Power Boat Etiquette

[Freebird2]

As a past sailor but now a power boater I am interested in other sailors thoughts and comments on power boat do’s and don’t as far as passing by sailboats while I’m up on plane. At 29 feet with a 21 degree vee it does create a substantial wake.

[twinsdad]

Appreciate your concern for the sailing community. Passing behind a sailboat is much kinder that passing in front. Leaving some distance between the two of you and signaling intentions as early as possible are also helpful to sailors. Happy boating.

[CapTim]

+1 to passing astern. why'd you switch to powerboating?

[Siamese]

do - stay home
don't - use your boat.

That's pretty much it

[Freebird2]

Thanks for the passing astern recomendation. That's real easy to implement.

I'm still a sailor at heart but with a strong desire to cruise Puget Sound, San Juan Islands and Candian Gulf Islands while living in the 40 hour work week world. At 25 kts I can cover a lot of water in a three day weekend. Also, sadly most of the sailboats I pass in these waters are motoring. With fickle winds and strong curents these are not good waters for destination sailing.

An additional reality is that I was never able to get the spouse on the foredeck or at the helm and I got tired of begging for crew. Strangely she loves powerboating but still doesn't want the helm.

On retuning from our recent cruise to the San Juans I was reflecting on the choices I was making when encountering sailboats and decided to log on here and ask the people in the sailboats about the best approach to passing.

For example, when I am overtaking a sailboat does it help if I swing wide so that the wake comes more at an angle then broadside? Does it help if I get in the wake of another power boat that is also passing you thereby reducing two wakes to one?

[Siamese]

Actually, I wouldn't sweat it that much. All I ask from any other boater, power or sail, is that you know the rules and keep as much distance from other boats as possible.

I do my best to be aware of who is the stand-on boat and who is the give-way boat, and will do my best to let the other boat see what my intentions are from a good distance.

It's annoying when another sailor demonstrates that they don't know or care what they're doing and then pass too closely....it's scary when a power boater passes too closely, simply because of the speed involved. Coupled with a lot of drinking out on the water. Yikes.

So, a wake is really the least of my worries. Given the choice, I'd take it anywhere but on the beam, though.

Last summer, we visited the port to the south of us...much busier than ours. When powerboats in the 40 plus range get to the end of the channel separating the inland lake from Lake Michigan, some of them go from no wake speed to full throttle while close to other boats. They dig a hole and throw an incredible wake. We saw a guy do this and never look back at the mayhem he caused. Later that day, we heard a distress call and follow-up by the coast guard. One of those hole-diggers flipped a 16 foot runabout.

Sounds to me like you're courteous out on the water. Good enough.

[CapTim]

Ahh.. yes... all good reasons to be a powerboater. And as you point out.. in many waters - especially those - a lot of 'sailors' turn into powerboaters anyway. You just get to do it faster

As to thoughts about the waves, I wouldn't bother concerning yourself. Boats under sail are remarkably sturdy.. you'll have a hard time upsetting a sailboat with your wake. But any boat (sail or power) should give plenty of berth when overtaking another.

Sailboats, when tacking, will alter course 90 to 100 degrees and cover a few boat lengths in very short order. As long as you aren't close enough for that to become a problem, you can't go wrong.

We don't care to admit it often, but power boaters have as much right to the water as anybody. Pass astern, leave room to maneuver, and occasionally pass a beer. Everything else is gravy

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by Freebird2

Thanks for the passing astern recomendation. That's real easy to implement.

I'm still a sailor at heart but with a strong desire to cruise Puget Sound, San Juan Islands and Candian Gulf Islands while living in the 40 hour work week world. At 25 kts I can cover a lot of water in a three day weekend. Also, sadly most of the sailboats I pass in these waters are motoring. With fickle winds and strong curents these are not good waters for destination sailing.

An additional reality is that I was never able to get the spouse on the foredeck or at the helm and I got tired of begging for crew. Strangely she loves powerboating but still doesn't want the helm.

On retuning from our recent cruise to the San Juans I was reflecting on the choices I was making when encountering sailboats and decided to log on here and ask the people in the sailboats about the best approach to passing.

For example, when I am overtaking a sailboat does it help if I swing wide so that the wake comes more at an angle then broadside? Does it help if I get in the wake of another power boat that is also passing you thereby reducing two wakes to one?

Hey, thanks for asking.

Here on the Chesapeake, wakes can be a real issue in narrow channels and tributaries. Compared even to large seas, modest wakes can actually be more dangerous for other boaters. Wakes tend to be fast moving, with closely spaced, steep-sided waves. (The only wave-damage we've ever sustained was from a powerboat wake.)

I would say, try to keep your wake as small and as far away as reasonably possible from other boats. Passing astern of sailboats, especially in light air, is preferred - when there isn't much wind, a large wake on the bow can stop a sailboat dead in the water, leaving no steerage.

Don't transition from displacement to planing speeds when adjacent to other boats. The dig-in of the hull creates a huge monster wake -- far worse than when on full plane at high speed.

Also, just stay WELL clear of other boats when travelling at high speed. If you are going to pass head-on in a narrow channel, don't go playing chicken with the on-coming boat. Slow it down and give every one room/time to maneuver/react in case there's a sudden change of course by one or the other boat.

Don't set the boat on autopilot and then leave the helm/watch. Yes, sailboaters sometimes do this too, and I'm not saying it's okay. But the difference is that a powerboat up on plane is a seriously deadly projectile, and slower boats can't get out of their way. Maintain a watch at all times, even on autopilot.

Anyway, sounds like you've chosen a good boat for your cruising grounds. That's a nice corner of the world you live in -- have fun exploring!

[dhays]

Originally Posted by Freebird2

I'm still a sailor at heart but with a strong desire to cruise Puget Sound, San Juan Islands and Candian Gulf Islands while living in the 40 hour work week world. At 25 kts I can cover a lot of water in a three day weekend. Also, sadly most of the sailboats I pass in these waters are motoring. With fickle winds and strong curents these are not good waters for destination sailing.

As a Puget Sound sailor, I really appreciate the concern. You're right. Much of the time I'm motoring, not sailing. If the wind is good and I'm sailing, powerboat wakes are much less of an issue. However, when I'm motoring along at 5 knots, the wake is a big issue.
Several things I can think of.

1. Either go slow enough to not leave much of a wake, or stay up on a plane. It is when a planing hull is halfway between a true displacement speed and a plane that the wake is really bad.

2. When overtaking and passing, leave a wide separation. I'm amazed at how little separation many large power boats leave. Angling away from astern is fine as it leaves the wake more on my stern, but when you angle back in now your wake will heat me beam on. Just leave a LOT of room when passing me. That reduces the wake tremendously.

3. No wake zones mean NO WAKE.

4. Look behind you. I think that most power boaters just have no idea of the effect of their wake simply because they never look behind them. Sailors are always looking behind us because we are afraid of some power boater crawling up our ass without looking. When you pass another boat, particularly a slow one, watch to see what your wake does to the boat and then you will be able to help modify your piloting to reduce the impact.

[josrulz]

Freebird2, I just want to say thank you for asking. Courtesy on the water (and awareness of rules) is needed from both sailors and powerboaters, and is most welcome. I think you've gotten some good tips from others here. Thanks again, and happy boating!
-J