MIKE WHITEHEAD -- The Harbor Column
Ahoy.
You never know when something is going to happen on a boat. That’s
why, as a professional captain, I train and prepare for the unexpected on
a regular basis.
Just last week, I pulled out of a slip aboard an Azimuth 58, and a few
minutes later I heard a loud thud. My first thought was that my first
officer, Tim West, had fallen while securing the fenders and dock lines.
Then, at the same time that I looked and saw my fellow crew member
still working, yet puzzled from the sound, the boat started to veer
radically off course in the Back Bay, where the depths are shallow. I
thought maybe a dock line had fallen into the water, wrapping the
starboard prop.
I still had throttle but no thrust from the prop. Since we were very
close to the dock, I backed the boat into its slip on one engine, which
most boaters know is difficult. A few tries and finally we made it into
the slip, where we could walk the boat back and see what happened to the
starboard side.
Tim decided to jump in the water to check the prop for anything
wrapped while I went into the engine room to check the propeller shaft.
Well, Tim came up with nothing wrapped, even though I found that the
shaft had separated from the transmission: The loud thud was the shaft
hitting the hull. So off to Balboa Boat Yard we went to have the boat
hauled and repaired.
Summer is approaching fast. Have you prepared for the unexpected?
When I ask boaters, in casual conversation, if they have reviewed
emergency procedures recently, their typical response is: “I have been
boating for 10 years and do not need to worry about that.”
That brings numerous questions to my mind. Did you ever take a class
in the beginning of your boating days? How many times in a year do you
get underway?
You can easily tell a person’s skill level by first just looking at
the condition of the boat and then the docking. If you see the skipper
docking at a high rate of speed with no dock lines ready and no fenders
down while the guests are sticking their legs and arms out to fend it
off, then that is a good indicator that person needs help. How many times
do you see a boat dock and then put the fenders down? However, if the
boat approaches with lines and fenders in place, guests positioned, at a
slow-calculated approach into the dock, then that is a proficient
skipper.
And even if the skipper is experienced, what about the crew or guests
(remember the term “passenger” is a technical term referring to charter
boat operations) aboard the boat? If the skipper should fall overboard or
become ill, could one of the guests stop the boat or know how to radio
for help?
Take the time before getting underway each trip to remind all guests
of the safety procedures, where the safety equipment is stowed, and show
someone the operating controls on that vessel. Follow a few easy steps in
the beginning, and the pleasures of boating become more enjoyable because
the calamity of the sea has been lessened and “Goofy Goes Sailing” can be
avoided. I hope to see you on the water with a smile on your face.
Safe Voyages.
* MIKE WHITEHEAD is the Pilot’s boating and harbor columnist. Send him
your harbor and marine-related thoughts and story suggestions via e-mail
to o7 Mike@BoathouseTV.comf7 or o7 www.BoathouseTV.comf7 .
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