Don’t Overlook the Basics
Earlier this week, I decided to take advantage of the hot weather and long summer days to do a little boating after work. Usually, I pack a small tote bag with some basics: sunglasses, suntan lotion, hat, sweat shirt, windbreaker, floating key holder, identification, water, and a snack or two. However, this time, I decided the timing and weather conditions were such that I didn’t need to carry a bag full of items, but could get by with simply stuffing some smaller ones into my short pockets. As I walked to the dock, I noticed a slight breeze blowing through the trees, but nothing noteworthy.
After removing the mooring cover and warming up the engine, I dropped the mooring buoy and headed out the harbor into a constantly stiffening breeze. Once safely past the low wake buoys, I kicked the boat up onto a plane and headed out between the islands to open water, where things changed dramatically.
As I moved past the islands, the low chop in the protected harbor area was replaced by 6-7’ steep swells, closely spaced and oftentimes moving at seemingly random angles. To say it was sloppy would be an understatement. There were whitecaps everywhere and it was rough. The 24’ Bertram would fly off one wave, only to come down in the trough between the next two waves, and then rise up to fly off one of the next incoming waves. To minimize “air” time and increase safety, absolute focus was required, scanning the wave patterns ahead to ensure the optimum route, which typically involved quartering the swells when possible.
With a strong breeze and constant wave cutting by the deep V hull, salt spray was everywhere, soaking me, and impairing my sight through clouded sunglasses. The spray showers were constant, leaving no time for my skin, hair, clothing, or glasses to dry out. Fortunately, my destination was not too distant and after about 45” of battling the elements, I arrived back in calm water, a bit rattled, but otherwise safe and sound. I rinsed the boat thoroughly with fresh water, picked up fallen items in the cabin, replaced the mooring cover, and returned to shore, no-one the wiser.
As I reflected on the boat ride, I realized how I had overlooked lessons gained by prior experiences and significantly increased the challenge of my trip. I should have packed my usual bag. The hat and windbreaker would have made a real difference in keeping me warm and dry. And, the bottled water and snacks would have eased salt-drenched lips and helped improve energy levels sapped by constant stress. I should have checked the impact of the weather conditions prior to leaving. And, double checked the anchor availability and proper operation of the marine radio before heading out, because if you lose power in rough conditions near shore, things can go bad, quickly.
Boating is an adventure, and, in spite of doing some decent planning, you can still get caught in challenging, and potentially dangerous situations. Keep an eye on the basics. There will come a time when you’ll be glad you did.
