Hate boating on Holidays.

Bridog

Bridog

Well-Known Member
Oct 4, 2006
4,961
Gulf Shores AL / Brick NJ
Boat Info
2016 19SPX OB
Engines
Mercury 150 4S OB
I just remembered how much I hate boating during busy holidays. We were almost hit by some dude in a rental pontoon who wasn't watching where he was going. Witnessed another guy in a 50 footer almost kill some elderly couple on paddle boats, and then a family of 14 (most of them under 10) on a boat smaller than mine that looked like it was about to sink. Naturally no one wearing a life jacket. And that was in the first hour and a half. I'll wait the rest of this weekend out and resume my boating next week. Good luck to the rest of you. Be safe out there! Brian
 
Holiday weekends are amateur hour for sure. I don't take my boat out on holidays for that reason.

Around here the "good 'ol boys" get liquored up and proceed to act like total a$$hats on the water.
 
In general, I avoid holiday weekends on the water, but the one thing I do every year is go to a local Memorial Day Air Show. I avoid a lot of crap by going very early. I was anchored by 8:00 AM this morning for a show that started at noon. Then I leave late. I left at about 7:00 PM from a show that ended at 5:00 PM.
I go on Saturday instead of Sunday because although it is pretty crazy on Saturday, Sunday is always worse.
I usually avoid boating on any Sunday between about 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM because that's when all the nuts are out there. If I go out on Sunday morning it is to go fishing and we're back at the dock by 10:00, or if I go out on Sunday evening it is for dinner on the hook after the loons have all gone home.
 
Camping always on holiday weekends. Amateur hour is not for me.....
 
NVERL8 said:
Camping always on holiday weekends. Amateur hour is not for me.....
Click to expand...

Yep, I'm camped out in the hollow away from the chaos of memorial day weekend. My boating schedule should resume Wednesday afternoon when I can own the water.
 
The past couple of years we spent Memorial Day weekend at Oak Bluffs on Cape Cod. As long as we get over there early (usually Friday morning), and are in a slip instead of a mooring, it's a pretty relaxed weekend for us. The harbor does get a little crazy, and the moorings during holiday weekends can get so thick you feel like you could walk across the harbor.

This year we went just for two days in Falmouth on Cape Cod, due to weather. It was a nice alternative, but still you see the folks that probably shouldn't be in command of a boat out there. This photo was at sunset, with Beginnings settled into her berth for the night. While walking along the waterfront well after dark, we saw multiple boats coming into the pretty crowded harbor with no navigation lights! This is a harbor with ferry service to the Vineyard, multiple charter operations, etc. Just crazy to see a 26' boat coming up the harbor in the dark with no lights.

Still, a nice sunset...
Beginnings Falmouth Memorial Day 2017.jpg
 
We just wait for the crowds to leave and will go out around 5PM for a short ride. Nice not having to work tomorrow.
 
I usually wait until the day after and then we go out. I am going out tomorrow. We will have the lake to ourselves and be able to relax.
 
be_prepared said:
The past couple of years we spent Memorial Day weekend at Oak Bluffs on Cape Cod. As long as we get over there early (usually Friday morning), and are in a slip instead of a mooring, it's a pretty relaxed weekend for us. The harbor does get a little crazy, and the moorings during holiday weekends can get so thick you feel like you could walk across the harbor.

This year we went just for two days in Falmouth on Cape Cod, due to weather. It was a nice alternative, but still you see the folks that probably shouldn't be in command of a boat out there. This photo was at sunset, with Beginnings settled into her berth for the night. While walking along the waterfront well after dark, we saw multiple boats coming into the pretty crowded harbor with no navigation lights! This is a harbor with ferry service to the Vineyard, multiple charter operations, etc. Just crazy to see a 26' boat coming up the harbor in the dark with no lights.

Still, a nice sunset...
View attachment 49434
Click to expand...
Now that does look nice.
 
My holiday boating question is why is it always a race to the mouth of a channel wide enough that boats must go single file? Why is it that after waiting my turn for the very narrow channel that I must traverse solo due to beam and draft that someone in a pontoon feels they should try to dive in anyway?
 
We were out Saturday and Sunday. Many boats on the lake on Saturday, not as many on Sunday. Nothing crazy witnessed - just the usual failure to pass properly and failure to yield the right of way.
 
We go out all three days during a holiday weekend just to watch the shenanigans! Backed safely into our cove, there's nothing better than watching the show from the bow.
 
I can't believe another busy boating holiday is here. Despite my better judgement we're going out today. The rain here has kept us from the water for way to long and I see a small window of opportunity today. So wish us luck out there and I'll be sure to do the same to you. Brian
 
We went out for about 5 hours today. Weather was not great, and it kept most people home. Less boats out than on a normal weekday. It was a real relaxing day.
 
We are out right now. Have had some rain pass through with more on the way. The folks in the raft up are a hardy bunch and we shall persevere. We have multiple anchors front and back so we are pretty secure.


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I'm here in Mattituck and can't fall asleep due to blaring radios and parting on the dock.

Not sure if I'm wrong for being annoyed about it, or if I should just have expected this... either way with the 3 boats around me competing for the best sterio system, it's not a pleasant or relaxing time for me (or my two young kids).
 
suss1173 said:
I'm here in Mattituck and can't fall asleep due to blaring radios and parting on the dock.

Not sure if I'm wrong for being annoyed about it, or if I should just have expected this... either way with the 3 boats around me competing for the best sterio system, it's not a pleasant or relaxing time for me (or my two young kids).
Click to expand...

I'd be pissed. There is some level of noise that you need to accept, but one also needs to be respectful of others around you. Marinas I've stayed at have a quite time policy.
 
suss1173 said:
I'm here in Mattituck and can't fall asleep due to blaring radios and parting on the dock.

Not sure if I'm wrong for being annoyed about it, or if I should just have expected this... either way with the 3 boats around me competing for the best sterio system, it's not a pleasant or relaxing time for me (or my two young kids).
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, the noisy party atmosphere is not uncommon. Especially on holiday weekends.
Most marinas have policies of some sort about noise but often there is nobody around late at night to enforce them when they are being violated.
Some places have sections that regulars get to know are quieter than others.
Our town transient marina (Tobay) is like that. I rarely spend the night there, but when I do, I try to get a slip on the quieter end of the quieter dock.
I'm lucky in that my home dock is located in a residential area and I own it so if we do spend the night there noise is not a problem.
 
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