Learn how to use that radar & go slow in the fog

R

rogerbum

New member
Here's little story about a FL man who could have benefited from a little instruction on how to use his electronics and how to properly adjust the speed of his boat to match the conditions.

http://shar.es/1fnXbC

1200 HP can carry you a long way up the beach.
 
Been the subject of discussion on THT for over a week. There was some real fog, but the person at the helm was a professional skipper and charter boat operator. He was also head of the local guide association. Not the best advertisement. As I understand the owner of the boat was a Personal Injury Lawyer! (Also not good advertisement).

This boat went some distance over the beach before hitting the bar. Speed estimates up to over 30 mph.
 
restaurant clearly has the right of way in that situation.

Speed and fog is a bad combo. People that speed in fog are nuckin futs, there are so many floaty things that don't show up on radar.....I've often gone out in fog so thick you can't hardly see you windlass....slow down, keep your head on a swivel & put on some yellow lens shooting glasses they really help.

But then, on the other hand, I suppose like traveling on an icy road, the longer you're on the road, stasticaly, the greater your chances are of being in a wreck thus, if you drive like a bat of hell you'll be on the road, or water, for a shorter period of time and the odds of wrecking would go down. Make sense? enough comas in that run sentence?
 
The GPS on Mikey is good but not good enough in fog. My Raymarine radar has never failed--one time was able to dodge a small fishing boat that had no lights
 
I was in the Florida Keys this February and the fog is not a usual occurrence there from what locals say. So much so that you don't see all that many boats with radar because of the rarity of fog. We had a couple days were it was very thick on both the ocean and bay side. As you can see there is a large contingent of boaters with more money than good sense. The restaurant should of had a radar reflector I guess. And who left those kayaks there?
D.D.
 
The other big question is not why he was driving in the fog or whether or not radar vs GPS but why was he doing 50 MPH in the fog?????? wtf over??

Even if he had radar what type of Captain does 50 in the fog? let alone in a channel with limited room. I hope he loses his charter licences.
 
On my great loop, I crossed the Great Lakes in spring, when there's lots of fog. I was nearing the end of 6 months away from home, anxious to get home, and travelled a lot of days I probably shouldn't have. I had three GPS units on board, so I always knew where I was, but without radar I had no idea where those big ore ships were. I often fearfully anticipated seeing a great dark shadow loom out of the fog, but fortunately, it never happened. I did a lot of "Securite, securite, securite!" calls announcing where I was.

As soon as I got home I shopped for a radar, and practised with it often, and it does take practice. Frequently I'd see objects on the radar that really weren't there. If there's a large metal object on the nearby shore, the reflection off that and the river's surface will create ghost objects. You have to practice in order to judge which are ghosts, and which are real.

I rarely get caught in fog these days, and I rarely use my radar, mostly just to keep in practice when I do. But knowing there'll come a time when the fog will catch me unawares, I'm sure glad I have one onboard.

BTW, here's a link to a photo of the view I often saw coming across the Great Lakes in spring:

http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cd4/greatl ... ctures.htm
 
Have radar. Always on, Always use it. Good habit. Got caught once in THICK fog. So think I could not see the water looking out my window and down! 3kn on the water speed seemed screamingly fast. :shock:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

IMGP2353.thumb.jpg
 
Report says they had radar and you can see it on the roof. Sounds like a young, inexperienced "captain" with too much testosterone. Certified less than 6 months and w/ a history of speeding in boats (citations).
 
Here is what Capt. Matt Santiago says about himself:

I am a FULL-TIME guide, native Floridian and the founder of the Tampa Bay Fishing Guide Association. I grew up with a fishing pole in my hand and fishing the waters of Tampa Bay, With over 20 years experience fishing local waters, both inshore and offshore, my angling knowledge and skill have been proven by several first place and top five finishes in some of the area’s largest fishing tournaments…..

I have a knack for catching big fish and am always eager to help you hunt for your catch of a lifetime…….


I cater to the novice and experienced anglers alike and have a passion for fishing with kids, teaching them about the ocean and the fish that swim in it. Kid-friendly charters are always available.

I also offer my expertise as a guide on your boat, showing you the best fishing spots in your area and the necessary techniques to have a productive, fish catching day.

THE VESSEL
I run an impeccably well-kept, custom built, Andros Tarpon 26 as well as a beautiful Cabo sportfishing yacht for big offshore trips. The Andros is a giant flats machine and will run as shallow as most flats boats while still having enough room for 4 to 6 people. Both boats are equipped with the best electronics, …..
Click to expand...

It was not clear to me if all speeding citations were all in the water or if one was on land. (One was cited as being in a Manatee zone.) Although Florida has a very comprehensive court records law, one would have to know what county he had been charged.

I'll admit I have strong bias against those charter fishermen who feel that the law does not apply to them, either by speed or wake size.
 
I was just reading some further postings about this incident on other forums. This professional skipper was not popular before this incident. I stated this on one of those forms and I'll state it here. He should have his coast guard ticket pulled. Then both he, and some of the others who act like him, will have some very serious thinking to do. It is very fortunate that no one was killed.

There are other consequences--the restaurant was shut down for over 3 days until the boat could be removed. There are substantial costs to repair the restaurant. There is a person who runs the paddle board and kayak business as his sole support who is also out of business.

There are now very negative comments on his Travelocity page.
 
Getting his license pulled isn't enough - there should be criminal and civil charges brought against this guy. He shouldn't be allowed to drive anything until it can be shown that he is no longer a menace. And then start with a learner's permit.

This isn't a Florida problem - I have seen boaters over-speeding the situation in low visibility conditions wherever we have cruised.

With my job in Friday Harbor, coming and going through Cattle Pass in fog is not uncommon... creeps me out to see "the blips" blast by on radar in that narrow passage.

Be safe out there,
Jim
 
Our experience is limited compared to a lot of you. That said, common sense and good judgement go a long way. We have relied on the radar a few times. Our most memorable, a very early morning crossing the Strait of Georgia where we could barely see the water below our boat. Our speed was appropriate for conditions, even in that large body of water and both Meredith and I were on constant watch. My focus was on the screen, the surroundings and our coarse (no auto pilot). We had out lights on for whatever good it would do and were listening as we proceeded. It took a while, but we made it to Nanaimo safely.

This guy is lucky no one was killed. But he needs to be held accountable.
 
Radar is one thing but if you can't see wouldn't you be glued to your GPS screen? Does this guy boat at night? This guy is just plan stupid. I rather get on a boat with Captain Queeg then this new captain "Run Aground". His boating for hire days need to limited to a row boat. I'm not perfect but turning the restaurant into a drive thru is truly in poor taste.
D.D.
 
Funny that I should see this here. Our fishing club (Southshore Anglers) meets at that location every first Thursday of the month. I went there last week and saw that the Sunset grill has fully embraced the calamity by creating a new menu item called the "Shipwreck Stew".

The damage was extensive, and Capt Matt will be in a shipload of trouble. I fish here in Tampa all the time and morning fog is not unusual in the winter; afternoon fog is. Regardless both the boat owner and captain should have known better.

That said it's a miracle he did not hit something/someone on the way in. There's a pier to the North and channel markers everywhere. At best he should have been at slow speed. Idle speed would have been better. After that dog leg there was another one waiting for him another 1/2 mile down south - that would have been mangroves and oysters to slow him down; he's lucky he hit sand.

Last I heard the boat is being renamed to "Santiago - party of 7."
 
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