Boating Unknown Waters

Not every navigational hazard shows up on a chart. If you plan to visit to a new inlet or harbor, plan ahead! Acquire some local knowledge by bit using the Internet and checking local boating forums, or even calling a harbor master. If the urge strikes you to be a Columbus and explore unknown waters while already on your boat, you don’t have to go there blind, the Coast Guard VHF Channel 16 can help. If you have a smartphone you can easily acquire local knowledge about the local flora and fauna – or hostile natives. Many inlets have webcams for viewing of conditions in real-time.

Don’t play” follow the leader”. Following behind a boat when you’re in an unfamiliar area may seem like a good idea, but assuming that the other boat knows more about the area that you do can be a mistake. All you might do by “following the leader” is to watch the other boat run aground a few minutes before you do. Never assume the other boat’s captain is smarter than you are.

The exception is commercial vessels who enter and leave local harbors daily. Observing how they approach can help you learn where to go and what to avoid. But the one hazard of that is they don’t always see you.

They’re busy doing their job, not necessarily paying attention to you, and captains piloting from the helm of a large vessel might not even see you from the bridge, there’s a blind spot in front of a large vessel about the length of three football fields from the bow. You can see them, but they might not see you.

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