Boating involves seamanship at all times
As we cruised along at about 25 mph we approached a sailboat traveling in the same direction. “Darned sailboats,” said Captain Bill as he rapidly closed on the slow moving vessel.
“Someone in the cockpit is waving a flag,” said Hillbilly Harold. “Put the glasses on it,” said Captain Bill, “we got to slow down anyway to pass him.”
Harold studied the sailboat for a second before he reported, “It’s a female waving a beach towel or something, and there is a man at the steering wheel holding a hand held radio in the air.”
“With the price of fuel as it is, I hate to come off plane,” said Captain Bill and then he called on the radio, “Sailboat in the waterway waving a towel or something, this is the powerboat approaching from your stern.”
“Powerboat, could you go to a working channel 9,” answered the sailboat. Captain Bill switched the radio and acknowledged. “This is the sailing vessel ‘Morning Star’ and I want to thank you for stopping.”
“We should’ve just kept on going,” said Harry the Hat, one of our younger members of the ‘Dead End Canal Yacht Club’. He has a go-fast boat and goes real fast.
“Harry, don’t you care about the rules of the road? Don’t you know you are responsible for your wake,” I said indignantly but he wasn’t listening.
“We ran over something and have suffered rudder damage,” said the disembodied British accented voice. Harry the Hat, grumbled about towing the broken down sailboat, “This will ruin our fish fry for sure!”
Captain Bill wasn’t much happier, but his seamanship had kicked in. He was offering all the assistance he could muster, up to and including a tow. “I really appreciate your offers but we are holding together at the moment. What I could use is a broadcast over your radio to any powerboats coming my way, informing them of our troubles. I only have a hand held radio with limited range. Several powerboats have already passed us at full speed, and I really thought the rudder was going to come off.”
“That’s what we should have done,” mumbled Harry the Hat. Everyone on the fly bridge turned and glowered at him. The prematurely bald member, who never ever removed his hat, actually blushed. Or maybe it was the beer he was drinking.
“I’m not sure it will do any good, most boaters use their cell phones to communicate these days. I will call the Coast Guard and ask them to put out a disabled vessel alert,” replied Captain Bill
After a few moments we left the sailboat plodding along the waterway. We passed two powerboats port to port and hailed one and was able to alert the skipper about the sailboat’s trouble. The other powerboat was a 28-foot center console and the three occupants never acknowledged the hail or the flashing spotlight.
“I kinda feel sorry for them blow boaters,’ said Hillbilly Harold. “He’s throwin’ a helluva wake. You did the right thing there, Bill.”
“Make us late for happy hour, and I want Chef Rizzo at the Fish Monger to cook my grouper,” moaned Harry the Hat.
“We’ll be tied up in 45 minutes,” Captain Bill said. “You should take the time to learn some seamanship, Harry. Which reminds me, if you rock and roll this boat one more time going down the canal I’m going to get my potato gun and bounce an Idaho baker off your noggin!” We all agreed his cigarette style boat goes way to fast in the canal.
“I have it in the lowest throttle position, it won’t go any slower, I swear!”
The discussion went on while we waited for Chef Rizzo to work his magic. Just before the Grouper arrived Commodore Jim joined us. While we related the sailboat story and all our actions, the Commodore made a mock choking action with his hands in Harry’s direction. “This is my pet peeve,” he said, “and to think one of our own ‘Dead End Canal Yacht Club’ members would counsel against the correct action is distressing.” Enough said.
(ITALICS) Boatguy Ed is a retired bottom paint maker and is currently a volunteer extra on his son’s Boater’s Treasures television show, www.boaterstreasures.com. Address comments to boatguiEd@aol.com