Excitement in the Hole at DB

Sunday morning, heading out, made my call before going into the hole. Midway through I hear a boat getting cleared to come in. Whaaa...

Inbound, got in line behind a boat, made my call and got clearance. While I was in the hole, a boat passed me. I called on the radio that the boat didn't yield and then followed him in to the docks. Asked if he had a VHF (yes), whether he had it on (yes-lie), whether he called for clearance (yes-lie), what channel he was on (80), whether he heard me (yes-lie). I was hot but he had a kid with him so I kept to the facts; he thought his kid should learn how to shout expletives at people who are averse to dying on the bar. But it's my fault according to him because I was "so damn slow."

Assistant Harbormaster heard, said I was right about everything I said and to report him to the Coast Guard station. Did so and they gave him a talking to but no citation 

Asst Harbormaster gave me some good advice that I'm going to follow: After getting clearance, I'm going to follow up with "Thank you. I'll report when I'm clear" and then do so. We are slow and it's easy for someone to think we must be clear by now (not like my guy on the way in, totally saw me enter).

Stay safe out there.

Asst Harbormaster gave me some good advice that I'm going to follow: After getting clearance, I'm going to follow up with "Thank you. I'll report when I'm clear" and then do so. We are slow and it's easy for someone to think we must be clear by now (not like my guy on the way in, totally saw me enter).

This is some great advice!  I'm going to start doing just this.

-Mark-

I've had a similar experience, only the boat was coming in and I was going out. Luckily I was only 1/3 of the way through and so I pulled a crazy ivan and was barely out of the way when he came blasting through. Didn't know what else to do so I just followed protocol and tried again. I admire you for confronting and reporting him. I hope (but doubt) that the coasties convinced him to change his behavior for next time.

Overtaking in the hole is extremely dangerous and definitely against the basic rules of the road. He’d have got an earful and a half from me too as well as a hail on 80 asking what the hell he thought he was doing. The coasties should meet him at the dock after that without you having to ask or make a report since they monitor 80 and are right there.  Has the added benefit of dissuading other captains from treating us so cavalierly.

Assistant Harbormaster also said he wanted to build a separate kayak launch at DB. Wouldn't that be sweet.

The coasties should meet him at the dock after that without you having to ask or make a report since they monitor 80 and are right there. 

That's what I expected to happen. I saw in the office that they have a camera in the hole so probably even have footage of it.

Overtaking in the hole is extremely dangerous and definitely against the basic rules of the road. He’d have got an earful and a half from me too as well as a hail on 80 asking what the hell he thought he was doing. The coasties should meet him at the dock after that without you having to ask or make a report since they monitor 80 and are right there.  Has the added benefit of dissuading other captains from treating us so cavalierly.

If you have drama, ask for the Petty Officer of the Watch to meet you.  Be specific and tell them what happened.
I wouldn't let this pass either.

Everytime I have had an issue it has been in the afternoon due to charters dicussing last known or current locations of cetaceans. Their conversations then devolve into other drivel like what they had for lunch or how many crab they pulled earlier. Meanwhile I'm bobbing around in front of the hole waiting to announce entry. Sometimes you think you are getting off a clean TX, but you're getting stepped on.

I've spoken to the CG regarding this. In most cases there's plenty of room for a kayak and a boat to pass one another, although it's not ideal. However, one of these days 2 powerboats are going to meet and someone is going to get injured and or their boat(s) are going to sustain damage and somebody is going to get butthurt.

Seems kind of silly to me to put life or property at risk due to being too indolent to push a goddamn button and pick another channel. But they are making a living and I'm just trying to put a few fish in the freezer so wtfdik?

Nice job Waters!  Great advice and thanks for sharing.  We all get some kind of stink eye from the power boaters here and there.  Wait till you get a PB say something about you not paying the launch fee, because he didn't see you. I like to write "kayaker" on my $2 with a hi-vis pen before popping it in the slot.

I've had my share of incidents with this dick Lars Robison that owns Dockside Charters and pilots the charter boat Samson.  He knowingly radioed to go outbound DB right after the Harbormaster just gave me and a buddy the all clear to come in. We had radioed our inbound intentions roughly 30 feet north of the break wall, so Samson had no reason to think we were slow or lollygagging.  When the Harbormaster responded back to Samson that we were coming in, he said he was already coming through and can't stop or turn around and proceded to just come on out like it was no big deal.  We were just feet from making the turn in and had to abort promptly. 

yeah, I'm just not going to share any of this DB hole 'excitement' stuff with my wife....at least not until after I've been in and out of there a few times.   

 

yeah, I'm just not going to share any of this DB hole 'excitement' stuff with my wife....at least not until after I've been in and out of there a few times.   

You can have her come watch it from the side.   

 yes i heard u  announce and get clearance from the coastie too. i believe it was the omb ? who callled and got clearence to also come in there was no way u had time and somebody got on the radio to warn omb that u were in the slot! omb asked coastie if they knew there was kayak in the slot said u were unannounced and thanks for info..... what a bunch of shit! 1) i heard you 2) somebody else did too as they warned the omb.

deptrai, i also heard the 3 hook illegal thing,so, did the rules change?

myself would like to see some kind of distance rule for at least the charter boats. anyone else having close encounters with the samson? i filed report yesterday with coasties.
 i just read others posts(insayn) yeah same thing happened to a buddy and i awhile back too.  i urge all that if u have any kind of encounters with the samson in particular that u go to the coastie office that is next to dockside charters and file a report.this asshole needs to be stopped with the antics before someone gets killed.

 i just read others posts(insayn) yeah same thing happened to a buddy and i awhile back too.  i urge all that if u have any kind of encounters with the samson in particular that u go to the coastie office that is next to dockside charters and file a report.this asshole needs to be stopped with the antics before someone gets killed.

Also, when I am on the water if Samson is in our area I have my camera pointed at him the whole time, in the event he makes an effort to get too close and try and swamp me or others.  Lars is a dick, does not like kayakers and is a town bully as well.  Lars and his brother have been bullies since high school. This comes from several local folks I've chatted with down at the DB parking lot over the years that went to school with them.

 i just read others posts(insayn) yeah same thing happened to a buddy and i awhile back too.  i urge all that if u have any kind of encounters with the samson in particular that u go to the coastie office that is next to dockside charters and file a report.this asshole needs to be stopped with the antics before someone gets killed.

Also, when I am on the water if Samson is in our area I have my camera pointed at him the whole time, in the event he makes an effort to get too close and try and swamp me or others.  Lars is a dick, does not like kayakers and is a town bully as well.  Lars and his brother have been bullies since high school. This comes from several local folks I've chatted with down at the DB parking lot over the years that went to school with them.

Everybody has their bad days. There are some really nice people in that family, and there are aren't a lot of people that grew up there and stuck around.

Just look at it for what it is. If everybody that was able to do what we do did so they would be broke.

Respect and safety are both two way streets.