Spending so much time aboard as a liveaboard requires one to think about how we affect others around us. There are several of us liveaboards on our dock, side by side. As you know, boats are usually close, unlike landlocked neighbors in houses.
Phil is in the slip on my starboard side. He just returned from 6 months in the Bahamas but we'll cover that in another post.
Living close requires some extra effort at first. For instance, playing the stereo with Bob Marley cranked up at 8AM Sunday morning is not a good idea as I know Phil is aboard his sailboat in the next slip, or using the BBQ grill when I know the wind is going to blow the smoke right onto the sundeck of Bob and Cathy's trawler. Mary and I are early risers so we are very quiet when on deck having coffee in the mornings . Its 5 AM as I write this and I know everyone else is asleep.
These are not big things but they are issues that veteran liveaboards learn to recognize. We live as a dockside community so its important to remember others.
That goes for being underway as well. Have you ever been rocked by an inconsiderate boater passing? For me, this is annoying as hell.
Just last weekend, we were cruising along at our usual 8.5 knots and we even had the tide in our favor. The Patricia Ann is a slow mover but what's the rush I say. I spotted a fast-mover, 40 foot class, gaining on me, running right up my wake. I estimated his speed at about 20 knots. I could not back down quickly as he would likely run into me. The 40 Tiara turned to my port about 50 feet off my stern sending a 5-foot wake to my beam, and sped on by. I turned into the wake as quickly as possible but we were thrown around severely. The only casualty was a spilled bottle of salad dressing left on the sundeck table. But it could have been worse.
I gave the Captain a polite "dressing down" on the VHF when I recovered. He turned and looked at me acknowledging my radio transmission.
I often wonder why these boat Captains cannot slow down and respect others on the water. Perhaps its just not in their nature. Oh, he was going to the same marina I was going to and I was in my slip before he was, go figure?
So how should you pass a boat you are over taking?
- Call the boat ahead on your VHF and let him know your intentions
- Ask him to back down to a slow speed so you can give him an easy pass
- Overtake the boat ahead of you with a slightly faster speed, watching your wake
- The passed Captain will almost always thank you on the VHF for your consideration
- Resume normal operating speed
Fair winds,
Mike
