Sobering thought worth thinking about

 

I was busy cleaning out my laptop of old writings and as usual, became sidetracked reading something I wrote.  I immediately noticed punctuation and other errors but more than that, I vividly remembered the situation I had written about and how shaken I was.  I remember thinking that perhaps risking my family's lives was not my decision to make.  I remember considering turning around and quitting boating right then and there.

I hope I have caught the attention of others like me.  Below is the gist of what I wrote almost ten years ago.

Crossing Rosario Strait and heading into

 Thatcher Pass

We were all staring out the front and not paying attention to our sideways set (side drift) when out of the corner of my eye I caught a movement that turned out to be rocks coming at us fast. (full flood must have been 3+ knots) The current was forcing us sideways straight onto the rocks of tiny Pointer Island. I swung hard over and pushed her to full throttle, our outboard barely pulled us away with one hundred feet and two or three seconds to spare. I shuddered thinking of my family on board and almost quit boating right then and there.

While we’re talking currents, I am sure you know that your boat will be dragged sideways whilst you drive forward when crossing a channel or fast water.  It is very easy to not pay enough attention to the currents “set and drift” and what’s on the side of your boat. Let’s put it simpler, if you’re driving forward and looking forward you will miss what you’re actually heading for sideways.   It is easy when close to hazards to allow yourself to be dragged into them because you are looking where you want to go, and not watching where you are really going.    Please re-read that last sentence and get it into your default system, it may save your boat.  Disasters take only seconds to happen.

I have located Pointer Island in Rosario Strait below, the link will take you to it and show you how on the rocks we would have been.