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Old 04-26-2017, 11:07 PM   #16
Portage_Bay
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City: Coupeville Wa.
Vessel Name: Pacific Myst
Vessel Model: West Bay 4500
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 2,413
I might be in a unique position to comment and offer suggestions. I’m a professional mariner, recreational boater and competitive rower. Yeah, I spend too much time on the water…. Did I mention river rafter? Maybe I need an intervention and a move to the desert? Anyway, back to the point. I’ve been on both sides of this channel. Finding my passage blocked by the damned water bugs (rowing shells) and intimidated by power boaters while in my shell. The frustrations on both sided are real and legitimate. The difference being that in a shell your life can be as risk.

A couple of actions may help to smooth the waters, it's made a difference for us. The first is to meet with the rowing club officials and explain your frustration. It would be best if you could form a group of boaters using the ramp and narrow channel. Not so much to intimidate the rowers as to begin to form a broad community of all users of the channel. Seek an agreement whereby the rowing shells will stay to the right and your gang will pass at minimal wake speed after sounding the correct signals. Coming to agreement won’t happen overnight and will take meetings every season. Include the local authorities in the meetings. Usually local police or sheriff. The USCG won’t want to attend.

The second is to make an attempt to learn the rowing club’s schedule. Perhaps they can post the schedule online? Use that info to do your best to avoid the times of worst congestion. Much as you avoid traffic jams when possible. Hint, the shells out at 5 AM are the most serious racers training hard. In our club a relatively small group moving fast. The juniors are out late afternoon after school. A veritable armada, from the most inexperienced having trouble controlling their boats and staying upright to accomplished athletes. As much as possible I try to avoid using the shared narrow channels with the juniors are out. There are just too many of them.

As with so many things in life it comes down to responsibility and respect. Given time and cooperation it will get better. Not perfect but better. There will always be the cowboys from both camps, arrogant, self centered and a hazard to themselves and others. I nearly ran over a shell in darkness, he cut across the bow of the self propelled barge I was driving. He was unlit, in dark clothing, in a dark shell on a moonless night. He disappeared under the bow while I did everything I could to stop. I still don’t know how I missed him. I’ve been hit several times by rowers failing to look around and going at full race pace, we were tied to the dock when it happened. Our club had a wake board boat run through the middle of one of our open water rowing races at max wake producing speed just to make a point. A local club had a double hit by a ski boat killing both rowers. The way to handle those d$!&s is to report them immediately to the police / sheriff.
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