Boating Observations

I do not profess to being all there is when it comes to seamanship.  I will say that I have spent plenty of time aground, pinned to the leeward shore, torn sails, smashed fiberglass, ripped stanchions off of my boat and ripped stanchions off of other peoples boats (sorry about that David and Lorna).  All of this is in the last couple of years.  You should have seen me in the early years of sailing, before I had all of this sea time.  Besides seamanship I have also noted that sailing etiquette exists.  Etiquette is something you either learn by someone telling you or you can learn it by experience.  A good for instance is in golf when you show up at the Bay Oaks golf course in ragged cut off jeans and a tank top, they will not allow you on the course.  If someone had just told me that it is good etiquette to dress in hemmed Bermuda shorts and a button down shirt with a collar I could have saved myself the embarrassment.  The same applies in sailing / boating.  I would like to pass on some of the boating etiquette that I learned as a young sailor. 

Here are just a few examples of “Bad Etiquette”

Fender washing – dragging your fenders while you are underway

Leaving the winch handle in the sheet winch while not in use

Baggy headsail – not pulling up your jib tight

Baggy Mainsail – same as above with the main sail

Dragging a line overboard

Securing the mainsheet of a small sailing dinghy in gusty conditions

Not turning on your navigation lights at dusk

Not turning your navigation lights off at daybreak

Using your anchor light as a steaming light (not knowing what lights to display, so you just turn them all on)

Sometimes you wonder if boat dealers don’t just hand the keys to the new boat owners and point to the water. 

Here are a few examples of “Good Etiquette”

Taking a Boaters Education course (Power Squadron recommended) before challenging a ship to the “Right of Way”

“Turn Big and Turn Early” to show the other boat your intentions.

Always being aware of your wake and the responsibility associated with it. 

I do want to clarify that I am just as bad about exhibiting “Bad Etiquette” as the next guy, but I am trying to improve.  I guess the point here is to try to increase your “Good Etiquette” and decrease your “Bad Etiquette” and the boating community should improve a little bit at a time.  If you have the opportunity to pass on “Good Etiquette” to a new boater, please do.  It improves the boating community exponentially.