Boating – May 2018

24 | BOATINGMAG.COM | MAY 2018

SEAMANSHIP By Pete McDonald

Over the years, all of us have

run the boat through the same

area without incident. But this

time, my brother heard the

sickening thud of our out-

board’s lower unit being

sheared off by a submerged

boulder. It’s a rock that, when

water levels are normal, hides

below the surface at a deep

enough depth to allow safe

passage. That season, however,

the water levels had dropped

to 20-year lows, turning areas

we could normally navigate in

our sleep into danger zones.

Changing water levels is

just one hazard among many

on rivers, as well as lakes sub-

ject to flow control by dams.

Here are a few other things to

concern yourself with when

boating on lakes and rivers.

FRESH

PERSPECTIVE

Boating in lakes and rivers has its own set of

navigational challenges.

UNMARKED HAZARDS

Many smaller bodies of water

have not been charted, and

on many that have been, the

charts do not contain exten-

sive detail in areas outside

the main channels. Use

extreme caution to avoid

shoals as well as unknown

obstacles such as rocks, sub-

merged tree stumps and even

old dock structures. Rivers

with strong currents can also

contain hard-to-spot floating

debris, or deadheads, which

are logs or felled trees sub-

merged just under the sur-

face with only a portion visi-

ble. If you spot something

small on the surface, remem-

ber the iceberg effect and

prepare to encounter some-

thing much larger under the

water. Slow down and give

such floaters a wide berth.

BLIND CURVES

Oxbows and other bends in

rivers are great for fishing but

can be terrible for boaters try-

ing to pass through them.

Why? Sometimes you can’t

see what’s coming around the

bend the other way.

Navigational rules call for

boaters to keep to the right to

pass each other, but not every-

one follows the rules. Though

they shouldn’t, I’ve seen peo-

ple anchored in blind spots in

river bends, focused on fish-

ing, expecting other boaters to

watch out for them. Or I’ve

seen giant commercial barges

approaching a bend from the

other direction, taking up

almost the entire width of the

waterway. Best to approach

river bends with caution,

either off plane or at a very

slow planing speed, and be

prepared to take evasive

action if necessary.

ROUGH WATERS

On a narrow body of water

with a shallow depth, wind

can churn up tight-period

waves at a moment’s notice.

I’ve seen it happen on rivers,

and on small lakes nestled in

low valleys that act as wind

funnels when it blows in the

right direction. Once, while

boating in Whitewater Bay (a

shallow tidal saltwater lake in

the Ten Thousand Islands in

Florida), the winds kicked

the waves up so high and

tight that we could see

exposed bottom in the

troughs. We had no choice

but to hop up on plane and

run along the tops the waves

at an aggressive speed.

Though the ride proved

uncomfortable — jarring

even — we managed to keep

the keel and the propeller

from bottoming out.

COMMERCIAL TRAFFIC

On the St. Lawrence near my

family’s place, Great Lakers

pass through the shipping

channel on a daily basis,

throwing huge wakes that can

swamp small boats if they are

unprepared. Boaters at

anchor, hopefully smartly well

away from the shipping chan-

nel, should be at the ready to

quickly raise the hook if a ship

is set to pass nearby. Boaters

underway should approach

the rollers like ocean waves,

crossing the wakes at an angle

and using the boat’s trim to

avoid swamping, rolling or

stuffing the bow. On other

small rivers I’ve boated in the

South, barge traffic can cause

the same problems while also

taking up almost all of the

navigable channel. It’s best to

find a spot in deep-enough

water outside their course and

let them pass.

A few years ago, my brother was

cruising in our family boat along

the shoreline of an island in the

St. Lawrence River.

ILLUSTRATION: TIM BOWER