On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 15:56:24 -0500, Larry wrote:

Vic Smith wrote in
:

Always be attentive.


Along that thought, I'd like to plug this into your thinking.....

Suppose you are in one corner of a 1/4 full WalMart parking lot that has
no malls to obstruct any path you take. Noone is watching and you want
to go to the other corner by driving across the lot, not following the
little lane lines painted on the ground. We've all done it.

Notice how carefully you drive kitty corner across the parking lot, very
carefully looking out to see if anyone from any other direction is on a
collision course with you. Notice how, every time you come to a vehicle
that blocks your wide vision, you slow down even a little and look around
him to make sure another car isn't hidden by the stupid SUVbeast some mom
parked there. You arrive on the other side of the parking lot, having
successfully pulled this off, spitting in the face of the authority who
painted the lanes, and feel a great sigh of relief you made it without
hitting anything.

That's EXACTLY how you should drive your pretty new boat across the
harbor, carefully picking your way across the lanes, marked or unmarked,
used by the rest of us. There's only one difference. You must also look
UNDER your boat to make sure the bottom isn't coming up to meet your keel
and that amazingly expensive underwater propulsion unit with the prop
screwed onto it. Think of it as a roof over the Walmart parking lot
that, in odd places, comes almost down to the pavement as if it has
collapsed. It's just upside down from the bottom of the harbor in the
boat. Don't hesitate to install a SONAR to help you look DOWN. You
can't see the bottom from where you're sitting unless you buy a glass-
bottomed boat!...(c;

You'll do fine. You're thinking! That puts you in the top 10% of the
people behind boat steering wheels, already!...(c; Thanks for
thinking...

Larry, you got me thinking again, and a bit confused. I agree with
what you said about crossing the parking lot. *If* visibility is good
and other circumstances make it worthwhile, I've done it. Not to go
fast, because cutting the lanes carefully can take as long as using
the "normal" lanes.
I've done it to keep away from other vehicles in the lanes.
Since I don't have the boating/navigation experience, or awareness of
laws/enforcement, my thought was I will always be in "normal" traffic
lanes when on the water. And BTW, I see the biggest risk on the water
to be other boats. I might be able to influence others' action by
mine, but the bottom line is I have no control over other boats.
My highway driving is also geared to keep me away from other vehicles.
I plan to do that on water too, but never thought about in the context
of cutting across a parking lot where lanes of navigation are laid
out. But then I'm not yet familiar with water markers.
I'm planning on getting a skiff that will draw 6-10 inches, depending
on whether I get a 17' or 24.' I will have a good depth finder.
Having read many incidents of wake-swamping I want to stay away from
large watercraft whenever possible, but make that my goal with all
other watercraft.
Since I'm never in a hurry (looming weather could change that) and
will be driving a shallow-draft boat, you seem to be giving me driving
options I never thought I had. I like it.
I know that water/bottom conditions where you boat might be different
than the Charlotte harbor area, but can you give this newbie a couple
quick personal examples of how you put this to use?
Thanks.

--Vic