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Van, I threw up a similar rant in my report in the "reports" section.
I am a relative novice boater. Been around boats my whole life on the freshwater scene. But when I bought an aluminum a couple years ago, I realized after my first trip out (which was with an experienced boater), it had been 10 years since I'd really done much boating. I was really rusty, from boat handling and navigation to putting the dumb thing on the trailer. So I started studying the "rules", went out on off-days to get comfortable with the areas without traffic. Studied charts and planned my trips and studied the rules some more. I took and continue to take things a step at a time. I error on the side of caution.
You need a driver's test to get a license and in many respects, boating is much more difficult. There aren't roads and lines to follow. There aren't signs telling you what to do... the rules aren't necessarily intuitive. Most people know which side of the road to drive on (though in Boston, that doesn't mean they'll stay on that side). But do they know when they are the stand-on vessel or give-way vessel. I think alot of boaters get a boat and never have any idea that there are rules to follow.
I'm not saying I'll always be right or won't make mistakes... but I make the effort to know so that my actions won't endanger myself or others.
And people should never assume I can guess what they are doing. Coming in Saturday, I think I pissed a couple people off. The Back River is a no wake zone and once you get in there you take up position and that's your take out order for those heading for the launch.
On my way in, there was a guy idling several hundred yards before the no-wake zone, off to the left out of the channel. He was bs'n with another boat, so I cruised by him (not even close or anything), I dropped down to no-wake and suddenly I see the guy out of my peripheral vision flyin' right up behind me. I eye-balled him and he appeared to be mouthin' something. Whatever, I idled up the river and got behind a guy making bare headway (ironically, the same guy I pulled off a bar several weeks ago). I slowed down and stayed behind him and the guy started drifting out of the channel into the moorings... after a couple minutes, I bumped back up to 5mph and passed by him. I had no idea what he was doing and I'm not going piss around trying to guess.
Back at the ramp, while waiting to pull out. I hear the first guy say the "guy in the white" something or other. I happened to be the only guy with a white shirt on. The two guys were talkin' and lookin' at me, so I cruised over and tipped my cap to both of them. Not to be a jerk, but I wanted them to say something so I could explain myself. Neither said anything, and maybe I was imagining things.
The point to all this is, they could've have been doing any one of a hundred things. I don't know what another guys intentions are... on the road, its usually clear where someone is going and what they are doing. On the water, you cannot expect someone else to know what you are planning..
I'll take the rain and wind back... but not the fog.
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