Bad Boaters
Rude/Bad/Drunk boaters all have one thing in common… they all use/converge at the boat ramp. Why go near a public boat ramp?
I realize that the area around the ramp might be muck, but if you do a little research/exploring you can almost always find a suitable spot to launch in the same general area… probably save yourself that launching fee too!
Suggestions
Just reread the thread. While I think it’s over the top to suggest that you owe anyone here an apology for how you handled the situation, it’s not like you have any training in handling a new paddler, there are a couple of things that you may want to do yourself and together. It appears that you are the more confident paddler, at least from your recounting.
You should always be in your boat, skirted up and ready to handle a problem at the point that your wife is getting in. If she needs more stability you can lean over onto her boat from yours. Reverse coming back - you don’t get out until she’s got her feet on something solid.
You should go out together and practice assisted rescues, so that both of you know what are likely options in the case of a capsize. The water is as warm as it’s going to get.
Going around points or similar blind spots, you should probably poke your boat’s bow out first to see if the coast is clear. It won’t help if someone does something really out of line, but it’ll prevent some surprises.
I’m not sure what you are wearing for water shoes, but you may want to get something ankle high that’ll zip up so that you can do mud walking without losing them.
Finally, practice getting in and out of your boats in really awkward spots, from deeper water, etc so that you have a more options on where to launch if you get somewhere that is quite crowded on the launch itself.
Congrats on trying to push your limits. So you learned something about how not to do it - I have plenty of moments of embarrassingly bad judgement, and I haven’t met any other paddler without at least one such moment.
Let time and experience help her
If your wife is saying she’ll only paddle at motorboat-free places, go paddling there when you want her to accompany you. You’re still free to paddle elsewhere when she’s not with you.
With more boat time, maybe she’ll be willing to give it another go sometime in the future. Don’t fret too much about it now. Powerboaters outnumber kayakers, and a larger percentage of them are drunk or have a macho attitude. You can’t do much about that.
angell , I know you have …
– Last Updated: Aug-04-08 10:53 AM EST –
........ been given quite a lot of hard core responses here . I would like you to take them seriously and understand these folks are wanting for you , what seems to be best for you and your wife at present .
I believe they are doing there best to help you , in there own ways and words , because they care and are concerned for you and your wifes safety .
It is unfortunate that the real world of power boaters may seldom mean , the paddler gets a fair shake , they often won't .
I know of "NO" ramp area (although some may exist) , that any power boat is within the rules by flooring it away from the ramp .. 6 mph or less when leaving or approaching a ramp area , the rule to my knowledge .
On that , you got a raw deal , but then again remember the other rule , power boaters don't always play by the rules , sad but true .
If you are able to carry a small pair of Binocs. or a camera as many paddlers do , you may be able to read the offenders boat #'s , or get a picture at the least , which could assist law enforcement in catching the offender in the ramp zone .
I'm glad your wife did not get chewed up by any barnacles on the dock pilings , they can be very nasty skin slicers .. another good reason to avoid the ramp area in salt waters , because it usually has the dock and barnacles to go with it ..
I just feel bad about what you and your wife went through , as I believe the others here do also ....
Sometimes it just doesn't seem fair , and many times it isn't , but like most have said , that's the way it often is in power boat waters .. so beware , be safe and expext to "have to" use extreme caution around power boats ..
ed: word change from 'usually' won't , to , "often" won't , to be fair because I think the majority of power boaters "are" considerate .
Lets be careful of generalisations
I have had plenty of run in’s with power boaters and jest skis in my time - mostly not while paddling however - and can be as heated as the next on the topic. However like all pursuits, not all participants are the same as proven by a recent event when I had an equipment problem crossing a bar and was assisted in by a jet skier.
But common courtesy is a good start!
Be prepared
when I go out in large water in a small boat (of whatever kind) I assume that i will run into large waves, clueless operaters of large or powerful boats and in general, unforseen and dangerous circumstances. If I don’t think my vessel or I am up to the challenge then I have to think twice about venturing out. perhaps choosing a more friendly body of water.
I go where they’re not
…and when I can’t do that I basically play by their rules.
Agree
It’s like being a bicyclist. Avoid high traffic areas. Assume that motorists do not see you… etc.
Good news about kayaks …
You don’t need any boat ramp to launch.
In fact much safer to launch far away from power boaters.
Find a body of water that fits your skills and experience level and you both be happier.
When you pull up to a boat ramp you are working under the power boating rules and customs, don’t get in the way, launch and get out of there in a hurry, most spots around here say 2 minutes, and you need to know how to control you craft no matter what.
Angell,
I understand your frustration and confusion with the responses that you’ve gotten here.
Someone said, “I believe they are doing there best to help you , in there own ways and words , because they care and are concerned for you and your wifes safety .”
Well, if that were true, SOME of them could have been a little kinder in their answer.
I’ve been on this forum for 8 or 9 years now and I don’t remember people being as rude and demeaning as they have been lately (at least outside B&B). I’ve posted some ‘r’ rated responses myself lately when I should have just shut down the computer and walked away but I didn’t want the person being jumped to feel that they were alone.
It’s amazing how these new ‘intermediate’ and ‘advanced’ paddlers suddenly have all the answers to everyone’s questions.
If I have advice for someone, I try to offer an opinion based on personal experience, not as an edict from a paddling GOD.
Geez, people, just chill and get out on the water.
I’d like to point out
that none of the really rude comments came from B&B posters.
Ditto - going early
If boat traffic is a bother to you, early morning is a great time to get out.
Great discussion and good advice!
I thought this discussion was very useful, and the advice was direct and honest. When I first started out using boat ramps to launch, I was definitely guilty of clogging them up unnecessarily when loading and unloading. I am purely a kayaker, but in my experience kayakers can be just as discourteous as power boaters, especially around ramps, harbors, and channels. If I read this thread when starting out, it would have helped me learn more quickly that when you are in a kayak, it’s better to just make sure you stay out of the way whenever around ramps and channels - and it’s easy to do.
Lack of waterway etiquette
– Last Updated: Aug-05-08 12:20 PM EST –
for power boaters and paddlers exists everywhere. Salty, I'm sorry your community is so ridden w/ snooty and elite kayakers that it's caused you to post mostly bitter experiences about paddlers. That's not the case down here. Come down for a visit.
If I see a kayaker or a group of paddlers, loading/unloading -all- their gear on the ramp I will say something. I'm not rude about it, I just let them know that it's common courtesy for anyone who uses the ramp to get their stuff in order before hand and I've gotten thanked for it as they weren't looking for an ass chewing from Joe Bob and his 10 fishin buddies. Most of the rude folks that I've met during the years I've lived here, have been the bankies (bank fisherman). Cuz even when you're 100 ft off the shoreline, they still whine that your kayak is "disturbing" the salmon and your paddling is "scaring the fish." Geez... Dumbasses that hogline across the entire river and expect a inbound car carrier to stop or slow down while they pull up their rod take the cake, though!. But that's another thread altogether.
Bottom line, look at how many power boaters use ramps, then look at how many paddlers do. Paddler, power boater, doesn't matter, you get in the way of someone's fishing or summer activity and you'll hear about it. Boat ramps are a busy place with lots of danger. It doesn't mean only a certain group of people can use them. It's a PUBLIC BOAT RAMP. And I am public. I pay a parking fee and in most places the launch is included in this fee. You just have to keep your senses about you and get in and out.
Some of my best times are kickin' back at one of our busiest ramps and watching the maylee going on during a fish opener. River Patrol Office overlooks the launch. Great entertainment, what more can a gal ask for!
Odds and ends
– Last Updated: Aug-05-08 1:22 PM EST –
As far as the complaint that paddlers don't pay the same fees at public launches that power boaters do, it must be a northwest thing around Salty. Around here, and anywhere I've been in New England, there is either no fee, a parking fee that everyone pays or a honor system launch fee that everyone I've ever paddled with pays. As far as complaints, I've been in groups where the paddlers were either run out in terms of space or were given grief from the town at the behest of the power boaters even though they had parked three deep to avoid tying up undue room. Luckily that's only occurred at free public launches to me - it'd rankle a bit if it was one of the several to up to $20 parking/launch fees at some public places.
The OPer did stop and get local advice, and the folks who dealt with him in person as well as the people who publish the trail information don't seem to have felt that this launch spot warranted advice to not use the launch ramp at all. That is essentially what the guy is being told, and while it may be correct it seems unfair to expect someone relatively new to the kayaking bit to anticipate all the problems they had.
I'm not going to suggest that all kayakers behave correctly among other boats, that wouldn't be so, but it's no less over the top to assume that anyone in a kayak must have done something ignorant of protocols. Especially when it seems to exclude just the person making the claim.
In Maine
– Last Updated: Aug-05-08 1:51 PM EST –
most of the launching points are free to both paddlers and motorboaters. There are a few however that do require a fee from both---Belfast, Rockport, and East End Beach in Portland are three that come to mind. It's a little off topic but I know of a place where its launching kayaks and canoes only--Old Quarry in Stonington--they charge 6.00 for the first day parking and 5.00 per boat launched (cheap when you compare parking prices in Boston or New York) but I've heard people with 20,000 dollar cars and 3500 dollar kayaks complain about paying that price But you never have to worry about motorboaters getting in your way(there is however the occasional lobster boat wake.)
Also -
Round Pond ($2 in a bucket, honor system) and I think Tenant’s Harbor. Though we have yet to bother to find the last one to check it out - maybe next year. I think the Rockland launch(es) that are fee-based are essentially a parking fee.
You can also pay thru the nose and launch from a variety of private marinas in Maine, but that is again probably as much of a parking as a launch fee.
A few more odds and ends . . .
Thank you for your understanding and very useful advice, Celia. Over the years, I have been involved with launching more power boats than kayaks off boat ramps, so was respectful of the power boaters . . . it really wasn’t so busy, and the wide ramp bay could launch two smaller power boats, side by side, or one decent-sized power boat, with kayakers putting in off the adjoining floating dock (inside the launch bay, with the tide turning out). The surrounding Amelia Island area, as one responder explained, was not good anywhere for putting in. Upon our return, I had to spend some time washing mud off boats and gear, and the ramp was not in use at that time, except for a professional bait-fisherman and his son, who gently docked his older boat as we moved to give him room. We engaged in friendly conversation as we were taking our boats out - adding to many fond memories from earlier years of meeting good people on the water and sharing a common bond.
Avoid them
Try to keep out of the way of “rude power boaters.” It’s an unequal match. The Navigation Rules give the right-of-way to rowboats, canoes and kayaks. But this offers little comfort to those who get smacked by some obnoxious “stink-potter.”
Angell:
I just wanted to let you know that I wanted to cry “FOUL” on the responses to your post earlier & am glad to see others had a problem with them as well.
There has been a long-standing sentiment here that power boaters owe paddlecraft no respect (or “special treatment”) & if you can’t handle 4-5ft. wakes you have no business being anywhere near them.
This may apply if you are out in boating channels or any big water, but you were only trying to launch your boats & then quickly put some distance between you & the powerboats & did not even have the chance to do so.
It is not only common courtesy but common sense for power boats to give small craft a wide berth and a reduced wake…at least on narrow thorofares and around seawalls or docks as you described. If you welcome their wake then you wave them on, but it should be optional.
Once again many here want to spin this story into it being all your fault for inexperience…BS! When you pass a cyclist along a busy road, do you say to yourself “that guy looks like he has plenty of experience, so I’m going to just blow right by him without moving over”? Or do you say “if he can’t handle the wind currents from being passed at close proximity he has no business being along this road & should only cycle on bike trails”?
And in Mike McCrea’s example (speedboat flying around the bend at high speed), thank God they were all hugging the shore, but if they had not been, and one of the group had been maimed or worse, would you all say “Mike, it was your fault because your group was not experienced enough.”