What would you have done

[markpierce]

Fishermen belong out of narrow channels, like this fellow does:

 

[Group9]

There is a reason so many idiots die on the water, and you just witnessed one of them. They probably didn't even know what they channel markers meant.

I agree with the five danger blasts, and basically doing what you did. Then calling Securite on the VHF and calling the Harbor Police or even Coast Guard at the first good opportunity.

 

[emilanderson]

This is a VERY common problem in the Fremont Cut in Seattle... while not anchored, kayakers, paddle boarders, small craft (dinghies center concsoles etc) and the little electric rental boats from lake union literally hang out UNDER the Fremont bridge where it narrows (no freakign idea why they always do it RIGHT THERE). I even had a paddle boarder smack center channel doing yoga on a paddleboard there once! So, we liberally use the quick 5 blasts. My kids have dubbed it the stupid horn. I must admit I get a little enjoyment out of seeing them fall in or crap themselves when they turn around and see coming their way.

 

[Group9]

I witnessed one of the worst case scenarios back in 1986 on the Pascagoula River. The annual Blessing of the Fleet was going on and idiots in boats were in plentiful supply. A tug pushing a barge came through, at a very reasonable speed, just enough to maintain steerage way. As he was about to pass under the opened drawbridge, a ski boat pulled a girl on skis directly in front of his barge.

And, then the worst happened, she fell, directly in front of the barge. How he managed to do it, I'll never know, but he managed to turn that barge into the wooden bridge dolphins, and instead of killing her, took out two hundred yards of six by six timbers and planking before coming to a stop.

The ski boat picked up the girl, and hauled ass. I don't think they were ever caught.

 

[Trawler_traveler]

I think I have just realized why a hailer is a very good idea, not just for fog horn effects and five blasts, but for telling the stupids to get get out of the way and why.


-Sven

 

[Seevee]

Anytime there's a mix of boaters... different sizes, experience level and throw in a few wave runners and kayaks and the risk jumps up a bunch.


Time to be super cautious. Fortunately this is usually on the weekends so a lot of us have the other 5 days without the hassle.



I'm an avid kayaker as well as a boater and often wonder how some of these other kayakers think they can just paddle right down the waterway. Stupid!
Fortunately I can find them and run them over with my boat and will eventually get all of them.....

 

[geauxcruise]

Anytime there's a mix of boaters... different sizes, experience level and throw in a few wave runners and kayaks and the risk jumps up a bunch.


Time to be super cautious. Fortunately this is usually on the weekends so a lot of us have the other 5 days without the hassle.



I'm an avid kayaker as well as a boater and often wonder how some of these other kayakers think they can just paddle right down the waterway. Stupid!
Fortunately I can find them and run them over with my boat and will eventually get all of them.....

SeeVee, I hope you are joking about running them over, because in todays sue happy mentality world, where everyone wants an easy settlement check, I HOPE you never have an unfortunate boating incident. Because even if your statement was intended as a joke, and as innocent as you might be at the time, any attorney worth their salt will find this and is going to tear you apart in court with that statement!! You are F#$#&*!!!! Good luck going forward!!

 

[Plane Nauti]

SeeVee, I hope you are joking about running them over, because in todays sue happy mentality world, where everyone wants an easy settlement check, I HOPE you never have an unfortunate boating incident. Because even if your statement was intended as a joke, and as innocent as you might be at the time, any attorney worth their salt will find this and is going to tear you apart in court with that statement!! You are F#$#&*!!!! Good luck going forward!!

I think it was meant to be funny.....

 

[geauxcruise]

I think it was meant to be funny.....

I know it was. You know it was. And probably everyone reading this knows it was!! But what matters is 3 years from now when an attorney in court points out SeeVees "obvious aggression" towards kayakers in front of jury watching a crying and distract mother who lost her 14 year old child, what will they think!!!!

Just trying to point out, we all live in a different world now.

 

[Seevee]

SeeVee, I hope you are joking about running them over, because in todays sue happy mentality world, where everyone wants an easy settlement check, I HOPE you never have an unfortunate boating incident. Because even if your statement was intended as a joke, and as innocent as you might be at the time, any attorney worth their salt will find this and is going to tear you apart in court with that statement!! You are F#$#&*!!!! Good luck going forward!!

I know you think it was a joke (I know we feel that way at times).... but occasionally need a laugh. Shoot em instead. (joke, too). And true, people are sue happy.





For "me", I would take BandBs advise.... turn around, NO downside. I'm sure the OP did very well with a good observer, don't think I'm that good.


Same for ANY situation where there's even a question of an issue.

 

[stubones99]

Or add insult to injury by holding the hailer mic near the VHF mic when you're reporting their boat numbers and the situation to the LEOs. Now they know they are being reported to the law, not just being pushed around by a bigger boat.

 

[slowgoesit]

For "me", I would take BandBs advise.... turn around, NO downside. I'm sure the OP did very well with a good observer, don't think I'm that good.

Same for ANY situation where there's even a question of an issue.

Refer to original post where he states that they were in a "very narrow and shallow . . 50 - 60' wide channel at best, in a stiff crosswind" with a 53' boat . . .

In my mind, safely turning a 53' long boat around in a 50' to 60' shallow channel with a STIFF CROSSWIND represents a HUGE downside . . . but that's just me, I guess I'm just overly cautious . . .

I think the OP did a great job of mitigating the risk (eyes on observer to the swimmers, appraising swimmers of his presence, while safely, and at a minimal speed in order to keep rudder authority (in a crosswind) passing through the channel.
Only thing I can think of that would have possibly helped, as mentioned above, is to give the danger signal and reported the situation to local authorities.

 

[psneeld]

Any incident evaluation that gets down in the weeds starts to go in all different directions unless an intensive investigation is conducted.


Tuning around may or may not have been possible...we don't know for sure, so we accept the OPs word on it and decide from there.


We can explore both possibilities and what we could have done given either or both possibilities.


Without accident investigative techniques, measuring everything including distances, wind/current speeds, other items....then knowing the boats capabilities, etc....knowing what was possible or not is only a guess for all....


The only "guess" we have is the OP's and determining what he did given the unknowns is the best we can do.

 

[healhustler]

Given the OP’s description, I only hope I could do as well with the few options and gross number of priority considerations. He maintained control of his vessel while having to do intense evaluation of a situation HALF or more which could have been beneath the waterline in shallow depths. For all he knew, there could have been another watercraft submerged. The divers could have been in just as much of a reactive emergency situation as he was, although their response to the careful passing shows a lack of understanding on the diver’s part.

It was a terrible moment with some really grim possibilities that came out about as good as one could ever hope. Screw the emotional reactions on both sides. Nobody got hurt.