Boating Alone

J

jmunro123

Member
Feb 2, 2008
370
Gran Bend, Great Lakes
Boat Info
2004 Sea Ray 390 Motor Yacht
Engines
8.1's
I was wondering how many of you go out alone and what advice is there on this topic. Its not always possible to get a crew. Besides having a lifejacket on, working saftely equipment (VHF), Radar, GPS Plotter. Am I missing anything? do people do this?
 
If I were going out alone, I would give someone a float plan, and if you do not call them at a specific time, they know where you were going and have the contact information to call the Coast Guard to alert them of you not showing/calling on your prescheduled time.
 
I have made a few solo trips of about 25 miles in the past 2 summers. As Tom said, make sure that someone knows when you will be departing, and when you will arrive at your destination. During these trips, I make it a point to call my fiance evey 20 minutes or so just to let her know that I am ok.

Operationally, I make sure that I have the kill switch properly armed, and lanyard attached to me. I also make certain that I either wear a life jacket, or have one securely strapped to me in the event that I somehow end up in the drink. Wearing / not wearing depend on the sea conditions. Smooth seas, strapped to me, rough (anything over 1 ft waves), wearing it...

Michael
 
ive done a fair amount of solo-boating these past 3 seasons and all of the above advice is a great idea. If im alone, my PFD is on. No exceptions. A float plan is a must, a cell phone call every so often to update someone on your whereabouts (and coordinates if you can), and a cell phone call when you arrive safely are all great ideas. Make sure you have all the safety equipment required, know how to use it, and its all in working order. Hitting the DSC button on your VHF and remembering you never hooked it up is a bad thing.

One lesson i learned from thsi past summer is make sure everything is stowed and put away before you leave the dock. Have someone take your fenders and lines and stow them right before you get underway. Dont assume you'll be able to take your fenders and lines in by yourself right before you get up on plane. If the seas turn rough before you get under way, getting your lines and fenders while you are on the water will prove to be difficult and best and downright dangerous at worst.

Just use good common sense while traveling solo and you'll find it quite enjoyable. Remember that an ounce of prevention is worth TWO pounds of cure when you are by yourself out there.

Boat safe

Mike
 
My wife gets seasick so I boat alone quite a bit. She meets me at the port we are traveling to and is sometimes there in time to help me dock. I always wear a life jacket. Usually carry a premade lunch and bottled water so I don't have to make lunch. At lunch time I throttle down to displacement speed and let the autopilot do the work while I eat. Then it's back up to cruise speed. When I arrive at my destination I set all my lines prior to getting close to a dock and then hand a spring line to the dock attendant while pulling into the slip.
 
I guess I'm the rebel here... I like to go boating alone. I don't tell anyone where I'm going (not always sure myself until the last minute), I don't wear a life jacket, I don't wear the kill switch, I've been known to go out on the foredeck to grab a fender/line, even under way (5kts, calm conditions, no traffic, I can even steer the boat by shifting my weight) but it's a small foredeck. I guess I'm even worse as I've even been known to have a beer while out there alone! Am I an accident just waiting to happen?

My comment would be... know yourself, your limits, capabilities. I've been doing solo mountain climbs for 20 years as well, and still not a single serious accident. I don't consider myself lucky. I know what I can do and what I am doing. I'm fairly agile, good balance and a very strong swimmer... I also don't have children so the consequences of me being wrong aren't as great.

This might not be you. If you're uncertain at all, then it's most definitely not you.

Now not to highjack the thread, maybe this is more of a rhetorical question... how many of you have fallen overboard while underway?
 
Good point on the drinking. I worked on charter boats for a few years and so I learned that running a boat and alcohol do not mix well. As a result of my charterboat experience I am a sober skipper at all times. I love my beer and the taste of beer so while running the boat I drink St. Paulie Girl or Bucklers NA as they have a real beer taste and no alcohol.:thumbsup: Once I am tied up to the dock for the evening I will switch to the drink of my choice. I find that not drinking alcohol while operating a boat is a very small price to pay for being able to enjoy the ride safely and others being able to do as they choose, knowing that there is a sober skipper at the helm. :smt038
 
I enjoy boating alone occasionally. I get to drive the boat the way I want to drive it. I can play whatever music I want at the volume I want. It is nice sometimes. Anchoring by myself for a long time can get boring. That being said - you have to be very comfortable maneuvering the boat in tight quarters yourself.

My dad taught me how to drive a boat and taught me on day one - you can't learn to drive a boat - being dependent on others. That if you are going to be a boater you need to be able to handle everything yourself. So, that is how I learned - often I receive help with lines - but I am confident - that I can't captain the boat with others help.
 
The answer here really, really depends on the type of boating that you are doing.

Running in a thunderstorm in the ocean during the day with the crew would be more hazardous than puttering around alone at night on a calm back bay. My gear and attitude would reflect the conditions.
 
Jim240 said:
I guess I'm the rebel here... I like to go boating alone. I don't tell anyone where I'm going (not always sure myself until the last minute), I don't wear a life jacket, I don't wear the kill switch, I've been known to go out on the foredeck to grab a fender/line, even under way (5kts, calm conditions, no traffic, I can even steer the boat by shifting my weight) but it's a small foredeck. I guess I'm even worse as I've even been known to have a beer while out there alone! Am I an accident just waiting to happen?

My comment would be... know yourself, your limits, capabilities. I've been doing solo mountain climbs for 20 years as well, and still not a single serious accident. I don't consider myself lucky. I know what I can do and what I am doing. I'm fairly agile, good balance and a very strong swimmer... I also don't have children so the consequences of me being wrong aren't as great.

This might not be you. If you're uncertain at all, then it's most definitely not you.

Now not to highjack the thread, maybe this is more of a rhetorical question... how many of you have fallen overboard while underway?
Click to expand...


Im with Jim on this one. I do alot of boating alone....especially during " off " season ( spring & fall ) since my wife works during the day from September thru June.......and I work rotating shifts....I have alot of time to go out alone. I especially like during the week when I have the waters to myself. Its also a great time to practice my docking and anchoring.....when no-one is watching.
 
Consider a risk-management assessment. I can get my brand-x 37'er out of it's spot along the finger pier and over to the fuel dock by myself if the wind is favorable. If it's a nice Thursday morning and I'm cleaning the boat, I'll head over and take care of the fueling rather than deal with a wait on the weekend.

I take the extra precaution (solo) of putting on a vest when walking along the sides. I figure it would suck to fall over, but would suck even more if I hurt myself, couldn't swim and nobody was there to help.
 
I occasionally fish offshore alone, up to 20-30 miles, usually when I can squeak out a free day during the week when no one else can go. I haven't worn a PFD till now, but am going to get an inflatable belt type that can be comfortably worn.

I'll add that I have a GPS PLB and a handheld VHF that I keep on my person to ensure that I make it home if I were to go over the side. Falling overboard is always a concern and it's happened to many a fisherman. Handling lines and fish means leaning over the side of the boat...
 
I have made plenty of 50-60 mile up lake trips at night and during the day solo. The safety equipment should be the same if you are alone or a full group. As was already touched on the only change is that I make sure that someone knows what, when, and how and I keep in contact on the cellphone. While boating alone is fun sometimes it should be done carefully. After only being out in the ocean a couple of time I doubt I would do that alone, just in case some thing went wrong, some one to keep watch while I try to resolve the problem.:thumbsup:
 
Hello all .. new to the forum.. I just lost a good friend of mine because of boating alone. He was in the San Juan Island (Washington state), after anchoring his 38 ft Bayliner in a small bay in a Marine Park in July of 2007, he when missing on the the small island. His wife became concerned after no contact with her cell phone and called the Coast Guard.. They searched the island and water without success... After about a year someone stumbled over his skeleton remains at the bottom of small bank on the a remote part of the island.. (the island is less than a mile around..). The moral of the story... take a buddy with you..
If you interested in the entire story.. click:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/jsj/news/27286429.html
 
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I cross Lake Michigan and can be 20 to 35 miles offshore for some time. I travel with a handheld VHF that has a freshly charged battery. I can quickly attach it to the boat's antenna if I want. I check and note on a 3x5 card my Lat/Lons every 15 minutes to half hour. My thinking is that if everything shuts down and IF there is a receiver in range I, at least, can get the word out where I was and on what course at a certain time.
When much much younger I would cross Lake Erie with no radar, no radio, no GPS or Loran, and no autopilot- just a chart, ruler, a watch and a whiskey compass. I never missed my destination. Well maybe once. When returning from Leamington, Ontario I mistook the lights at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station as the city lights of Port Clinton, OH. I celebrated again being the great sea captain just a little early. Oops!
 
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The Coast Guard wear PFDs all the time on their patrol boats, even when not boating alone, even the rescue swimmers. They are all good swimmers. Get an automatic inflatable. Some of them are so light you don't even know you have one on. 100% of all boating accidents are unanticipated. My concern is getting hit by some drunk yahoo, a rogue wave, or a whale breaching and getting thrown overboard unconscious.
 
I am a solo boater. I have been for 6 years now. Most of my trips are up the St Johns river. I don't think I would venture off shore in the ocean by myself. There are to many things that can go wrong, especially being out 30 or 40 miles offshore. No phone or vhf access, unless there are others out there in the general area.

art
 
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