Running Inlets

[JoeLongo]

Thanks for talking me out of getting a boat Gerry

[DMac]

I was running a 23 CC Mako now downsized to a 17CC. I run the ocean but pick my days. i was out a few days people would have called me crazy, but I have been on a boat since I was 9 months old and running them since a child. I came into belmar inlet one day and it was nasty. My point is somedays being in a small boat has its advantages. I went in that inlet staight as an arrow while any boat over say 23-25 feet was getting tossed back and forth like a rag doll. Saw a 36 Luhrs spin completely sideways in front of me. I just worked my throttle. to keep me where I wanted to be and left plenty of space between me and boat in front of me. Also saw someone panic and almost put there boat on the rocks. Worst thing you can do in bad conditions is panic. You can be nervous, because that is nature and will make you more observant, but panic will get you killed.

[Gerry Zagorski]

For sure Dmac. Bigger is not always better.... Smaller boats are a lot more nimble, especially in close quarters like an inlet... Their ability to turn on a dime and power up quickly helps a great deal. Point in case, I've seen some Wave Runners run some pretty nasty inlets when larger boats had a more difficult time.

And you are right.... The worst thing to do is panic.

I was coming into the Belmar inlet once.... We had run down from Sandy Hook and the east wind started honking pretty good. It was bumpy and we took a few over the bow when runing the ocean, but were never in any danger. Every time we'd take some water over the bow the 2 women we had with us were screaming... "OMG were gonna die" sort of stuff....

As I approached the inlet I knew it was going to be a bit nasty because we had an outgoing tide and the waves were standing up. I slowed the boat down well outside the inlet and told the ladies.... "Look.... You want to get in safely right? Well, we are in no immediate danger but I need to really concetrate when we go through the inlet, so could the 2 of you please calm down so I can take us in"...I'm sure my words were a bit more forcefull and colorful then that, but I needed them to get ahold of themsleves and stop screaming so I could concentrate.

I waited for a few minutes and you could see that there was a definate cadence to the seas. The waves would come in sets and then you'd get a lul.. I timed it so we went in behind a set and we hardly even got a splash on the windshield.

Take your time, be observant and don't panic and you can get through just about anything.

[DMac]

Originally Posted by Gerry Zagorski

For sure Dmac. Bigger is not always better.... Smaller boats are a lot more nimble, especially in close quarters like an inlet... Their ability to turn on a dime and power up quickly helps a great deal. Point in case, I've seen some Wave Runners run some pretty nasty inlets when larger boats had a more difficult time.

And you are right.... The worst thing to do is panic.

I was coming into the Belmar inlet once.... We had run down from Sandy Hook and the east wind started honking pretty good. It was bumpy and we took a few over the bow when runing the ocean, but were never in any danger. Every time we'd take some water over the bow the 2 women we had with us were screaming... "OMG were gonna die" sort of stuff....

As I approached the inlet I knew it was going to be a bit nasty because we had an outgoing tide and the waves were standing up. I slowed the boat down well outside the inlet and told the ladies.... "Look.... You want to get in safely right? Well, we are in no immediate danger but I need to really concetrate when we go through the inlet, so could the 2 of you please calm down so I can take us in"...I'm sure my words were a bit more forcefull and colorful then that, but I needed them to get ahold of themsleves and stop screaming so I could concentrate.

I waited for a few minutes and you could see that there was a definate cadence to the seas. The waves would come in sets and then you'd get a lul.. I timed it so we went in behind a set and we hardly even got a splash on the windshield.

Take your time, be observant and don't panic and you can get through just about anything.

I must give my crew that day credit they gave me the look like they were saying we trust you, but I did reassure them before we made the run in that I was confident in how to approach it. once we broke the bridge my one buddy said to me I am glad you were behind the wheel because I would have been a mess. It was nasty especially for being in a 17 foot center, but the seas were not that bad at all it was just the way the wind and tide were running that made the inlet angry. didn't help that people were not working their throttle just running and gunning and getting tossed all over.

You are right nothing worst than a panic stricken crew. If anything would happen you need them to be able to respond.

I came thru that inlet with engine problems in my 23 footer due to ethanol fuel breaking free deposits blocking my carb fuel filter. now that was scary. what I did was idol outside to let fuel build up in carb and then made a mad dash and just as I broke into no wake had it spudder starving for fuel.

[seadog]

No such thing as to much good boat handeling advice. Also no substiute for having proper safty equip either. Life jackets should always have whistle And light or glow stick, throwable flotion device ( I like keeping A Mustang stick in addition to this) water proof portable radio also good idea. Also I'm fond of the inflatable life belts, especilly in cold weather conditions. Due to the comfort of thies belts I find people more inclinded to wear them. Last but not least portable EPRIBs have really come down in price ( pretty affordable now). Might be worth a 2ed look for a lot of boaters. There should also be a plan in place for getting some out of the water if they do fall overboard,this may not be as easy as you think. As stated before PANIC makes any bad situation worse. A calm (even fake calm) Capt. will help keep the crew at ease. Years ago I used to teach non swims in NAVY boat Camp and you would be amazed how quickly people can panic when it comes to water. The calmer they can stay the easier it is to respond safely to adverse conditions.

[mickrazz]

Thanks for some very good info Jerry. You really ARE a nice guy.

[DMac]

Originally Posted by seadog

No such thing as to much good boat handeling advice. Also no substiute for having proper safty equip either. Life jackets should always have whistle And light or glow stick, throwable flotion device ( I like keeping A Mustang stick in addition to this) water proof portable radio also good idea. Also I'm fond of the inflatable life belts, especilly in cold weather conditions. Due to the comfort of thies belts I find people more inclinded to wear them. Last but not least portable EPRIBs have really come down in price ( pretty affordable now). Might be worth a 2ed look for a lot of boaters. There should also be a plan in place for getting some out of the water if they do fall overboard,this may not be as easy as you think. As stated before PANIC makes any bad situation worse. A calm (even fake calm) Capt. will help keep the crew at ease. Years ago I used to teach non swims in NAVY boat Camp and you would be amazed how quickly people can panic when it comes to water. The calmer they can stay the easier it is to respond safely to adverse conditions.

They make a light stick kit now that you can carry and I personally carry on my own boat that has a white light for stern and a green and red light stick for your bow in case you have malfunctioning navigational lights. Only thing they should add are some zip ties to attach them but I just personally threw them in. You never know when you might have a light go out on you, altough you might be able to fix the problem like a light bulb, fuse etc at sea you also might have something you cant fix. Its a cheap addition to your safety gear that might come in useful for some other situation.