I was thinking about Kooks misfortune the week before last with his boat and more importantly the passenger who was seriously injured and I thought about how unforgiving the waters on the bay can be.
I'm sure most of you experience the same but our biggest problem is big boats....especially the 40 plus foot cruisers that push a ton of water. You've just got to be on your guard all the time. Conditions can go from wonderful to horrible in an instant.
I've been out with lots of other boaters and folks that are new to boating and I'm starting to appreciate the years of experience I have in terms of reading waves, winds and conditions.
Years ago when I owned my 32 cruiser I pulled up to a fuel dock on a really windy day. Another guy in a cruiser was pulling up and the clueless moron had no idea or was not astutue enough to realize he was getting blown across the water right toward me and BANG! into my boat he slams.
Nothing to the point where the was damage, just to the point where he went into me side against side. He was very apologetic and said "there was nothing he could do because of the wind" - that's when "yours truly" went off on him big-time and explained to him in no uncertain terms that when you take the helm; you take responsibility and if we wasn't astute enough to take into account wind then he should not be at the helm of a 10,000 lb boat....
needless to say I was not a happy camper.
Boats can be a lot of fun but we all carry big responsibilities on our shoulders when we take the wheel.
May all of you enjoy hours of trouble free boating..... I guess the moral of the story is that you can never take you eye off the birdie... and PLEASE!!!! - take a few boating courses from USPS or USCG reserve.....and when in doubt....back off the throttles....
Dirty Harry put it best when he said "A man has got to know his limitations".
- jeff
I'm sure most of you experience the same but our biggest problem is big boats....especially the 40 plus foot cruisers that push a ton of water. You've just got to be on your guard all the time. Conditions can go from wonderful to horrible in an instant.
I've been out with lots of other boaters and folks that are new to boating and I'm starting to appreciate the years of experience I have in terms of reading waves, winds and conditions.
Years ago when I owned my 32 cruiser I pulled up to a fuel dock on a really windy day. Another guy in a cruiser was pulling up and the clueless moron had no idea or was not astutue enough to realize he was getting blown across the water right toward me and BANG! into my boat he slams.
Nothing to the point where the was damage, just to the point where he went into me side against side. He was very apologetic and said "there was nothing he could do because of the wind" - that's when "yours truly" went off on him big-time and explained to him in no uncertain terms that when you take the helm; you take responsibility and if we wasn't astute enough to take into account wind then he should not be at the helm of a 10,000 lb boat....
needless to say I was not a happy camper.
Boats can be a lot of fun but we all carry big responsibilities on our shoulders when we take the wheel.
May all of you enjoy hours of trouble free boating..... I guess the moral of the story is that you can never take you eye off the birdie... and PLEASE!!!! - take a few boating courses from USPS or USCG reserve.....and when in doubt....back off the throttles....
Dirty Harry put it best when he said "A man has got to know his limitations".
- jeff