INNTW adventures

Can you believe that they will let any idiot with a boater safety card drive a 30,000 pound vessel around these Great Lakes of ours?  In our home state of Michigan, if you were born before July 1, 1996, you can operate any “boat” without restrictions.  Really?   I can drive this nearly 48 ft long tank with no training or restrictions?    That is ridiculous!

Luckily for my family, I am a bit more responsible than that.   I took a boater safety course in 6th grade, so I’m all set!  My Michigan Boating Safety Certificate that I received in 1994 should be enough training, since it has gotten me this far 🙂

JK….I grew up boating with my parents, family, and friends.   We did long weeks of fishing, trips to Cedar Point, and pleasure cruising on the lakes.  I have seen several scares that prove boating to be quite dangerous.

We’ve been caught in fog so bad that we couldn’t see the bow of the boat (twice).   We’ve been stuck several miles offshore in Lake Huron with engine problems (or we ran out of gas?).  I can’t remember, but it may have been both (Thanks Dad!)  One time, we were also part of a group of boaters headed across Lake Erie, and one of the group’s boats ran over a small fishing boat (Oops!).   In my teen years, some buddies and I were caught out in Lake St Clair with engine problems during a tornado watch/advisory (Sorry Mom).  I’ve certainly not seen it all, but I have learned that while it’s usually quite fun, boating is dangerous!

Times have changed and technology has evolved. Back when all those things happened; we didn’t have cell phones, only vhf radio.  We didn’t have a GPS, only paper charts and fish finders.   They’ve come a long way to improve safety for boaters.

Personally, I’ve only considered my adult-self a boater for the last three seasons.  Kelly and I bought our first boat in 2015.   It was a 1992 Rinker Fiesta Vee.  This 26 foot beauty was everything that we needed.    Clearly our minds changed this past year when that “starter boat” was sold, and we started the search for our adventure vessel.

With our eyes set on a big boat and big adventures, I knew that I needed to get more training.   I first thought becoming a “real Captain” was the path I’d take.   That is a lot of work, and isn’t even possible with my current work and life schedule.  At this year’s Detroit Boat Show, I explored all of the options available; Power Squadron, US Coast Guard, Michigan DNR, and the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department.

After lots of phone calls, and schedule considerations, I decided to take a USCG course.  Specifically, I chose the US Coast Guard Auxiliary course called Boating Skills and Seamanship.  This 8 week course covered everything from selecting your boat to navigation.  This was a good course, and I would recommend this course for boaters of all skill levels and ambitions.   I took a lot of information from this class, and can’t wait to put some of this valuable knowledge to use.

I’ve felt compelled to share some my favorite tidbits.  Some are useful and some are just interesting.   Take this bullet point list for what it’s worth, and please remember to boat safely.  You and your family are depending on it!

• As a power boater you are the give-way vessel in nearly all situations (sailboats, fishing boats, freighters).  You are responsible to take action as necessary to avoid collision, unless it is a seaplane.   A seaplane must give-way to all other vessels :).
• The knots that I found most useful were: the clove hitch- quick and easy for tying to a piling, and the bowline- creates a temporary loop at the end of any line.   If you’re a boater, you should learn these knots.  Also, learn how to properly use a cleat!  I was guilty of being a hack, but now I know there is a right way to use a cleat.

• Sailing is too much work.  Why put your self through the misery of relying on Mother Nature?
• Hypothermia is scary!  If you found yourself swimming with no life jacket on in 35 deg water, you’d likely be dead in 45 minutes.  That seems kind of obvious, but did you know that if you were fortunate enough to have found yourself in 70 deg water while wearing a life jacket, they say that the average person would be dead in 18 hours!
• When day anchoring under normal conditions, the amount of anchor line (aka rode) used should be 5 times the vertical distance from your bow to the seabed.   This 5:1 ratio is called the scope.   This is reduced when chain is used, but in only 10 feet of water, you should be using at least 50’+ of rode.   When overnighting, the scope should be 7:1.
• If you are returning from the main body of water (or headed upstream), the green navigation markers will be on your port (left) side, and the red is on your starboard (right) side.   This is confusing to me since your boat’s navigational lights are the opposite, with red on your port side and green on your starboard.
• As the operator of the boat, prior to departure, it is your responsibility to brief all of your passengers about the locations of the life jackets, fire extinguishers, flares, and the first aid kit.  The passengers should also understand procedures for operating the radio, and recovering a person that has fallen overboard.
• Your horn is for more than just telling some other idiot to “___ off”!  In overtaking situations (and others) you are actually supposed to use it.  Check out the graphic below, and remember this next time you hear a horn on the lake.   They may actually be trying to tell you something useful.

Get yourself educated if you are going to be out on the water.   You can find a basic or more advanced boating course in your area by clicking here.

You may even learn the proper way to use the VHF radio!  This is INNTW Adventures, over.