The Right Moves
When the subject is seamanship, talk often comes around to running the boat in heavy salt, big seas and frightening conditions. But the fact is, seamanship begins long before you find yourself in white-knuckle situations.
A savvy skipper knows that before leaving the dock it’s imperative to confirm that the boat is seaworthy, with all systems functional and the fuel tanks sufficiently full for the day’s assignment. It is a good idea to explain to your guests where the PFDs (personal flotation devices) are located, and first-timers should be shown how to wear them. Although not required, I also outfit my PFDs with a whistle for added safety.
You should take a few minutes to instruct guests on what to do if you, the skipper, become incapable of operating the boat. These days, many new boats are outfitted with high-horsepower entertainment systems that can outblast a live performance by the Rolling Stones, but that quiet little VHF radio at the helm is the fastest way to contact the Coast Guard on channel 16. Folks who might reach for their cell phone to call for help should know other boats listening on the VHF will not hear them. Someone besides the skipper should know how to call for help when time is of the essence. It’s also wise to let guests know about your float plan for the day, so if you do need assistance the boat’s location can be relayed.
I encourage my guests to sit and remain seated when the boat is underway and I’ll emphasize the importance of using handrails if they need to move about or go below to use the head. Not everyone you take out will have your seasoned sea legs. Similarly, when leaving the slip instruct newbies to refrain from reaching out with hands or legs to fend off pilings or bulkheads. This is what the boat’s rub rail is designed to endure.
Once you get underway, make sure the fenders are inside the boat and not whacking against the hull. When I see a boat dragging its fenders I avoid that vessel. These operators sometimes display inattentiveness. And while on the subject of lack of focus, there really is no excuse for any boat operator to allow children to ride on the bow with their bare feet splashing in the water while the boat makes headway. Just imagine what might happen if that child fell in.
There are 38 navigation rules applicable to safe boating (Rules of the Road). If you ever choose to apply for a USCG license to operate a boat for hire, you’ll be tested on your knowledge of these regulations. One of the most important rules commands the operator to be, or to post, a lookout for situational awareness. Using eyes and ears to observe and listen to your surroundings goes a long way toward demonstrating the level of your seamanship capabilities. This includes looking astern to make sure a faster boat is not crawling up your transom and hell-bent on passing you without signaling that he is there.
The root causes of many boating accidents are often attributed to operator inattentiveness and inexperience, reckless operation and excess speed.
One recent morning while I was threading my way toward the ocean through the sinuous and never dredged natural channel in my local creek, I approached a warped cedar stake with an unlit day marker. It was inches from the water’s surface. A boat operator may have collided with it the night before because it was on station when I had passed it the previous afternoon. It concerned me because someone might now inadvertently run over it. At high tide, it would be underwater, and if hit by an unknowing boater it would bend a propeller, possibly stall an engine and/or result in injury.
Farther down the channel, another day marker was just missing. Seasonal day markers like these are not maintained once placed on station in the late spring and they’re not likely to be repaired or replaced quickly. I alerted my dock neighbors about the damaged day marker and the missing stake.
Seamanship is also about knowing the purpose of day markers and buoys. These navigational aids may appear similar to street signs but they are much more than that. A street sign simply tells you where to go and where to turn. Some buoys mark the edge of a channel, alerting you not to get too close, while others may have plenty of depth surrounding them. Strong outgoing or incoming tides, especially during full and new moon phases, may cause the buoys to lean over, indicating the strong currents that can pull your boat toward them with a vengeance. True seamanship skills are all about not placing yourself into what can rapidly turn into a dangerous situation.
Seamanship is also about operating a vessel at a safe speed in order to prevent a collision with another boat. A topic in itself, one rule of the road stresses the importance of determining a safe speed at any particular moment, based on the state of visibility, traffic density, wind, sea, current and positions of any navigational hazards, such as fixed bridges and people on paddle boards and personal watercraft. If you’re running in fog and detect another boat in the vicinity, you want to predict with accuracy that you can stop in half the distance of the visibility, with or without radar.
Other boats always present challenges to your seamanship skills. I often remind myself that discretion is the better part of valor, particularly when the seas get sporty and someone comes flying down the channel creating a dangerous wake. Perhaps he simply does not know any better. And who wants to meet that guy anyway, especially by accident?
Seamanship is a lifelong educational experience. Every day that I go out on the water I learn something new or refresh my knowledge about what I already know. Either way, I am constantly reminded that nature cares nothing about my boat or my hours and years spent on the water. Honing seamanship skills prepares you to enjoy the seas safely today and tomorrow.
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue.
