Here is is in a nutshell. It's called "The Rule of Tonage." I outweigh
you
by . . . well, by a lot of times. In an encounter between my boat and
yours, yours, and you, will be crushed. If you aren't, you'll be turned
into hamburger, or fish chum if you prefer, by the propellers on the
back,
that are turned, slow or fast, by more than 300 horsepower each. It's
call
survival. Ignoring it is commonly referred to as testing Darwin's theory.
They have awards, issued poshumously, for thost that do.

Good to know. Just by choosing to be a kayaker you'll be a strong
contender for the Darwin's awards.

Not at all. Your question was why you have to give way. The answer is
because you don't stand a chance if you don't. Just like motorcyclists, the
one most likely to die in an accident is the one that had better make sure
one doesn't happen.

But since I consider myself a SITTING DUCK, I'm actually doing little
to deserve that award. The motorboat driver is better qualified. He's
playing the SHARK here.

Only if you assume that he's trying to get you. If he was, you'd be the
first to know. I suppose if a rock were falling, you'd step under it and
blame the rock for hitting you.

If the drivers of those motorboats are captains, then I'm the captain
of my kayak.

OK with me.

Crossing the channel, whether by paddle or by motorboat, is a lot like
crossing any other highway. You would be ill advised to pull out right in
front of a boat operated by a captain with more knowledge and experience
than your appear to have, operating at a legal speed, not intoxicated,
just
like you would be ill advised to push your skateboard out in front of
traffic traveling at the speed limit on I-95. You're the one entering the
channel. You're the one responsible for doing it safely. Imagine that.

Ha, ha, ha. The sitting duck is responsible for sitting there...

Were you sitting there or crossing the channel? Make up your mind.

Now you explain to me how a 4mph kayak dodges a 40mph motorboats. A
lot of praying, right?

You don't. You give way. It appears you had the answer to your question
all along. You just don't like it.

You don't know that at all. There are rules for who has the right of way
on
the ocean as well. Have you bothered to research them?

Why research them if they are not practiced?

So you know what they are and can act accordingly?
So you can report those that fail to abide by them?

Did you learn the rules of driving even though they are routinely violated?

The only de facto law is law of the jungle, as I said before.

If you believe that, then quit your complaining. You chose to be low on the
food chain. They chose not to be. They benefit and suffer for their
choices. You benefit and suffer for yours. If you don't like it, change
your choice.

And if it is in the books so the books must be changed because the lawyers
(who work
for the motorboat industry) are NOT considering kayaks when writing them.

You don't know what the laws are, but you know what those that wrote them
were thinking?

The lawyers that wrote the laws were not, in fact, working for the motorboat
industry. If they were, there would be no give way rules for sailboats and
their damned sure would be no manatee zones where there are not, normally,
any manatees.

It was plain intimidation at worst, or simply ignoring the kayak the
way you would ignore, say, an ant. Do you change your course over an
ant?

Sometimes.

I will grant you that it would have been nice for him to give you a bit
more
room. I make a habit of doing that for vessels small enough that going
behind them, through their wake, is not a problem while forcing them to
go
through mine might be. On the other hand, if you were paddling into his
path, you also had the option to give yourself more room.

Which means, I should stop paddling and become a sitting duck, not a
slow duck.

Which means that paddling into the path of an oncoming speeding boat is kind
of stupid. Refer back to the Darwin discussion.

You know my strategy? Just ignore him, and go on living like this is
my last day.

Works for me, but it makes me wonder why you're complaining here.

Lee


Mostly, I think you think you should have equal rights and you're not
happy
that you weren't able to impose your will on those bigger than you are. I
have the same problems with cops. You'll get over it. I did.

Lee

Hey, don't generalize. Some cops are good just as some boaters are
good, and even deserve to be called captains.