[Paddlewise] Jet Skis and power boaters

I've had a lot of fun reading the Jet Ski and PETAJ posts (thanks, all).
But, I have to admit, that my on-the-water problems have for the most
part been by seemingly good intentioned people who just didn't know what
they were doing - mainly power boaters, but a couple jet skiers.

I've had several apparently newbie boat owners see me as they went
screaming through the water, feel like they were endangering me (I
thought everything was fine, as long as we weren't on a collision
course), and in an attempt to do what was right, slow wayyyyyy down.
Well, as those on this board know, a power boat at full throttle throws
much less wake than one throttling back to a slow trot.

The wakes don't really bother me - if I can't manage a boat wake, I
really shouldn't be out in unprotected water anyway.  But, it's somewhat
comical to watch them as they first think "Ah oh, I better slow down" to
"oppps, THAT's WORSE, SPEED UP" to "Oh man, am I a dumb ass or what!"
Of course, they never say anything, but the changing looks on their
faces tells the whole story.

I've also seen some dumb ass (excuse me) power boaters who apparently
have never read a chart on the area they're in.  They'll go screaming
into areas with under water obstructions that at low tide can easily
punch their hull, or blow across areas that transition from deep water
(as in 5 feet or more) to water that is measured in inches, and so
forth.  Or, they'll pass just upwind (as in feet) instead of downwind of
a crab pot bouy and wonder why they got the line tangled in their props.
Go figure.

My home area has notably shallow water - lots of 1s and 2s marking water
depths around here - and on one particular day last summer I passed one
boat patiently waiting for a rising tide to get back home, one churning
up mud as they tried to get free, and another big boat (like a 30 footer
or something like that) stuck not more than 10 yards outside of the
channel marker.  I talked to the last guy.  He said the silt on the
bottom must have shifted over time because surely his boat wasn't' big
enough to get stuck in the channel.  I informed him that he wasn't in
the channel, he was outside of the channel. He said "What are you
talking about? I've got the red marker on my left."  And I said, "Yeah,
but you're 'returning' so the red marker should be on your right."  He
gave me a look like I was an idiot, so I told him the tide was still
going down, and I wished him luck.  The real pleasure in that one was
watching his wife trying not to laugh at him.  Once, she almost spit
soda and a moment later she had to muffle her giggles with a beach
towel.  

Rick 

PS - To be fair, I have to admit that I've had to walk off of a few mud
flats pulling my kayak behind me.  That, or do the gorilla walk  :-)


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