass between a towboat and towed vessel. Give boats under sail some special attention, too; they turn slowly and often need to stay mid-channel due to the draft of their keel.
Exercise patience at the fuel dock while waiting. When it’s your turn, approach the dock from down tide and allow the dock helpers to pass you a line and tie you off. I observed one captain whose practice was to drop anchor and back against the tide to the dock. This worked well until the day his hook pulled and he slammed his outboard engine cowl into the fuel pump.
Many of us have experienced the bottleneck that occurs waiting for a bridge or lock opening. Breathe evenly and stay sharp at the helm to avoid collisions. When you reach the open water on the other side, remember that boating is pleasurable — don’t employ that commuter “rush hour” mindset of charging forward to open water. You’ll surely avoid the damage caused by that hasty skipper who didn’t read this article.
Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
