"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 9 Jun 2006 17:49:56 -0400, JimH penned the following well
considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

We have all heard the warning from NOAA weather........'small craft
advisory'.

So what exactly is a small craft?

Somehow and somewhere, I committed to memory that "small craft" is
anything under 24 meters.... so definitely is applies to 99.94% of all
of us....

Whatever official number is given.... I have never assumed that I had
sufficient male genitalia to cast off contrary to a USCG warning of
"small craft advisory" and have never found myself in true peril!

There are always enough housekeeping duties tied dockside that allow
consumption of copious quantities of grog that will assuage the cares
of even the most bold of pilots such that the hobby is rendered both
pleasant and safe......

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
http://myworkshop.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide
http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats

We were spending a few days at the Leamington (Canada) public marina with
friends of ours several years ago. They had (still have) a 26 foot Lyman
hardtop, single inboard drive. We had a 32 foot cruiser with twin I/O's.

The Lake (Erie) kicked up the evening before we were to leave and got worse
the next morning, the time of our planned departure, The marina offered us
dockage space (although they were booked with incoming boats w/reservations)
which I was willing to take them up on. My friend, however, said he/they
must leave even though there were 5-7 foot waves out on the Lake (quite
different from 5-7 footers on most any other body of water due to the fact
that Lake Erie is so shallow).

I was not about to let our friends return home on their own so we set up for
a very rough ride home. We led the way and never got over 15 mph, mainly
running at 10 MPH (fast for Chuck).. Our friends were close behind us and
although we broke the waves for them they often saw waves coming over their
windshield. We made it home OK, although just a bit shaken.

The point of my story.......we passed at least a dozen boats (in the 21 to
30 foot range) drift fishing in those seas!