How close is too close?

[psneeld]

The passing closer in or farther away I think is dependent on jusy how fast the other boat is travelling....thus causing the size, spacing and number of wakes it produces to vary....

The typical large wake pass, I look to see where the 2nd-4th wake stops curling. Thats as close as I want my wake to overtake the boat I am passing or as close I want to be passed. True they are spread out a bit more, but way less in size than the close pass.

Thats my rule of thumb, for both being the passer and passed. But it can vary so much because of speeds, boat shape, etc.

I will say that most captains either really dont understand, look behind enough or care concerning their wake....maybe all three for some.

Often they do fine up to a point, only to slow or speed up at the worst posdible point.. they fall into the "don't understand" category.

As far as slow passes, I run around 6 knots which can be passed very nicely, mayne not no wake, but reasonable, without me slowing down.

Good skippers know right when to slow and speed up so there is no surge wake or hole left behind. The worst are the ones that slow way back then slowly increase speed till just pass your bow. Then they punch it because the pass took 15 minutes from their misunderstanding of boat handling and now there is a giant hole in the water you fall into sideways...yep, no clue.

So not everyone does slow passes...I hate them as wear and tear and I am slow enough as it is.

[FF]

If it is really bad and dangerous , not just a bit uncomfortable, put out a security call,

"vessel XYZ is operating in an unsafe manner , the operators may be impaired".

This is usually enough to get even fools worried.

[JohnEasley]

Originally Posted by SoWhat

I'd like to have... an atomic ray.

Ooooooh. That'd be crazy awesome!

[Maerin]

Slingshot and marbles. When hearing the "thwack" on the hull, the 1st reaction is to pull back the throttle.... "whazzat????" A retired Canadian coastie told me he used that tactic as off duty entertainment in the no-wake zone...

[Vashon_Trawler]

This is the norm throughout the Florida ICW. My boat is just about 24', cruises at 6 knots or so, and I routinely get waked. I can seriously count on my two hands the number of slow passes I have received. Last weekend, a large sport fisher passed a small sailboat and me within 100' feet. This was just north of the Clearwater Causeway. I estimate the wake he plowed was easily 4' to 5'. I quickly turned into the wake and was nearly thrown off my helm chair. I attempted to make contact via VHF but arguing really serves no purpose. Most of these boaters have no clue and/or simply don't care.

It is a pity but you just need to learn to deal with it. I also received a very unsafe pass in eye sight of a LEO but nothing happened.

This is why I prefer to go boating during the weekdays on days off from work rather than weekends or holidays (e.g., Labor Day). Staying on the outside also helps.

[ghost]

Stop running a path on the perfect course. Get off to the side and get out of the traffic. Nothing you can do about the d-bags, though occasionally you will come across one at a destination. Savor the opportunities life hands you with creativity.

[boomerang]

Originally Posted by Maerin

Slingshot and marbles. When hearing the "thwack" on the hull, the 1st reaction is to pull back the throttle.... "whazzat????" A retired Canadian coastie told me he used that tactic as off duty entertainment in the no-wake zone...

Yeah...not cool. Waaay beck in the mid 80's, I was taking a boat South and NOT in a no wake zone somewhere around Myrtle Beach. I wasn't hooked up but probably making 8 knots in a 46 Hatteras. Someone who wasn't pleased with my wake put small caliber slug through the enclosure 1' in front of my nose. Right or wrong (I'm pretty damn confident I wasn't wrong and he was venting his frustrations from previous inconsiderate boaters) you don't take a firearm (or slingshot or bow & arrow or whatever weapon) to settle a gripe. That's what law enforcement is for. I came very close to being blinded or worse.

[CaptRonn]

Galveston Bay and Clear Lake Texas. The Billy Bob's get liquored up and will come by at high speed so close, that if you had another coat of wax they would hit you. And I've watched them wake small boats almost swamping them.

Add in a holiday weekend and it expands ten fold, which is why I don't go out on holidays.

And our local CG Aux? Well, they're too busy stopping boats with people sitting on the bow. And the local SD that patrols the water doesn't do anything either.

Be careful of the idiots around you.

[High Wire]

Last year one of those guys gave me the answer. He ran up behind my strb quarter and dropped off plane like he was going to do a "slow pass" but without radio contact. Ok so I cut my throttle accordingly. Just as I pulled back, he floors it and passes digging a huge wake accelerating past me. I gave him a WTF gesture. He started yelling at me then he got on CH 16 and said "If your boat can't handle my wake, that's your problem!"

[South of Heaven]

Originally Posted by Maerin

Slingshot and marbles. When hearing the "thwack" on the hull, the 1st reaction is to pull back the throttle.... "whazzat????" A retired Canadian coastie told me he used that tactic as off duty entertainment in the no-wake zone...

Yeah, thats responsible! Oops, I lost my civil servant's job because I hit an old man with an errant marble in the face! Lmao

[TDunn]

Close high speed passes happen frequently here. My favorite day cruise is up a narrow channel called Some Sound. The entrance channel to the sound is about 100 yards wide for a half mile. Two years ago I was in the channel as the lead boat in a parade of schooners when an idiot in a 45-50 foot cruiser passed close by (<50') at 20+ knots. His wake was a real issue for my FD hull. What made it worse was that I couldn't turn into the wake because there was another 47' boat right behind him doing 25+ knots. The second wake was worse since it overlapped the first and I had to deal with both. My only satisfaction was that the second boat was an aluminum cruiser with an orange stripe on the hull and a flashing blue light. They caught up with the guy shortly after leaving the channel.

[texasnielsen]

Originally Posted by koliver

Securité, Securité, Securité
All vessels in Colvos Passage,
This is the MV "Delicate"
Please be advised the Motor Vessel "Inconsiderate" is presently travelling Northbound at excessive wave making speed and passing or overtaking too close to other mariners. This vessel does not respond to VHF calls or other proper signals. Take adequate precautions.
Delicate out.

I may have to print that out as a reminder to myself to use .... problem is how many of those who need to hear that message as a subliminal suggestion actually have a radio on?

[dhays]

Originally Posted by ghost

Stop running a path on the perfect course. Get off to the side and get out of the traffic. Nothing you can do about the d-bags, though occasionally you will come across one at a destination. Savor the opportunities life hands you with creativity.

This probably the best course of action for myself.

[BandB]

There are so many variables. First, where are you in the channel. I imagine you're toward the starboard side but we see so many who decide to take their half out of the middle. They don't realize that they cut the passing area for other boats in half. Then there is "what speed are you talking about when you say "fast?"' In a boat capable of 40 knots, 35 knots may be the least bothersome speed and yet not realizing that, boats being passed will often get furious at that speed. The worst passes are boats that do so just below plane. They either slowed down or sped up to get to that speed and are ignorant of the wake of their boat at various speeds. We have a boat that cruises at 20 knots and that is it's speed of least wake. However, often the boat being overtaken gets upset just at that speed without realizing it's the speed of least wake and we carefully observe that we gave them virtually no wake. We know our wake well and do all we can to make it the least bothersome. Then there are the boats that can only go 10-12 knots and really have no decent speed to pass a 7 knot boat so about all they can do is go as wide as possible and make the boat being overtaken aware. Most of those boats make very large wakes. We experience their wakes when we pass them. Not owning that type boat, I just observe and it's the combination I lack the answer for How does a 10 knot boat pass a 7 knot? It appears just as far apart as possible, but often that still isn't enough.

Right now we're in 6' seas with 20 knot winds and gusts to 35 knots so the size of our wake isn't an issue. Not the most pleasant crossing we've experienced.

[Nomad Willy]

With so many butt-heads out there perhaps we’re in the wrong hobby. I could sell the boat and just play w cars. But yesterday I was passed on the freeway by a red Cadillac. I was in the right lane going about 60 and he was on the shoulder going over 100 I’m sure. Crazy crazy and it was by an on-ramp w a sectional barrier necking the shoulder down to less than a cars width. Really crazy.

To put this into perspective think of a fast 55’ sport fish passing my Willard at full speed w less than a foot between the boats.

Extreme. WAY too much extreme these days. From tricks on a skateboard to just shooting people. What could cause this? I suspect the internet as moving to other countries wouldn’t give one much buffer.

In the Swinomish Channel I swing toward the beach and then most of a U turn back and point my bow to pass few feet aft of the waker’s stern and take his wake on the nose. I take most wake waves at about 25 degrees difference. Bigger wakes closser (w more time tewwn crests) closser to right angles and smaller wakes closser to parallel.

[dhays]

Keep in mind that this piece of water is between 3/4 to 1 nm wide throughout its length. I guess the thing that bothers me, is with that much room why do folks feel they need to pass withing a few boat lengths of me? They could easier alter course to give me 100m and it would mean only a couple degrees of course change.

Anyway, I appreciate the input. BandB, I hope the weather calms down for you.

[Nomad Willy]

Originally Posted by dhays

This probably the best course of action for myself.

I did essentially that when flying my ultralights. The airplane guys almost always flew at even number altitudes like 4000’ or 2500’. I’d fly at 2750’ or 4250’. Probably reduced my mid-air collision potential many times over.

[O C Diver]

I now travel down the middle of the channel and move over for meeting or overtaking situations. If a boat is passing with a large wake and not going to call, I let them ride the edge of the channel. As they prepare to pass, I throttle back and turn the boat so that the stern faces the wake and goes underneath me.

I'm done being considerate to the inconsiderate. I'm under no more obligation to make there pass easy than they are to pass me without badly waking me.

Ted

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

I now travel down the middle of the channel and move over for meeting or overtaking situations. If a boat is passing with a large wake and not going to call, I let them ride the edge of the channel. As they prepare to pass, I throttle back and turn the boat so that the stern faces the wake and goes underneath me.

I'm done being considerate to the inconsiderate. I'm under no more obligation to make there pass easy than they are to pass me without badly waking me.

Ted

yep, experience and boat handling skills take advantaged of normally bad situations.

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by High Wire

Last year one of those guys gave me the answer. He ran up behind my strb quarter and dropped off plane like he was going to do a "slow pass" but without radio contact. Ok so I cut my throttle accordingly. Just as I pulled back, he floors it and passes digging a huge wake accelerating past me. I gave him a WTF gesture. He started yelling at me then he got on CH 16 and said "If your boat can't handle my wake, that's your problem!"

yep, one of the vast majority of clueless operators

so simple and yet they never get it.....