Another powerboat rant

just because you have a safety flag up doesn't mean people are going to not create wake or change course to be nice. you should keep an eye in all directions and should know what's coming well before. insteading waiting you should have reseated for better balance. you not paying attention is no excuse to curse at people especially when kids are present. and if you can't handle wake from a forty footer you should rethink appropriate playing fields

I agree maverick it's like riding a motorcycle you must always be aware of what's around you and be ready.. I think it all just varies with the scenario, should a smaller craft watch out for a larger yes and vise versa

A 2' wave from a boat 50' away going 7 knots  hardly warrants screaming obscenities at someones kids. IMO
 
Kayaking entails playing on the same "field" as everyone else and accepting and preparing to overcome the challenges this creates (safety flags/avoiding high traffic areas/air horns/ etc etc).   Expecting others to modify their behavior to meet your expectations rarely ends up matching what you were hoping for.  It's part of kayaking in high use areas, and if you are expecting something different prepare to be frequently disappointed.

I'd recommend straddling your yak versus sidesaddle when pulling traps, works great for me when crabbing in the wind waves and swells of the ocean. Drag the trap onto the deck like a piece of luggage, no need to keep it flat when landing

I dunno, when given a sweet wake...surf the hell out of sweet wake.  Especially from cargo and container ships.  Get a lame Craigslist WW boat, and have yourself a blast in the shipping and high traffic lanes.

I'd like the assholes to pay attention and either go WAY around or treat me as a "no wake zone "....it's a little thing called common courtesy, unfortunately you see less and less everyday

And I would like there to be no wind on the days I am on the water ... and no swell on the ocean ... and the water to be 75° so I don't have to wear a dry suit... and all power boats to give me a fruity drink with a little umbrella in as they pass.

But this is the land of reality and if you can't handle the swell don't go in the ocean. If you can't handle the cold water move to Florida and if you don't want to get waked by a power boat then stay at home on your couch.

I expect no more berth than any other boat gets and I subscribe to the old nautical saying of: Yield to tonnage. If you are the littlest boat on the water you should be in a constant state of  awareness and self preservation. No one is responsible for you staying alive other than you.

If you can't handle that then hang out in your bath tub and call it a day.

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Neighborhood fountains are a safe place

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I agree with fungunnin. don't feel self entitled just because you're on a kayak or any other reason. no one needs to, or should be courteous to you. but when they purposely mess with you like yak trap just throw your pliers at them or get a pfd compatible holster. but never curse in front of children.

There have been a lot of great points brought up. However I think the underlying message is we are vulnerable floating out there in our roto molded piece of plastic. Yes it would be nice to get the courtesy and respect of the power boaters, but the reality is that doesn't always happen. Our safety is our number one responsibility and we have to be aware of our surroundings 100% of the time.

Paul


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Good post's here.  It sucks being the little guy out there sometimes.  A large percentage of sport PBr's show us courtesy out there and then there are those guy's that either are mean sob's or dumb sob's.  Eather way we have to watch are own _ss while out on the water.  I came real close to cutting a guy's lines when he cut me off trolling had the knife in hand and was a foot from his lines.  My better judgment prevailed I'd never win a fight with a 27' PB. 

What's the old saying "if common courtesy was more common, everyone would have it."

But ultimately, it's not the craft....it's the a$$hole steering it. I find it just as frustrating the number of folks who just don't have a clue or let alone care how they're actions affects others.......

To quote a line from one of my kiddos favorite movies....."just smile and wave boys, smile and wave!" -Skipper

To quote a line from one of my kiddos favorite movies....."just smile and wave boys, smile and wave!" -Skipper

I freaking love those crazy a$$ penguins on Madagascar.


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This is a great conversation.

I spend a lot of time on Puget Sound.  It is my primary fishing grounds and I DO keep my head on a swivel, my ears open, and I do not expect excessive consideration.  However, I DO expect consideration commensurate with safety.  Your boat and your wake are your responsibilities and while passing a 20' PB by your boat length may be safe and responsible, passing a kayak by the same distance may not be. 

For the most part I have found PBs to be courteous and give me a wider berth than they may for another PB.  Out of curiosity only, this large PB changed course to seek me out, and pass me by its boat length.  My attention was diverted for 15 seconds while I was struggling with a full trap.  Yes, I was not entirely blameless.  First, I weirdly choose to go out in a plastic boat and fish/crab with the PBs.  Second, I should have left the trap hanging under the kayak, and leaned back, until the PB and it's wake had cleared me.  The expletives were an immediate emotional reaction and I do somewhat regret them.

I find sitting side saddle to haul up traps is easier than one leg over the side or no legs over the side.  With both legs over the side I can lean back way far to counter balance the side load.  My guess is that if I had not been able to throw my entire torso backwards over the far gunwale I'd have gone over.  YMMV.

My other trap came up with 15 crabs, and between the 2 traps I limited with 5 good-sized males.  Of the 37 crab, there were about 28 females.  TLW and I had one each for dinner.  We have found that freshly cooked live crab is a very different experience than crab cooked even only 24 hours previously.  So, I've taken to keeping the crab alive until dinner the next night in an uncovered 5 gallon bucket with 4 gallons of seawater kept in the beer fridge. 

The first time I was worried I'd have dead crab the next day, but the oxygen diffusion through the water surface and the lowered metabolism from the 34F fridge manages to keep them alive. 

I bet the power boat was curious and wanted to see what you were up to. Expecting more than a fifty foot berth is ludicrous. I have had boats wake me before and it is part of the territory. Try pulling your pots at 4 am ... less boats on the water.
Or maybe a 'wag more bark less' sticker on your kayak may convey the correct message and everyone will magically get along.

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Would be funny to mount something like this on a Scotty mount, and I bet you'd get all the room you could possibly want

Would be funny to mount something like this on a Scotty mount, and I bet you'd get all the room you could possibly want

There were at least two companies debuting kayak gun racks at OR this year. For reals...