You just can't protect yourself from stupid!

GDanko

.
Aug 13, 2016
22
Beneteau 361 Rogers City, MI
Especially Lake St Clair on an amateur/holiday weekend.
 

GDanko

.
Aug 13, 2016
22
Beneteau 361 Rogers City, MI
But then again, vying for a boat ramp slot when a late afternoon T Storm rolls thru the Carolinas is another sight to behold.

Drinking all afternoon must prioritize some boaters and make them flow control officers. Fist fights each holiday weekend last year but I don't think anyone's been shot (yet).
 
Apr 12, 2007
177
Hunter 420 Herrington Harbor South
I just wish they'd open up duck hunting a little closer to shore lol
Let's not suggest that either. A couple of years ago I encountered a "duck hunter" 100 ft. from the channel entrance. Three strings of decoys deployed, sitting in his boat with his shot gun ready.
Stupid, dangerous, ignorant can apply anywhere.
 
Oct 22, 2014
21,104
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Navigating in fog you need to not make yourself a target. Let Stupid program his autopilot from buoy to buoy. You know that's how they are thinking "buoys are the highway markers". Give the target "buoy" room so Stupid can hit it or speed by it.
The rest of the channel is likely empty.
No guarantee but an option.
 
Oct 9, 2008
1,739
Bristol 29.9 Dana Point
it's a phenomenon you don't see elsewhere in the world, certainly not to the extent you do here in the states.
They also drive like that in the fog, so don't feel special :)
It's a combination of arrogance and stupidity, makes for great YouTube videos sometimes
Another chance to bash Americans.
Based on opinion.
Like those poor girls in that jet ski /harbor patrol video from Florida.

There are stupid power boaters everywhere. And drastically more arrogant at times than you might think.
I like this one. We've all seen it probably. The hilarity is the skipper coming to the bow to berate furiously, seconds after he's crushed the other boat's red nav light:
 
  • Like
Likes: flynhi4u

JRT

.
Feb 14, 2017
2,048
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
The lake this past weekend was pretty busy with a lot of people out to say the least. Since it was our first family trip on our O'day there was a lot of learning experience. Even though I made a 4" 3 ring binder of reference material, books, and sailing terms and instructions for my family, they seemed not interested in doing any homework :) So we learned by doing and I kept a very active eye on traffic among other things.

My wife was great and asked lots of questions and she was on the tiller most of the day. With the bass boats zipping around and us under sail I told her that technically we have the right away but don’t trust anyone. For 3-4 90 degree approaches with fast bass fishing boats their captains all respected us while under sail and crossed well behind our stern. All was looking good and then I pointed out a large multi deck yacht (30’ or bigger?) bearing perpendicular to our starboard side crossing under a bridge. We were under sail moving at a 3-4 knots and noted that he was not adjusting course or slowing in recognition of us at all. I guess he might have been on autopilot and wasn’t interested in adjusting for a slow sailboat. Although we were in the right, family comes first and I told my wife to adjust course and I dropped the motor and started it so we could guarantee we would pass behind him. We lost our wind as we were very close hauled but it didn’t matter to me. It was a great learning experience that my wife will not forget.
 
Jun 23, 2013
271
Beneteau 373 Newport
In our harbor boats entering or leaving stay to their right side of the entry channel. A few years ago I was entering, and a line of boats was leaving, when all of sudden a head boat pulled out from the line and was heading right at me. I stopped so he could squeeze back in ahead of the boat he had decided to pass. As he squeezed by he yelled that I should have ducked into the mooring area on my right to give him full access because he had full right of way since he was working and I was just a pleasure boat.
 
Jun 8, 2004
2,859
Catalina 320 Dana Point
In our harbor boats entering or leaving stay to their right side of the entry channel. A few years ago I was entering, and a line of boats was leaving, when all of sudden a head boat pulled out from the line and was heading right at me. I stopped so he could squeeze back in ahead of the boat he had decided to pass. As he squeezed by he yelled that I should have ducked into the mooring area on my right to give him full access because he had full right of way since he was working and I was just a pleasure boat.
"I couldn't smell you were working until I got downwind"
Altho it's probably a bad idea to piss off a guy who's driving a boatload of stuff around your boat on days you are not there.
 
Mar 31, 2013
234
O'day 23 Pa
Another chance to bash Americans.
Based on opinion.
Like those poor girls in that jet ski /harbor patrol video from Florida.

There are stupid power boaters everywhere. And drastically more arrogant at times than you might think.
I like this one. We've all seen it probably. The hilarity is the skipper coming to the bow to berate furiously, seconds after he's crushed the other boat's red nav light:
If that's your take away, atta boy

that's an old video, but certainly highlights idiocy on the water, and I'm sure it's repeated each year. BTW in 2015 from a quick and dirty search, there were over 4000 marine accidents in the US, if you want to argue that those statistics are just "bashing Americans" then have at it, me, I'd rather try and understand why the idiots do what they do and try to mitigate my broadside to them.
 
Oct 28, 2013
678
Hunter 20 Lake Monroe
Another chance to bash Americans.
Based on opinion.
Like those poor girls in that jet ski /harbor patrol video from Florida.

There are stupid power boaters everywhere. And drastically more arrogant at times than you might think.
I like this one. We've all seen it probably. The hilarity is the skipper coming to the bow to berate furiously, seconds after he's crushed the other boat's red nav light:
Another chance to bash Americans.
Based on opinion.
Like those poor girls in that jet ski /harbor patrol video from Florida.

There are stupid power boaters everywhere. And drastically more arrogant at times than you might think.
I like this one. We've all seen it probably. The hilarity is the skipper coming to the bow to berate furiously, seconds after he's crushed the other boat's red nav light:
Seriously, neither person driving either boat did not see the other boat LOL
Wow, that was a good one.
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,486
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
and never even look out.
Why would you want to look outside when you have mega TV screens and martinis inside ?

Please careful out there this summer, Stu. I'm quite serious about how bad our powerboaters are up here.

As you will learn, our Canadian Coast Guard is strictly search and rescue. They turn the other way if it involves law enforcement. The only other resource for the coast is the RCMP, and they only have two inflatables. And both of those have holes in them :yikes:.
 
Oct 9, 2008
1,739
Bristol 29.9 Dana Point
If that's your take away, atta boy

that's an old video, but certainly highlights idiocy on the water, and I'm sure it's repeated each year. BTW in 2015 from a quick and dirty search, there were over 4000 marine accidents in the US, if you want to argue that those statistics are just "bashing Americans" then have at it.
What statistics?
How many accidents in Europe?
Russia?
Asia?
Middle East?
Etc etc.
your singular statistic in no way supports your statement that bad boating happens more here. Certainly not percentage-wise. How many millions of vessels in the U.S.? Only 4,000 accidents? I'd have thought it would be more :)
And what defines an accident?
And car drivers? I've seen hours (don't ask why :)) of Russian video compilations of stunningly stupid driving.
I'm just weary of people bashing their own country at every chance.
If the rest of the world is so great, then why does everyone want to come here? How did we become so successful if we're all idiots?
My point again is that there are stupid power boaters everywhere, not just the U.S., and not more in the U.S., unless there is data that I haven't seen.
 
Last edited:
May 12, 2004
1,505
Hunter Cherubini 30 New Port Richey
My point again is that there are stupid power boaters everywhere.
OK, I'm just as guilty of this phrasing as anybody but, let's take "power" out of the above quote and then we can can address the real issue. All I'm sayin'.
 
Oct 9, 2008
1,739
Bristol 29.9 Dana Point
OK, I'm just as guilty of this phrasing as anybody but, let's take "power" out of the above quote and then we can can address the real issue. All I'm sayin'.
Agreed.
Except the OP's complaint was "power boaters flying out of the fog at full throttle". Followed by (likely accurate) descriptions of the power boat pilots' attitudes and abilities. To which another stated that this type of bad piloting and attitudes happen more in the states than elsewhere. Hence my quote.

--- and of course there are the paddle boarders and kayakers. Which I affectionately label "water spiders".
Don't get me started on them. :)
 
Last edited: