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Questioning my abilities and close call

Steve21slx

Steve21slx

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Location
Boones Landing, Ky
Yesterday was probably the first time I felt threatened on the water. I have been boating on and off most of my adult life and have always owned some type of boat whether that be a small fishing boat or whatever. Yesterday we went to town which is not a place I like to go but it is fun but super busy. So we did a few things and checked some stuff out then started to head back to the launch area. So I was at cruising speed which is probably 26-27 MPH and I notice a big boat up ahead going full bore. So being an educated boater in a head on situation I went to the right expecting him to do the same but instead he moves to his left the same direction as me. I then become confused and move back left thinking he would stay on his present course but he then moves left the same as me. So now I am just really confused as to what he is doing so i move right again and keep that course and then he also moves right again. It was then I made a bad choice but I also felt if I kept going at my present heading he would hit me so I veered left in and crossed his path about 100ft in front of him. I realized immediately that was the wrong choice but it was to late and this idiot was not slowing down. This guy never let off the gas once and just kept going full bore. It was probably the most scared I have ever been on a boat. I have run the scenario in my head a million times to think what I should have done differently. I felt moving right was the best to do and what a head on meeting calls for but I just don't know. I mean the guy had no clue i guess as to the rules of the water. I know i dodged a bullet. I am thinking now that I should have just stopped when he kept doing what he was doing but I am not sure if he would have stopped. I understand my last move was stupid but also felt I was desperate because I had no idea what the guy was thinking. I know you never want to be over confident on the water but you do need confidence on your decision making abilities and I believe I lost some of that confidence yesterday. 


USCG quick reference guide
 
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Oh man that sucks! Just yesterday I told my wife that anyone can buy a boat and legally get behind the wheel without any demonstration of the knowledge of basic boat laws. I usually stop as well but that could have happened to anyone so don't be so hard on your self. On our lake we see clockwise boaters pulling wake boarders and tubes all the time and some of those ski boats have the bow so high I know the driver can't see where they are going without standing up. 
 
Years ago my wife and I took a Boat US safe boaters course. 1 thing the instructor stressed over and over, Steve21slx, this may apply to your situation, the instructor said" no matter what avoid a collision at all costs." I have seen boaters texting while operating a boat, so you apparently did what you had to do given the circumstances at that time. Don't second guess yourself.
 
Yeah when I crossed I felt it was my last move and if I stayed the same course that getting hit by a much bigger boat was inevitable but it was a dangerous move all the same. I mean the guy did not even let up on the gas at all. Everyone makes mistakes and I admit I made a big mistake when I crossed him but don't be an ass just let off the gas and flip me the bird, I am fine with that!! Then everyone goes home alive. I just can't get out of my head why the guy kept doing the same thing I was doing. My wife was saying later that he was messing with me. I am firm believer that you don't do stupid stuff like that on the water. Years ago we always had a saying that" if you cause someone to lose a limb or their life sorry don't cut it".
 
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We have  lot of rental boat boats in the area .They are rented to anyone that can afford one ,with or without common sense .


I have seen plenty of stupidity the past 5 years 
 
This was a big V-haul cruiser. He was probably hitting 50 or so. Maybe he was a newbie but one thing for sure he was a dumbass.
 
Glad it worked out. That could have been disastrous. On lake st clair a freighter hit  17' boat capsizeing it! The guy was ok but how do you miss a 600' boat crawling toward you???? 
 
lakeliving said:
Glad it worked out. That could have been disastrous. On lake st clair a freighter hit  17' boat capsizeing it! The guy was ok but how do you miss a 600' boat crawling toward you???? 
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I saw that. How can anyone not see a 600 ft freighter ? Maybe too many PBR's 
 
My wife was driving the other day and a barge was trying to make a bend and she kept going trying to get around him. I was like"hey there is a barge go the other way" but she kept going. I finally had to grab the steering wheel and make her go the other way. I guess she just could not tell where it was going. We never got that close to it where it was dangerous and she did understand afterwards. This whole weekend was weird though after we dropped our boat off we were heading to get something to eat and the car in front of us went into a turn only lane going right but instead of turning he went straight and on to a sidewalk on the other side of the road. Needless to say we got our food headed home just to get off the road!! Weird weekend for sure.
 
Also this is making me rethink power but looks like the 115 is the biggest we can go to. may look to see what the cost would be.
 
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You wouldn't see a big enough improvement over the 90 to make it worth while.
 
Yeah that is what I am thinking also. Probably just a few MPH. I really don't mind our speed now but something bigger would be nice to get away from idiots.
 
Hindsight is 20:20 as they say.  It sounds like you were both trying to do the same things at the same time - in his case he was wrong.  


One of the things I do when I maneuver to avoid a head-on is to give the opposing boat a CLEAR view of my intentions.  By that I mean when I go to starboard, I let him see my whole side of the boat - in other words, I give him a broadside view of my boat.  I make a move that is unmistakable - he sees my port side it's very clear the direction I'm taking - and I stick to that.  I give him time to assess my maneuver, and allow him to respond.  I also make the move early, to ensure that everybody has time to assess and figure it out.  Don't make it a slight maneuver - make it obvious.


By the way, a quick way to determine who has right of way (all things being equal) is to simply look at the lights.  If he's showing you green (i.e. you're approaching to his starboard) you have the "green light" and can proceed.  If he's showing you red (i.e. you're approaching to his port) you have the "red light" and need to give way.  In the end, do what is safest.
 
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In my experience the bigger the vessel, the bigger the ego factor. We were on bigger water this weekend and some big boats seemed to stay close to the fisherman just to be jerks. We would have to sit down to keep from going overboard. And we were on a Monterey 214ss, not a row boat!
 
Truthfully, in my eyes, the only thing I would have done different is call Fish & Game, DNR, USCG, whoever controls the water you are on. Who knows if he was a "stupid drunk" playing games and thinking he was funny. 
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
Who knows if he was a "stupid drunk" playing games and thinking he was funny. 
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This is what I am thinking. If your first two moves were obvious, and you had time for them to process, then it seems to me they were messing with you. In the end, I am just glad you and everyone else ended up safe and okay.


I wouldn't over analyze this one. You tried to do what is expected. They negated that and left you with a desperate move. It paid off, and everyone is okay.  Sounds like your quick final reaction saved the day.
 
Steve,your first reaction was correct. And tc is absolutely right about showing your intentions. This lends to what I taught my kids,the #1 rule in boating to remember. Every other boat should be considered to be stupid,so don't depend on them to do the proper thing. Actually, the kids claimed I told them there all A$$HOLES. :(


As for the rest of your day Steve,you should have found a cove or beach and taken a nap.
 
If in doubt.........Just stop. I've had many occasions where we were on collision courses with other boats and they may have the right of way.........I would just stop let them pass then go on our way. 


On the other hand I've accelerated past people or go way to the right or left to avoid any kind of collision course by a wide margin. I'm not going to count on the other boat to make the move. I'm going to be proactive but safe and stay away from other boats......
 
Wow,  going right was the correct thing to do.  After that all you can do is react to the situation.  There are idiots on every body of water
 
tcpip95 said:
Hindsight is 20:20 as they say.  It sounds like you were both trying to do the same things at the same time - in his case he was wrong.  


One of the things I do when I maneuver to avoid a head-on is to give the opposing boat a CLEAR view of my intentions.  By that I mean when I go to starboard, I let him see my whole side of the boat - in other words, I give him a broadside view of my boat.  I make a move that is unmistakable - he sees my port side it's very clear the direction I'm taking - and I stick to that.  I give him time to assess my maneuver, and allow him to respond.  I also make the move early, to ensure that everybody has time to assess and figure it out.  Don't make it a slight maneuver - make it obvious.


By the way, a quick way to determine who has right of way (all things being equal) is to simply look at the lights.  If he's showing you green (i.e. you're approaching to his starboard) you have the "green light" and can proceed.  If he's showing you red (i.e. you're approaching to his port) you have the "red light" and need to give way.  In the end, do what is safest.
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Well I understand the lights but this was during the day and there really was no way to see any lights as no one had them on. We were not crossing but in a head on position which then calls for both boats to move right and pass on the port side. I thought I gave pretty clear intentions when I moved right but we still had some distance between us. The problem came when he also moved to my right when I did. I actually saw his boat lean that way since he was on a V-haul. I also think people have just took word of mouth as far as boat size and right away but in reality boat size is only relative when you are talking barges, cruise ships all larger vessels of that type. If you actually look at the USCG rules motor boats are the last on the list as it pertains to right away for the most part and only hard to maneuver boats have right away. .


From USCG


 To determine which vessel must give-way in an SAFE SPEED (From Rule 6) You must go slow enough to prevent a collision no matter what the conditions. approach situation, it is essential to know the hierarchy All vessels must established by the Rules: proceed at a safe speed at


I think the bold letters actually gives me the answer I needed because the guy in the other boat never slowed down and moved at a safe speed. He continued full bore which left me very little choice in my decision. I messed up big time by crossing him but I would have never been put in that position if he would have let off the throttle a little bit and acted like he had some sense instead of acting like a dumbass.
 
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