aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

[woodrat]

I just spent three days fishing in some the most clueless idiot infested waters I've ever been in.

For starters, the boat ramp lot is also a picnic area lot and a park and ride lot, so there is a ton of clueless non-boating traffic, zooming aimlessly about, cutting around the ends of backing trailers, parking and standing in front of busy boat ramp lanes and parking yuppie new cars in slots marked "trailer parking only." Bad enough, but what can you expect from a bunch of nonboaters, right?

Then you get out on the water and around the dock and it gets no better. Idiots corking people at the dock who have gone to get their trailers and then refusing to move when asked, one guy barely succeeding at launching his skiff, then he pulls it up on the beach instead of tying to the dock. He lays his line on the beach and goes to park his trailer. he almost lost the boat in the ship wakes and incoming tide by the time he returned...

the icing on the cake though is the total lack of understanding of the rules of right of way on the water. usually I just grumble and yield when the other boat seems to be clueless, but today, I had finally had it.

I finally had gotten sick of dealing with all the dozens of other small craft fishing the same track, and I had headed miles south to clearer waters.

I'm trolling along with 100' of downriggers down with three poles fishing on them, trying to keep my small boat trolling along in the wind because if I try to take the wrong heading the wind will blow me off of it. I finally had gotten a good course set, in mostly empty waters when here comes a big, rich guy's yacht, at least 40' long, headed on a clear collision course with my little skiff, and coming down on my port side.... with NO ONE at either helm...! So I pull out the air horn and let loose a couple of blasts. Then I see the guy look around from the rear deck. He sees me, and just stands there and then goes back to his chair. No course change. About 200 feet away, I use the air horn and give him five blasts. He looks again and I wave him around the stern of my boat and yell that he needs to yield. He just stands there so I hit the air horn again, and he finally wanders up to the helm and just misses hitting me as he slides around to the stern.

As he goes past he opens the wheelhouse door and starts yelling at me, "you have a steering wheel, why don't you use it?" I yell back that he has the OBLIGATION to yield based on approaching me from the port. "so what? use your steering wheel next time!" he yells, and curses me a few times in front of my 13 year old daughter, and flips me the bird.

Nice... Here's this guy with enough money to have a 2 million dollar yacht to go fishing from, and he doesn't see that he needs to obey any rules at all, or for that matter, even man his helm! He cursed me and yelled for another few yards until I just drowned him out with the air horn, then he flipped me off again and went back inside.

An hour later he came back the other direction, still with no one at the helm.

 

[KnottyBuoyz]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

HOpe you got his registration. Report the prick!

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

As I've posted before I am relatively new boater. My state has mandatory boat safety course. No online courses either. 8 hour session with a test. mind you they make the test pretty darn easy to pass but if you go there with the will to learn it is very informative.

So here I come out of my class all excited that I now know the basic "rules of the road" and I'm ready to interact with other "experienced" boaters. Well I swear in probably 15-20 crossing situations I have had so far maybe 2 or 3 people at the most knew who was the stand on vessel and deliberately and noticably changed their course. The rest of 'em just keep on comin' at ya!

 

[WaterWitch2]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

Doesn't the bigger boat have the right of way?

 

[Grunt_Sculpin]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

I know that boating laws are different from State to State, but if I am not mistaken, in my State the larger boats always have the right of way unless it is a sailboat, in which case size does not matter, they always have the right of way. If the boats are of equal size or estimated equal size than you follow the port / starboard rules. They do this for obvious reasons....#1 if it is a sailboat it can be harder to manuver and #2 if you have a large vessel like a ferry or cargo ship they can't react in time.

The guy sounded like a moron and he has no reason to act like that...but in our State he would have been right.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

Doesn't the bigger boat have the right of way?

Some of them seem to think it's the bigger bank balance !!! LOL

 

[WaterWitch2]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

Some of them seem to think it's the bigger bank balance !!! LOL

Either way, that means I never have the right of way. LOL

 

[woodrat]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

this was in deep, wide salt water and I assume therefore subject to the standard coast guard rules:

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/rules/Rule1415.htm

I tried to get his registration number, but it was in very small letters and in light colored fancy script to boot.

The positive side to it was that another small craft nearby gave me a thumbs up and shouted "way to go!" ..

This moron had just traversed about 4 miles of waters, crowded with small fishing craft, and I'd be willing to bet that he was almost never at the helm, just assuming that everyone else would get the heck out of his way. Which I normally would have done, even though I was the stand on vessel, had I not been trolling in difficult winds and had finally got set on a clear, easy path.

oh, it also looks like there is a rule requiring a boater to pay attention to what is going on around him...

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/rules/Rule0405.htm

All that and no fish as well! My daughter caught two the first day we were out, but then we all got skunked the next two days in a row...

 

[freddyray21]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

I know that boating laws are different from State to State, but if I am not mistaken, in my State the larger boats always have the right of way unless it is a sailboat, in which case size does not matter, they always have the right of way. If the boats are of equal size or estimated equal size than you follow the port / starboard rules. They do this for obvious reasons....#1 if it is a sailboat it can be harder to manuver and #2 if you have a large vessel like a ferry or cargo ship they can't react in time.

The guy sounded like a moron and he has no reason to act like that...but in our State he would have been right.

A sailboat does not always have the right of way. Only if it is under sail. If it is under power it follows the same rule as any other powerboat. Also if it is the overtaking vessel then it is bound to be the give way boat even if under sail.

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

Excerpt from Boating basics online:
Just because the boat is bigger does not mean it has the right of of way. Like Water Witch said some of us would NEVER have the right of way if that was the case.

There are two sets of navigation rules; inland and international. A nautical chart will show you the demarcation lines where the rules change from international to inland and vice versa. In general, these demarcation lines follow the coastline and cross inlets and bays. On the seaward side of the demarcation lines international rules apply. We will concentrate on the inland rules, since most of your recreational boating will occur on the landward side of the demarcation lines.



The Nav Rules are written with the understanding that not all boats can maneuver with the same ease. Therefore, Rule 18 states that certain vessels must keep out of the way of other vessels due to their ability to maneuver.

A power driven vessel underway must keep out of the way of the following:

A sailing vessel, under sail only, and vessels propelled by oars or paddles. (Note: when a sailboat has its motor running, it is considered a power driven vessel).
A vessel engaged in fishing, whose fishing equipment restricts its maneuverability. This does not include a sport fisher or party boat and generally means a commercial fishing vessel.
A vessel with restricted maneuverability such as a dredge or tow boat, a boat engaged in work that restricts it to a certain area, or a vessel transferring supplies to another vessel.
A vessel not under command ? broken down.
Each of these vessels must keep out of the way of the next vessel in the hierarchy. For example, a sailboat must keep out of the way of a vessel engaged in fishing, which in turn must keep out of the way of a vessel with restricted maneuverability. And everyone must keep out of the way of a vessel not under command.

When two power driven vessels are in sight of one another and the possibility of collision exists, one vessel is designated by the rules as the stand-on vessel and the other is designated as the give-way vessel. The stand-on vessel should maintain its course and speed. The give-way vessel must take early and substantial action to avoid collision. If it becomes apparent that the actions taken (or not taken) by the give-way vessel are dangerous or insufficient, the stand-on vessel must act to avoid collision

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

I know that boating laws are different from State to State, but if I am not mistaken, in my State the larger boats always have the right of way unless it is a sailboat, in which case size does not matter, they always have the right of way. If the boats are of equal size or estimated equal size than you follow the port / starboard rules. They do this for obvious reasons....#1 if it is a sailboat it can be harder to manuver and #2 if you have a large vessel like a ferry or cargo ship they can't react in time.

The guy sounded like a moron and he has no reason to act like that...but in our State he would have been right.

And additionally, I dont believe that a 40' yacht qualifies as a ferry or cargo ship as much as the owner would like to think so.

 

[Grunt_Sculpin]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

Nice job explaining all of this...The sailboat statement is correct, but as most sailboats move rather slowly under power I always treat them as under sail. The boating classes in my State indicate that with two like vessels the slower vessel always has the right of way and therfore a sailboat almost always has the right of way. We have a lot of sailboats here so I just make it a general practice to yield to them.

Regardless of the laws I also would have yielded to the bigger boat regardless of the situation simply because he is bigger and I as the driver of the boat have a responsibility to keep me and my my passengers safe. I also would have yielded if I did not see anyone immediately piloting the boat. Sometimes laws are just laws and you have to make judgements for yourself. The law says that cars must yield to a pedestrian on a cross walk....but anyone that crosses the street without yielding to a car is just not going to live long.

 

[point92]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

Those are the same guys in a Lexus, Mercedes, hummer ..... that cut you off and flip you off on the way to the water! Money is no substitute for brains or common sense!

 

[mrfixitman40]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

well put point but explain that to them

 

[woodrat]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

I didn't endanger my passengers. At any point I could have hit the throttle and moved. I was just so tired of idiots that day and when that guy looked right at me and went back to fishing even though he was obligated to yield, I just saw red. For awhile I was really wanting to get his number and report him, but to who? And what was likely to happen to a multi millionaire, even if he had run me down and capsized me?

Not to try and mindread or anything, but I am guessing that he was not too experienced with having people stand up to him at all, and to go cruising through a crowded fishing grounds like that with no one at the helm and no intention of obeying any rules is just asking for someone to call your BS.


I do know the name of his boat. the "Anticipation IV" out of Everett, WA. So if you see this rich jerk on the water somewhere, stay clear, he's probably on autopilot and sitting on the back porch of his floating luxury apartment, enjoying the view behind him and expecting all lesser craft to scurry out of his imperious way, whether they are required by law to or not.

My daughter wondered aloud what had happened to Anticipations I, II and III...

 

[KnottyBuoyz]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

I do know the name of his boat. the "Anticipation IV" out of Everett, WA.

I looked up the name in the USCG database. Doesn't appear to be a match though.

http://www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/CoastGuard/VesselByName.html

I'd report it to the local authorities so there's a record. Even if after the event. Maybe if they get enough complaints about the dimwad they'll do something about him.

 

[woodrat]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

I didn't know you could search like that, thanks!

I suppose they would have to have the name registered with the CG for that to work though...

 

[jtexas]

Re: aaargh! Clueless boaters everywhere!

He passed close enough that you could hear each other? Unless he slowed to headway speed, I suspect he violated at least one other reg.


btw in my state, the USCG "rules of the road" are incorporated by reference into state boating laws.