Follow-up: Big Motorboats, What Gives?

Wow! After this little bit of informal research, we’re sorry to report that the phenomenon of big motorboats nearly running over smaller boats and sailboats is hardly uncommon. As evidence, just take a look at the 30+ comments you left recounting various horror stories.

Here are couple more notes we received:

Ken Preston wrote: I am less willing to believe in malignant thought or thoughtlessness, and more inclined to believe in autopilot connected to a chartplotter with waypoints established to take the vessel without human hands from breakwater to breakwater, with the expectation that human eyes and brains would be in attendance. How often people are below decks away from the helm for whatever reason is not something I can guess at, but I wouldn't doubt for a minute that that explains such incidents more often than not. The lookout looking directly at you could easily have been a clueless passenger and completely paralyzed on your behalf. The skipper might have been in the head or the galley, or just simply not paying attention himself.

I would say that passing within a few hundred feet drawing an enormous wake is more likely deliberate, and you can put any explanation you like to that. Most likely the villain in that case is usually a quarter mile away by the time he breaks all the dishes in your galley. Thus never even noticed.

Mike Morris writes: Some years back I trailered my 23-foot Venture of Newport  from London Ontario to Sarasota to meet with two other TSA boats from New Hampshire. I arrived a couple of days before the others so I sailed up to St Pete and overnighted in a small bay by the Desota monument. Next day I sailed back to Sarasota. Upon entering the Intracoastal Waterway and coming  to the first lift bridge I hailed the bridge operator asking when the next opening would  be. He said I had a 15 minute wait. I decided to wait and with the motor in reverse idling to keep my position just above the bridge. Off in the distance I could hear the sound of a big cruiser coming at high speed. This guy had it timed perfect arriving as the bridge opened and I was nicely under the bridge. Not slowing at all his wake set my boat on its side. I feared the masthead might hit the bridge abutments. The bridge operator radioed  the operator telling him he was in a no wake zone and to slow down to which the skipper told him to go to hell. As I approached the next bridge I saw the Coast Guard had the speeder trapped between the two bridges. Sometimes there is justice.