03-21-2022, 08:23 PM
I've had several near miss, and incidents on Willard where power squadron boaters have come way too close to me (a lot closer than 150 ft) at speeds well above "No Wake". Fortunately I've not had any swamping episodes (so far). But I was witness to one episode that didn't really effect me, but came pretty darn close to swamping a fellow BFT friend.
Just inside the buoy line at the south marina, a gentleman was fishing from his "Banana Yak" (those of you who remember that yellow kayak, will know of whom I speak). A woman in a 23ft. wakeboard boat, all by herself in the boat, came full speed across the south channel outlet, heading east to west and couldn't have been more than 100ft out from the Banana Yak. I was down just shy of the feed lot, and couldn't see if there had been and harm caused to the kayaker, but I knew who it was. So I pulled in my lines, and headed to the channel outlet buoy area as fast as my little 15 hp OB would go. About the time I got 100 yards off the outside buoy, and slowed down so I wouldn't cause any wake, and noticed that the offending airhead with more boat than brains had turned around and was heading back toward the buoy line, at full throttle. I figured she was going to head in to the marina and would slow down to make the right turn. NOPE, she blew thru the No Wake zone less than 40 to 50 yards off of the rock wall and about 100 ft. off my starboard side. I had positioned my boat between the channel outlet and the affected yellow kayak in an attempt to mitigate the wave action on the kayak. I wasn't totally successful, but it helped. Neither of us got swamped. That was one trip I was REAL glad that I had left my .45 at home, cuz I don't think I would have been able to resist putting some holes below water line of that boat.
Just inside the buoy line at the south marina, a gentleman was fishing from his "Banana Yak" (those of you who remember that yellow kayak, will know of whom I speak). A woman in a 23ft. wakeboard boat, all by herself in the boat, came full speed across the south channel outlet, heading east to west and couldn't have been more than 100ft out from the Banana Yak. I was down just shy of the feed lot, and couldn't see if there had been and harm caused to the kayaker, but I knew who it was. So I pulled in my lines, and headed to the channel outlet buoy area as fast as my little 15 hp OB would go. About the time I got 100 yards off the outside buoy, and slowed down so I wouldn't cause any wake, and noticed that the offending airhead with more boat than brains had turned around and was heading back toward the buoy line, at full throttle. I figured she was going to head in to the marina and would slow down to make the right turn. NOPE, she blew thru the No Wake zone less than 40 to 50 yards off of the rock wall and about 100 ft. off my starboard side. I had positioned my boat between the channel outlet and the affected yellow kayak in an attempt to mitigate the wave action on the kayak. I wasn't totally successful, but it helped. Neither of us got swamped. That was one trip I was REAL glad that I had left my .45 at home, cuz I don't think I would have been able to resist putting some holes below water line of that boat.
"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
Or so it says on my license plate holder