I have just a smidgin of boating knowledge that I don't think is addressed in any boating manual I've read. Perhaps, everyne thinks it's a given.
We have a small campground on the Maumee River in Ohio. All of our campers have docks and boats. We try to make sure they all know the Ohio Boating Regulations but we did have an incident that we'd not come across before.
We take our boats down river, which on the Maumee is North, to watch Independence Day fireworks. We like to go as a group. One year, not mentioning specific year or any names, one of the campers went along. When we got to the perfect viewing site we tried to anchor close together so that people could go from one boat to another to visit and/or get food and beverages.
The incident occurred while anchoring, the individual captain grabbed his new anchor and threw it off the bow, that's the proper way to anchor a boat. Then the captain watched as the anchor and rope sank in the water. Tying the anchor rope to the bow is mandatory. We still laugh about this.
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Comments: 8
It's a very wet lesson.
I'm not experienced with boats, though I have sailed under the direction of others off and on, and paddle the occasional canoe or sea kayak.
One secret boat trick I always use is to ask if people know how to swim before going out with them (on anyone's watercraft). It is amazing how many people can't swim and won't mention it unless asked. I always ask after having to pull someone ashore on a deep lake- it wasn't far to go, but a few hundred yards can be a lot, and this guy outweighed me by over a hundred pounds. I was young then, but it stuck with me, seeing him panic after going in the water.