Boat Overcrowding

Boat Overcrowding

We are on a section of river that the speed of boats is not limited. There is a public boat ramp near by and because of it, this section of the river has a fair number of pleasure boaters. The boats speed up and down the river, pulling skiers and inflatables and the other things speed boaters do. I think it is nice when they do it safe. What I see too often is a boat that has too many people on it to be safe.

The capsize of a boat can happen in a flash, and when there are too many on board the people cannot do much when the boat starts to go. The number of passengers that a boat can carry safely is specified by the boat maker. One would think it would also be simple logic.

When I see a boat that is way overloaded, I always wonder if there is a life jacket for all of them. I saw a boat coming off the boat ramp dock the other day overloaded and full of kids. The kids at least had life jackets on. It looked like a refugee boat from Cuba. If the boat capsized, I could see in my mind that the boat motor would pull the stern down and the bow would point skyward. The kids would bob around the boat in their jackets and the adults without jackets would be trying to hold on to the upward pointing bow.

If that happened I would try to get as many kids on my sail boat as possible, but it would be slow with the sail boat. Kids and Women first!

We were out sailing the other day and passed a power boat that was having motor trouble. As we approached I ask my wife if we should offer them a tow. To be towed back to the dock by a sailboat under sail and with a trolling motor would have to be embarrassing. I asked if we could be of any help when we got near enough to talk to them. They declined our offer, and a Man on a cell phone told us that he had a friend on his way. We offered to stick around, but he said there was no need. I figured we would be not too far away anyway if he changed his mind. It would have been fun to tow him back to the dock. 8-)