Safe boating starts with courtesy

First let me say I agree wholeheartedly with Captain Mike’s

Whitehead’s comments on speed and wake in the harbor (The Harbor

Column, June 4). It has been my experience, since I started working

as a harbor patrolman here more than 30 years ago, that many people

do not understand the importance of maintaining a safe speed nor the

potential damage an excessive wake can cause.

Most marine speed laws read “5 (n)mph or No Wake,” as Whitehead so

correctly stated, but many of the boaters I have encountered don’t

know how to gauge the speed of their craft. Marine speedometers (for

want of a better term) are marginally accurate, at best. GPS can

offer an indicator of speed that is somewhat reliable, but let me

offer a few tips that may be more practical.

Five (n)mph is about the speed of a fast-paced walk. While in the

harbor, you can gauge your speed in this context by noticing your

relative movement to objects or even people on shore.

A wake is created by your vessel, displacing the water (pushing it

out of the way) as your move through it. Therefore, your hull design

and weight distribution on board have a great deal to do with the

kind and size of wake your vessel creates. Deep-Vee hulls create

larger wakes, and bow-riding passengers or gear that you place

forward on your craft may cause it to “plow” through the water,

creating a larger wake, just to name a few factors. A general rule

here is to look behind and to the sides of your vessel, and if the

wake looks large, or is curling on itself, you need to slow down.

Another clue is whether you are passing other vessels proceeding

along your same course.

As Whitehead accurately stated, you are responsible for any damage

your wake may cause. I have seen vessels sustain wake damage to the

point of sinking! One 45+ cabin cruiser I pumped out (as a harbor

patrolman) years ago, would have gone down had we not arrived in

time, and the hole in its hull was caused by it ramming against a

dock wheel due to a passing vessel’s wake. Another such incident I

witnessed was that of an excessive wake causing the outboard on a

docked vessel to shake loose and sink.

I must admit that most of the boaters I encounter creating

excessive wakes are those who are inexperienced, as a vast majority

of seasoned boaters know the potential of wake damage and act

responsibly.

Sheriff Mike Carona and all of us here at the Orange County

Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol are dedicated to making the boating

experience in Orange County as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Always remember: Courteous boating is safe boating.

GREG RUSSELL

Harbor Master, Newport Harbor

Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol