i upset a guy on the weekend

ewenm · Feb 27, 2011

heading home from our favourite spot we were following, not to closely a guy and his two sons in a 16 foot tinny

we were doing about 26 mph and he seemed to be having some fun as the water was choppy from other boats

(oh we have a 32 foot sports cruiser type boat) and he was standing and getting into it jumping wakes.

so he passes an 18 foot bow rider and we follow, again at a safe distance, then he comes up on a 40 foot fly bridge

hits its wake and goes sideways, his youngest kid gets knocked to the floor and he stops.

so my safe distance rapidly shortens, i back off, (but stay on the plane) and swing around him, by this stages he's up and running again

as i go past him we can see all is ok, but now without looking he is starting to move over towards us, i nail it and go past and he gets some spray.

he follows in my wake for a while till we get to a 6 knot zone, he goes past and flips us the bird, i suggest firmly he learns how to drive.

sheesh, some people

im confident i wasn't out of line, what do yah reckon??

H20Rat · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

hmm, tough call... You were the overtaking vessel and you knew that boat was in distress.. If you were close enough he got sprayed, you were FAR too close. I personally know if a 32 foot boat on plane came that close to me I'd have a few words with the captain.

dorelse · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

smokingcrater said:
hmm, tough call... You were the overtaking vessel and you knew that boat was in distress.. If you were close enough he got sprayed, you were FAR too close. I personally know if a 32 foot boat on plane came that close to me I'd have a few words with the captain.

x2. If you were so close you could spray him...yeah, you were way too close.

ewenm · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

we were in a marked channel i moved over as far as i could there was a 15 knot breeze, there were other boats following, i would have preferred to stop but choose not to due to concerns about other traffic, i could see he was ok, i just wanted to get out of his way

KingHardcor · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

But it sounds like the other guy put himself in the bad spot.

"...but now without looking he is starting to move over towards us"

Hard to say.

elkhunter338 · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

I run a 21' boat and since you where following this guy I think you should have cut the throttle quickly once you saw him have trouble no matter if the guy was gooffing off. You just did not want to get off plane, taks lot of fuel to get started again.
Back off when you see a boat ahead of you in trouble.
Boats have good brakes.
That guy was probably trying to get going again to avoid getting swamped by your wake. No one should give anyone the finger, not nice, but what you did was not nice either.

Joshua Nichols · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

I woulda got out of it and went by him a bit slower..Even if I got outta plane.. Big deal.. In 3 seconds I can get back into it.. If he was close enough that you had to make such a action to get out of the way... You was way to close.. So you got a little lake rage, thrown back at ya..Eventhough he was being stupid and not paying attention.. I can't justify what happened... As the captain of your vessel and a quite large one you have to watch for idiots... As far as the bird.. So what.. I just wave and say I am sorry, even when it's not my fault or I feel it wasn't...

Safe boating

fat fanny · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

Well bottom line a tiny w/ kid's in it!! common sense say's both captains need a reality check safety first period! especially when children are involved and as far proximity to the other craft if he felt your spray you were'nt far enough away! and I'd be waitin on you @ the dock if my kid
s were in the boat

smokeonthewater · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

at 26 mph the safe following distance was about 1/8 mile ... esp with the size of your boat and kids in a small boat with an irresponsible person at the helm.... he was obviously reckless and I would have been at least 300 feet away to pass OR dropped off plane until I knew he saw me and reacted properly.

DaNinja · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

Sorry, our conversation would have been more civil than a passing bird, but we would probably still have talked.
We're pretty cautious and aware of the traffic around us, but it you were close enough to spray, you could have come off plane, at least.

Stay safe! The right of way doesn't always mean the right way.

ewenm · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

yeah your all probably right, i guess i might have had a little attitude on board as we typically find theses idiots also racing through anchored boats towing tubes, the tinny brigade, and i know im generalising , but where i boat they have become a real pain, even PWC,s are showing more manners,

i thought the tinny driver was a real jerk and i just wanted out of his way, i knew once i was past him i was not going to have to watch out for him anymore, if he had maintained his course he would not have coped any spray from me, as it was he veered towards me and i was running out of channel.

i do get sick of these clowns anchored or drifting in channels also fishing, you dont want to be pulling 32 feet off the plain and back up constantly, where we boat you HAVE to watch the channels closly there is no wiggle room

anyway i take the point

mcgyver210 · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

When I read this what comes to mind is Two Wrongs Doesn't Make a Right anyway you cut it.

The 16' was in the wrong for jumping wake but you was in the wrong for following too closely for safe maneuvering IMO since from what you said you didn't have much room to pass safely. Also you should have been ready for an issue since you see him as unsafe before the incident.

I also remember from testing recently the overtaking boat is the giveway boat in this situation so you should have dropped off plain if you couldn't pass safely. Spraying wasn't safe IMO

Disclaimer: I wasn't there so my statements are only my opinion based on your side as written.

throrope · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

Last summer my 13 year old was at the helm of our 21 ft skiff leaving Oregon Inlet. He was apprehensively motoring along the channel when a large cabin cruiser on plane surprised us from behind and overtook us with less than comfortable clearance. While the captain expressed his dissatisfaction with my son's pace, I fortunately realized the consequences of his wake and had my son turn into it and behind the big tub.

I would have appreciated a couple blasts from his horn in enough time for us to freely accommodate his desire. Instead I was left with the perception that this fat turd thought since his boat was bigger, he was better.

While we must individually accept people with their gifts and infirmities, whether you're in a boat, on a bike, in a karate uniform or behind the wheel, your actions reflect on your entire group. I also believe if you're older, you should know better. Yes, the guy in the little boat may have made better decisions had he had more experience, but a good example will provide greater guidance than good advice.

chrome dome · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

ewenm said:
yeah your all probably right, i guess i might have had a little attitude on board as we typically find theses idiots also racing through anchored boats towing tubes, the tinny brigade, and i know im generalising , but where i boat they have become a real pain, even PWC,s are showing more manners,

i thought the tinny driver was a real jerk and i just wanted out of his way, i knew once i was past him i was not going to have to watch out for him anymore, if he had maintained his course he would not have coped any spray from me, as it was he veered towards me and i was running out of channel.

i do get sick of these clowns anchored or drifting in channels also fishing, you dont want to be pulling 32 feet off the plain and back up constantly, where we boat you HAVE to watch the channels closly there is no wiggle room

anyway i take the point

have you got actual, documented proof that PWC's have manners..LOL

l have to agree with the others, sounds like you were too close and possibily going too fast for the size of the waterway, given that those anchored drongo's fishing in tinnies get in your way all the time,
was this near/around Brisvegas btw?

P.S.
l have a pic of one of those million dollar floating gin palaces passing at much more than the speed limit at much closer than necessary..under 20 mts.. on Port Phillip Bay,

it ain't always the other blokes fault

ewenm · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

yep on the Broad water (Gold Coast) and its a bit misleading as the water is broad AND shallow and you have to watch the channels closely

and come on guys i,m feeling a bit silly now, so easy up on me heheeheh

LippCJ7 · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

ewenm, we all have our pet peeves, that's understandable but the kids in the little boat don't have any idea the person driving their boat is an idiot. I would say in this situation patience and a cell phone call to shore patrol(or USCG whatever) or something like that may have been the best options. I understand I really do, I find myself having very one sided discussions with PWC operators nearly every other weekend, I have the entire discussion down to the point where my kids even know it, I will not stand for anyone jeopardizing the safety of those with me.

I won't pile on, I will say that your on your boat, your own little bubble of relaxation, why let the actions of another operators stupidity ruin your day on the water, just be patient.

I will also say that its pretty disrespectful to come in here and talk about the crappy day you had on the water when my boat is still winterized!!

Have fun bud and be safe!!

Joshua Nichols · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

LippCJ7 said:
I will also say that its pretty disrespectful to come in here and talk about the crappy day you had on the water when my boat is still winterized!!

Right??? I wanta get on the water too

ewenm · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

sorry guys, we have just had our last weekend of summer, around 30 - 33 degrees celcius and near perfect so everyone was one the water, and just so you dont feel bad for us moving into autumn , winter and spring is probably the best boating of all, warm days cool nights and stable weather, after all the rain and storms , something to look forward to

Joshua Nichols · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

30 - 33 degrees celcius??? is that warm?:redface:

It's getting warm here in Texas but the water is still too cool to get in it...

ewenm · Feb 27, 2011

Re: i upset a guy on the weekend

33c is 91f, and water about 78f so real comfortable

hanging there your turn is coming

i upset a guy on the weekend

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