Stop the Maryland Unsafe Driver

Posts Tagged ‘canoes’

Unsafe driving also applies to boating. When people speed using a boat that displaces lots of water the boat creates large waves. These waves are called wake. Wake travels like a miniature tsunami well away from the vessel smashing against the shore creating erosion problems, colliding with moored vessels, tossing recreational boaters about, and swamping kayaks and canoes.

This video is by YouTube videoist “Jaysic” shows the damaging wake of an inconsiderate speed boat operator. At our StoptheMUD YouTube channel we have added Jaysic’s videos to our favorites list and our boating safety playlist.

Do you boat on St. Leonard Creek? Are you a patron of Vera’s? Watch the videos. Get an idea what unsafe operation on the creek means to the residents who live along the shore.

Cars and bicycles are to driving as boats and kayaks or canoes are to boating.

Boaters must watch their wakes near smaller vessels. Large unexpected wakes can swamp or capsize a small vessel. Twice in the last year boaters exiting Breezy Point Harbor have deliberately created a large wake to make transit difficult by smaller craft. Last week I was knocked broadside into the gas dock by and older man and woman leaving the harbor well in excess of the posted speed leaving a large wake.

Every boater KNOWS they are responsible for their wake and the damage that wake can do. Some inconsiderate boaters would rather use their wake to make a statement about the presence of human powered craft rather than share the water.

This person’s actions were infuriating. The occupants smiled at me as they left on their trip while I kept my craft from capsizing.

In Maryland boating enforcement is focused on waters that have the most public activity. This fella and his squeeze may never see the Natural Resources Police or the Coast Guard using Breezy Point as a home port. My guess is they know it so they believe they can get away with obnoxious behaviors.

I’d like to see an officer rotating a presence at smaller ports of call watching for behavior like this, reminding or citing boaters that fail to observe the rules. DNR and the Coast Guard have volunteers that could sit on the fuel docks to watch, observe, and advise the errant boater and if necessary write down the boater’s vessel registration number for reporting to the law enforcement arm of each service.

The bad boater apparently doesn’t know that persons are more likely to perish in a smaller craft.  Acting out as an aggressive-angry fool contributes to that risk. The behavior is reckless, dangerous, and irresponsible. No point is proven other than the responsible party is an egregiously unsafe boater.