Scary seamanship

[matt_unique]

I mentioned some wild ramp observations in a previous thread, last night I observed some crazy seamanship on the water. I'm sure we all see this kind of thing all the time but I was waiting to see if the vessel would run aground.

As you are outbound from Boston Inner Harbor, approaching the President Roads and Castle Island if looking at a chart, there is a very shallow area heading south just past Castle Island. In fact it's awash at MLLW and there are rocks all over. You need to go straight out of the harbor, close to Spectacle Island, before you can turn to the south.

I was making my way out to Thompson Island to pickup a group of passengers at 9:00pm. I notice a center console approaching fast on my stern, making erratic course adjustments, with the fixed spotlight on full. (Tell tale sign of trouble already). This vessel approached me quite closely, then blinded me with their spotlight as they turned and accelerated to the south toward the rocks and shallow area just off Castle Island. I was just waiting to hear a crash! There was a lot of traffic approaching and I had to pay attention forward of course. When I had a chance to look for them they seemed to be in one spot for an awfully long time. I don't know if they slowed down then hit something or what but they were still there when I was in position to turn to the south. By the time I returned about 45 minutes later they were gone.

Everyone can make mistakes at the helm, I have and I no doubt will again, but this struck me as someone out for a ride without having looked at a chart or something. Yikes.....

[thataway]

A young man killed his sister and mother on the night of August 31 near our home. There were 7 people in a Cape Horn 30 and they had been drinking at 2 watering holes along the water earlier in the evening. No one knows what speed he was going, but he went between a 26 acre Island separated from Ono Island (a number sq miles) by a hundred or so feet--and only 2 feet of water depth. The boat went several hundred feet onto the island before flipping over. The driver was hospitalized with a broken arm and some other injuries--the father and other passangers had relitatively minor injuries. These people had all lived down the street from me a few years ago and have boated all of their lives.

Alcohol? Poor Judgement? (too fast, dark, thin water, no visability etc). We all have to be careful. Doesn't make any difference--there are many tragedies on the water each week. I know of at least 6 people in our area who have been killed in boating accidents this summer.

[hardee]

A fellow backs the jeep down the ramp, gets out and goes back to the mini-Whaler, tries to push it off the trailer, and because the water is a bit shallow and he can't push hard enough, climbs on, starts it up, revs it up in reverse, still without success, gets off and goes back to the jeep. Mind you the whaler with a 50 Yami is still on the trailer, running and in reverse. He backs the jeep farther into the water and whalaa, the whaler floats, backing itself off the trailer as he is getting out of the jeep, checking his pockets and getting ready for a swim Fortunately, the OB was set in a circle and and his swim was short. Not sure if the red on his face was from the embarrassment or the cold water.

Good thing he could swim faster than reverse idle could go, or there would have been some bumps and scratches at least. Did get a lot of attention though.

SleepyC

[colobear]

I agree these are scary stories but I sure wouldn't dignify them by calling them "seamanship".

[matt_unique]

Ha ha - well that would be something to see for sure - engine still in reverse backing farther into the water. Glad no one was hurt.

[starcrafttom]

thats funny , I dont care who you are

[hardee]

Quote:

I agree these are scary stories but I sure wouldn't dignify them by calling them "seamanship". _________________ Patti and Barry on C-Cakes

I agree. Not seamanship, (maybe I put my most recently observed example up in the wrong spot,) but hopefully useful as a learning tool.

Matt - It was hard to keep a straight face

Harvey
SleepyC

[Levitation]

Gonna bump this thread as it a close to my topic...

Yesterday, put my R25 in the water for the first time... Pulled up to the city launch at Bay City (Michigan - Lake Huron)... I was acutely aware that I could become the topic of one of these 'what I saw at the ramp' threads so I went slowly and methodically about getting prepared... We (my son) discussed how we were going to do this and that and then did it... As a result the 1st launch went like a textbook description...
Tie downs off, trailer partially in the water, no transom plug to worry about, dock line to dock just in case, engine started after stern was deep enough for the water pickup, once I was sure every thing was good the bowline was removed and simply putting the engine in reverse at idle pulled her smoothly off the rollers...

Now, the moral of this thread... After a nice cruise on Saginaw Bay (on a weekday, the weekend,' Professional Drinking Club' is still at work) I am coming up the Saginaw River in the shipping channel from Lake Huron at a sedate 6 knots... There is a 36 foot cruiser a few boat lengths behind and to my port and matching my speed... As I come abeam the channel to the marina on my starboard I slow and turn towards it... Now, there is the 36 cruiser - who had quickly slid over to starboard outside of the channel makers and gunned it up close abeam... OK, not very courteous but he is between me and the marina channel so I do a 360 to port to give him room...
We go single file up the channel until he is abeam the fuel dock to our port with an intersecting Tee channel coming in from our starboard, where he turns sideways in the channel to enter a slip to our port, just past the dock and the intersection, then he stops, then he backs up a bit, etc. etc. until I don't have a clue how he intends to enter the slip (nor did he I suspect)...
I am dead in the water, and hugging the right side of the channel and the intersection, juggling forward and reverse to hold my position, when in my peripheral vision from the right comes the menacing prow of a 50 something yacht, not going slow at all, he bulls into the channel between me and the dancing boat, and passes in front of my pulpit about a hand width away, pivots smartly to port, guns it throwing a wall of water to the broadside of the hapless 36 footer while giving me the evil eye from on high...
Needles to say, being a gentleman, I resisted the urge to inform him that he is still #1 with me... The 36 finally figured out how to back into a slip and we proceed on to our slip ending a perfect day...

[El and Bill]

As crazy and dangerous as it can be on the water, we sure feel far safer aboard than driving the truck to the local market.

[B~C]

not scary but a bit nerve racking, I had to side tie to a float plane adrift yesterday morning on a windy day

[Sea Wolf]

[Doryman]

Reminds me of a couple from Utah I met at Flaming Gorge who told me they took their open bowrider to the San Juans with no charts, no GPS, no depthsounder, no nothing. And they were caught out after dark.

Warren

[jennykatz]

We saw a Lady with her child on a jet ski with a AAA map of florida trying to find her way out of naples bay and parts of Keewayjen Island .

[colobear]

Why are we calling these stupidities "seamanship"? (No critique of the thread title, just a comment about idiocy.) It gives seamen and seamanship a bad name. We need Darwin awards for clueless nitwits like these. Harumphh!!

[hardee]

Here's an nomination for the "Darwin Award" for 4 college students, leaving from Fort Warden, Port Townsend, WA to go across Juan de Fuca to Roche Harbor on a cal 23, with no chart or radio, but one of the guys had been there before, and had a compass.

Spent a good share of the weekend listening to Port Angeles Coast Guard radio, doing a search for a ~16ft 1970's boat, 2 persons on board, going out fishing to lighted bouy#4, from Ediz Hook. --Weather, winds to 15-25 and waves 2-4, and Small Craft warnings out.

It's almost impossible to save some of these idiots from themselves.

Harvey
SleepyC