Pet Peeves

[dronthelake]

My biggest pet peeves.....(not all pertain to operating a boat)
1. Running with docking lights on. It never fails that several times every weekend I come head on a pontoon boat cruising along with their docking lights on. They are not head lights! Those who think they can see better are mistaken. It does more to blind the other drivers and impair everyone's night vision.
2. Newbies who have no clue that there are navigation rules. They do not always have the right-of-way. The colored lights on the bow are there for a purpose.
3. Large boats that cruise along on a busy weekend at 10 - 20 mph, nose high putting out huge rollers. I can see no purpose other than they get a thrill watching the fuel gauge rapidly move to port. We are on a closed lake, whats the hurry? We take our time and enjoy cruising at a leisurely 6 - 8 mph.
4. Anchored boats that leave their navigation (bow) lights on. I know what the colors mean and when I see red I navigate accordingly.
5. Boater who play their music so loud you can hear it several hundred feet away. Country to port, hip-hop off the bow and rock to starboard. And they keep turning it up loader trying to drown each other out. I am ready to start handing out fliers as they enter the cove listing the radio stations that we will rotate on an hourly basis.
6. Boaters who drop anchor off my bow and drift back over top my anchor. Five boats tied up in front of me yesterday and had to untie and move when I wanted to leave. They got frustrated but not nearly as much as I was. I still think many of them believe the anchor is directly below the spot where my chain enters the water.

[seapuppy]

haha....sorry for laughing...but I don't have pontoon boaters in the puget sound...we have those danged slowboaters with sheets up...usually motoring along at 5 kts and still think they have the right of way.....


radio's...yep....seen it....but again...most here don't have that big of a radio..however we do occasionally get that Donzi that comes out with roaring engines and the occasional bimbo but ripping around in no wake zones...
sometimes you just can't fix stooopid...
SP

[shrew]

I couldn't agree more on all counts. There is not much you can do about people failing to adhere to rules of navigation, short of assuming that eveyone is an idiot and simply give way whenever someone appears to be disregarding the fact that you are the stand-on vessel. As far as anchorages, the rule is first come, first serve. If someone is anchoring too close, with too much scope or generally appears that they might drift over my anchor or rode, I tell them as they're setting up. You were there first, they need to move. should they choose not to move, then it should be no surprise to them when you need to 'inconvenience' them when you want to pull up. If they complain, then I just shrug and say, "What do you want me to do, I need to leave, and nothing for nothing but I did warn you".