This is a story about making sure you are prepared and plan well ahead for any boating activity. Murphy’s Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. On the water, this is amplified even more because you are responsible for your own safety. Being safe on the water means taking extra precautions.
A few years ago, I was lucky that the boating season started a little earlier for us, since the milder weather arrived earlier and there wasn’t much to do to get the boat ready for launch. After just some basic spring commissioning work, we were ready for the season.
The anticipation of starting the boating season early
The only problem was that the month of May was very wet that year and I needed to watch for a good weather window in which I could safely bring the boat to the home port. Back then, there wasn’t anywhere close to store the boat for the winter, so it was about a 3 hour cruise from winter storage to our summer marina. Finally, it looked like we were going to get a break in the wet weather and an opportunity to bring the boat home opened up. In hindsight, I think I was probably looking for any break, however slight it might be, because I was excited to get started on the boating season. Although I was keeping a close eye on the weather, I probably should’ve opted for a much better window of opportunity.
The boating cruise to remember forever
On the day prior to the trip home, the weather was beautiful, sunny and warm; but of course on the day we were going to leave it turned cloudy and threatened to rain. It was the calm before the storm. NOAA weather indicated a storm front moving in over the next day or so and lingering for the better part of a week. We decided to take the 3hr ride home that morning to try and beat the incoming storms.
The trip home consists of leaving the inland waterway through an inlet, then proceeding north along the coast to the New York harbor and into our marina. At a slow pace, it can take 3 to 4 hours.
Upon departure, it was quite calm and the channel leading to the inlet was full of small center consoles either fishing or returning from fishing excursions from the early morning. Near the mouth of the inlet, there was quite a gathering of all types of boats idling or anchored and everyone had their fishing rods out.
Of course, as it usually is, the inlet was rough. The tide was going out, while there was an offshore wind pushing the ocean water into the inlet. So at the mouth of the inlet, waves were being created by the collision of the 2 opposing forces. We proceeded with caution down the center of the inlet and I watched the waves build while we went straight up and straight down the other side. We had to hold on quite well at this point as the boat was being rocked and although moving along slowly, the bow still launched over the top of the waves and came straight down into the trough before the next wave raised it again.
For what seemed like eternity (even though it was no more than 2 minutes), I saw that the ocean was much more flat with only mild rollers. As if to say goodbye, the inlet showed us one more time how water collides and we went straight up what seemed like a 10 foot wave and came down the other side. I do believe I heard a scream next to me! I was still in full control of the boat and the distance between waves meant there wasn’t any risk of swamping the bow.
We luckily moved past this large wave swiftly and came out on a rolling ocean. I don’t think I could have turned around and gone back into the inlet as we would have had a large following sea riding our behind and I would be concerned about it swamping the rear of the boat. So we continued on.
The rest of the trip paled in comparison to those few minutes coming out of the inlet. Although there were waves, they felt smooth and we simply glided up and over them. The ocean was not rough, just nice rollers coming through so it didn’t pose any concerns. Once we got to the NY harbor, the clouds never let any sunshine in and we were happy to be seeing our marina come ever closer.
Staying safe on the water
In retrospect, we probably shouldn’t have gone out through the inlet at the time. Wind and tide going in opposite directions can make some gnarly waves, especially in a narrow inlet. But once I committed to going out, there was no way to turn back halfway through, nor after.
The lesson here is that don’t let your excitement or schedule cloud your judgement when it comes to staying safe on the water and especially watch the weather. There are many things that can go wrong when you’re out on the water, but I find that knowing the weather conditions and what your boat can handle are two of the most important things.
We always wear our life jackets since we believe anything can happen, and better to be prepared than try to scramble while trying to figure out what other things are going on. We talk about having the best life jacket for sailing and other activities throughout this site. The last thing I want to be doing is digging out my life jacket if I have to attend to some other emergency (anything from the engine dying, to suddenly taking on water due to a hose breaking etc.).
But back to my main point, watch the weather and get information about the course you’re going to take from others if you can, so that you can be prepared for what is ahead of you. We all get caught by mother nature when she springs surprises on us, so the best thing we can do is be well prepared for the unexpected, and have a plan that focuses on safety.
We no longer keep our boat in that area and no longer have to make a trip offshore to bring our boat out for the summer, but we’ve done it many times in the past, and this was definitely the trip to remember and reflect upon. Glad that it didn’t turn out worse and that we were able to stay safe on the water and enjoy our summer!