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Questioning my abilities and close call

I am sorry for going on but this has been eating at me for the last couple days. I realize the mistake I made at the end. It was stupid and dumb but then as I replay it in my head I just see this huge boat bearing down on me with very little choice left for me. As much as i was in the wrong at the end this guy never slowed down whatsoever. He never let off the throttle at all even when I crossed him he continued full bore. I guess now it is get back on the horse and you ask my wife i have always been very safety minded on the water, she always tells me to loosen up, I don't drink alcohol hardly at all and never on the boat so I know on my side I was not in any way impeded but now I feel I may be to cautious which could lead to over reacting to a bad situation. I am probably overthinking this all right now but then I really feel I almost lost my life and my wife's life that day. I have learned from it and I want to thank all of you for the support. 
 
Steve21slx said:
I am sorry for going on but this has been eating at me for the last couple days. I realize the mistake I made at the end. It was stupid and dumb but then as I replay it in my head I just see this huge boat bearing down on me with very little choice left for me. As much as i was in the wrong at the end this guy never slowed down whatsoever. He never let off the throttle at all even when I crossed him he continued full bore. I guess now it is get back on the horse and you ask my wife i have always been very safety minded on the water, she always tells me to loosen up, I don't drink alcohol hardly at all and never on the boat so I know on my side I was not in any way impeded but now I feel I may be to cautious which could lead to over reacting to a bad situation. I am probably overthinking this all right now but then I really feel I almost lost my life and my wife's life that day. I have learned from it and I want to thank all of you for the support. 
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You might want to consider a safe boating course. Might clear up some confusion and save you money on boat insurance.
 
Steve: again, you didn't do anything wrong - even in your last maneuver.  Think about it; your first move was to the right in order to pass port-to-port.  That is the correct and proper move.  When he made the wrong move, it was at this point that you invoked COLREGS Rule 7(a).  You made an evasive maneuver to avoid the risk of collision.


Rule 7



Risk of Collision



(a) Every vessel shall use all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions to determine if risk of collision exists. If there is any doubt such risk shall be deemed to exist.


The other joker was at fault.  There was no collision.  You did the right thing - you avoided the collison.  Good job.
 
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I completely agree, don't beat yourself up, though I also understand being shaken to core by an event like this. The outcome was the right one regardless. You had NO way of knowing the thinking or intentions of that clown at the time.
 
tcpip95 said:
Steve: again, you didn't do anything wrong - even in your last maneuver.  Think about it; your first move was to the right in order to pass port-to-port.  That is the correct and proper move.  When he made the wrong move, it was at this point that you invoked COLREGS Rule 7 (a).  You made an evasive maneuver to avoid the risk of collision.


Rule 7



Risk of Collision



(a) Every vessel shall use all available means appropriate to the prevailing circumstances and conditions to determine if risk of collision exists. If there is any doubt such risk shall be deemed to exist.


The other joker was at fault.  There was no collision.  You did the right thing - you avoided the collison.  Good job.
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Thanks for the boost of confidence it is just that I feel i should have done something much sooner than I did. I gave the other guy to much credit which is unusual for me. In the same moment I feel I saved our lives but also feel i put our lives in harms way and should reacted to his movement much sooner. 
 
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So now that the dust has settled, go through the scenario - knowing what you know now - and walk through how you would handle it next time, and chalk one up as a lesson learned with no harm, no foul.


Rule #1: Relax and enjoy the boat.


Rule #2: See Rule #1


:Like:
 
tcpip95 said:
So now that the dust has settled, go through the scenario - knowing what you know now - and walk through how you would handle it next time, and chalk one up as a lesson learned with no harm, no foul.


Rule #1: Relax and enjoy the boat.


Rule #2: See Rule #1


:Like:
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That may be part of the problem in that i keep running thru my head as what happened and I keep seeing this boat coming for me and think I could have avoided this much sooner. 


I know it's time to let it go and move on though. It will probably be a couple weeks anyway before I am able to get back on the water.
 
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Put it behind be you.  Don't let it ruin your summer.  Tcpip95's advice is solid, take it.
 
The best thing would be to get back on the water. 
 
Steve21slx said:
Thanks for the boost of confidence it is just that I feel i should have done something much sooner than I did. I gave the other guy to much credit which is unusual for me. In the same moment I feel I saved our lives but also feel i put our lives in harms way and should reacted to his movement much sooner. 
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Steve,I agree with the others. You did the right thing. But some times the right thing is not always good enough in YOUR MIND! It's always easy to look back over your shoulder and question your actions. Thank God you were not hurt, but you did the correct action at the time. Maybe if the situation presents it's self again,take a hard right turn as tc stated before in one of his posts.


So forgive yourself, and enjoy that boat this summer my friend!
 
Hey thanks everyone for the boost of confidence. I am letting this go because I have just spent to much time dwelling on it. I am definitely taking away a lot from this situation and will do everything I can to never find myself in this situation again. It was almost a costly lesson learned but it was a lesson learned and no one was hurt which is a positive. 


Not making it out on the water this weekend because my wife works all weekend but fathers day weekend should be a good weekend for boating if the weather holds out. 


Hopefully someone else will see this and it will also help them in a similar situation.
 
You are smart to let it go. There were 3 challenges that my wife could not let go... I no longer have a boat.
 
Rockie69 said:
You are smart to let it go. There were 3 challenges that my wife could not let go... I no longer have a boat.
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I had a similar situation - I no longer have that wife.


True story.
 
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