Had a close call two weekends ago in the 1000 islands region. Was going in between islands at a high rate of speed, a jet ski came from my starboard side, looked over as if they were going to try to run with us. They came close to being in my path, looked again, then cut over into my path as I was catching up. These two girls missed the side of my bow by inches, you can see them fly by in this video, I was doing 88 mph at the time. What you can't see in the video is them nearly perpendicular to my bow, the video catches them turning away. Wonder what they said when they got back to camp? I tried to give them more room but as you can see there is an island on my port side and I was already turning away from them.


Excuse the editing, it is my friend Mike who thinks he is funny :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS7hpstIwbM

Sorry to say it but they had the right of way as you were overtaking them, and you were on on their port side. Judging from their wake the girls were the stand on boat and you were the give way boat. If you were going 88 mph I'm sure it was hard to judge your distance from their perspective. You should have slowed down, especially in such close proximity to land and another vessel.

yeah unless in the main channel I wouldnt be running 88mph between islands up there.

I was in lake of the isles

They saw me, came to me, decided to run next to me, I started slightly turning away to the left, they turned away to the right then darted hard to the left. I don;t care what side they are on, I don't change lanes on the highway without looking, and I don't my vessel darting all over without looking.

The land looks closer on the camera than it is in real life, plenty of room to let your boat eat in that lake.

I don't drive my boat wide open everywhere. Do what you want but I am not going to get off the sticks every time I see a boat or ski.

Do you only look on your right side when boating? Cause the boats on the left don't have the right of way?

you talking that island in the middle out there, yeah I usually play it safe running through there, usually some dick in the middle fishing or somebody canoeing.

One thing to that I have always tried to think about is whatever boat that is smaller and more manueverable should yield the right away whenever possible.

I would have to say people in the cruisers drive like dicks

I should count myself lucky. Not many jet skis on the Pacific. Too wavy. They get just outside the breakwater, and most turn back. Then as they are coming back, the Coast Guard gets on their PA system, "Jet Ski, 5 mph". I love it. I've also seen the Harbor Patrol go after them even outside the 5 mph zone if they are causing trouble, with lights and siren going. A lot of people have Marine VHF radios and call them in.

Michael

Ha... 93-94 I did research and distruction for mastercraft..they had a line of PWC's out called wetjets. We would go out of San Diego in the ocean, and go WFO to see who stayed on the longest. Right at the end of Point Loma its shallow and the waves break, we would regularly catch 15' of air luching surf. I can remeber going out on easter when there was a decent storm, and launching off house size swells .

I had an idiot almost hit me on a wave runner while I was anchored at Grass Island in Buffalo NY. I got in between him and my boat(6 inches) from hitting my port side, I was going to let him hit me before my boat. I told him to learn how to ride, but I honestly don't think he was mentally all there because he almost hit my buddies Excalibur 10 minutes later. I barely swerve out the way for them anymore, its there responsibility to get out of the way, just like its mine to get out of the way of a yacht.