28 | BOATINGMAG.COM | FEBRUARY 2018THE GREAT ESCAPE
Always have a Plan B in place in case the weather goes bad.
WANTED: YOUR STORIES Share your boating mistakes and mishaps so that your
fellow boaters might learn from your experience. Send us your first-person accounts, includ-
ing what went wrong, what you’d do differently, your name and your city, to editor@boating
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$100 West Marine gift card.T
he plan sounded good. I would cross Chesapeake Bay aboard my
16-foot outboard-powered Dory skiff for a weekend of hanging out
with friends during Downrigging Weekend, an annual event held the
last weekend of October in Chestertown, Maryland.
The weather report stated wind from the northwest at 17 to 23 mph, gusting
to 34, with seas of 2 to 3 feet — borderline conditions for a boat like mine. But
I balanced this against my years of experience operating small craft. Besides,
my John Dory skiff is seaworthy for its size. I had made all preparations and
communicated my plans to my wife
and friends. I had plenty of fuel, oars,
a GPS and waterproof VHF, required
safety gear, good ground tackle, and
even a drogue/sea anchor, should that
be needed.
I set out. Halfway across the 10 miles
of open water, it became tough to steer.
Then the waves steepened consider-
ably. While surfing down a large wave,
the outboard motor clicked into the partway-up position, eliminating my abil-
ity to control the boat. Luckily, I was able to reach down and lock the outboard
into the down position.It got uglier. I stuffed the bow
into a trough and put 8 inches of
water into the boat in a second.
Noticing a smooth patch of water,
I pulled the transom drain — the
bilge pump was already working —
and sped along at full throt-
tle until the water was out.
Man, did that wake me up. I
changed to a quartering course,
which was easier and safer but
headed me away from my planned
destination. I began to tire from
constant steering in chilly condi-
tions. My body stiffened and my
reflexes slowed.
Finally, I spotted a pier. Tied up,
I lay down on the warm wood. The
air was cold, but the shining sun
warmed me. I rose, called my friends,
and waited for them to pick me up.
From this experience, I learned
you cannot fight wind and waves and
sometimes must change course for
safety’s sake. This makes it import-
ant to have a Plan B destination. I
also learned that my waterproof
VHF radio did not work, not because
it shorted out, but because the
speaker filled with water and I could
not hear it. I was fortunate to have a
cellphone in a waterproof bag.
I was lucky. I was dressed cor-
rectly and wearing a life jacket. But I
wouldn’t do it again.
Stephen Marks
Edgemere, Maryland[Giving due weight and consideration
to weather forecasts and not overesti-
mating one’s abilities are other lessons
worth learning. Also, some newer
VHF radios, like Icom’s AquaQuake,
possess features that ensure audibility
even if the speaker gets soaked. —Ed.]The weather report stated
wind from the northwest
at 17 to 23 mph, gusting to
34, with seas of 2 to 3 feet —
borderline conditions for a
boat like mine.
ILLUSTRATION: TIM BOWER