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 You
Watch My Wake and I'll Watch My Wash
by Mark King
From heads to bathrooms, companionways to
hallways and salons to living rooms, the sport of boating is slowly
losing some of its unique terminology.
Perhaps in an effort to attract more people to
the recreation, boating stories, especially some new boat reviews,
are using terminology that relates to houses.
Certain terms, however, will never leave the world
of boating and it is important that proficient boaters know them.
When the wind is howling and the rain is falling and everything
is going wrong, the skipper of the boat needs to be able to speak
to his crew in a common language that everyone understands.
Hence the need for correct terminology. Bow will
always mean the front, and stern, the back. Starboard and port indicate
specific sides of the boat no matter which way the boat is going
and which way you are facing. Right and left just won't make the
grade in an emergency.
But the two terms that will likely cause the most
confusion in the boating world over the next few years as people
become used to re-learning them are "wake" and "wash." These are
both simple terms with standard dictionary definitions that have
been misused for years - especially "wake."
Both terms are on the Canadian Coast Guard list
of mandatory definitions that need to be understood by recreational
boaters. Of course, when boaters start receiving fines for damage
their "wash" creates, the understanding will become much more common.
By why wait? Learn them now and save yourself
the embarrassment of a fine.
For years, agencies and private individuals have
been littering our waterways with signs that say, "No Wake" or "No
Wake Zone." In many instances these same agencies knew they meant
to say "No Wash" or "No Wash Zone," but believed boaters would better
understand the word "wake."
In fact, it is impossible to move a boat through
the water, at any speed, without creating a wake. Wake simply means
the disturbed column of water around and behind a craft that is
set in motion by the passage of that craft.
Next time you are in your boat, take a look behind
you. You will see what looks like a track through the water where
you have been. That is your wake. So you can watch my wake as I
blow past you in a river rocket. I, on the other hand, have a legal
responsibility to watch my wash.
Wash is defined as the loose or broken water left
behind a pleasure craft as it moves along and includes the water
thrown aft by the propeller. Most commonly your wash consists of
the waves that travel from your boat's track and move away from
your boat. Eventually this is the wave action that erodes shorelines,
sends other boats rocking and creates that banging noise as docks
bounce up and down after a boat passes.
This is the stuff that the "No Wake" signs are
supposed to address, but don't.
With firm definitions in place and Careless Operation
defined in the Small Vessel Regulations, you will soon begin hearing
about boaters being fined. The charge will be Careless Operation.
The regulation reads, "No person shall operate
a small vessel in a careless manner without due care or without
reasonable consideration for other persons."
Among other things, operators can be charged with
Careless Operation if their wash adversely affects: other vessels,
including anchored vessels, grounded vessels, vessels tied to docks,
wrecks, dredges, tows, rowboats or canoes; work being passed; the
shoreline; docks or floats; wetlands; other waterway users such
as swimmers or users of bathing beaches; where divers are working;
or an area of anchorage.
The Collision Regulations state that you must
be a prudent operator at all times based on the prevailing conditions
and local restrictions.
You are responsible for any damage or discomfort
your boat causes to wildlife, people, objects and the shoreline,
and you must take into account all other circumstances as you govern
the operation of your vessel.
Even on large rivers and lakes, a boat's wash
can travel for quite a distance, causing disturbances on the shoreline.
Often operators are not aware of the problem. Their wash reaches
the shore several minutes after they have passed by.
As the operator of the pleasure craft it is your
responsibility to know the characteristics of your wash and govern
your boat speed accordingly.
Ironically, in the argument for control over wash
that rages along narrow channels and near shorelines, boaters and
non-boaters alike relate the problem strictly to speed.
While speed is a factor, today's planing hulls
make much more wash when they are travelling at certain slower speeds
than they do while they are on plane.
So, the only way to regulate the problem is by
controlling wash. You watch yours and I'll watch mine - and be aware
that both of ours are being watched by others.
(Lifeline is produced through the Safe Boater Training Program,
a certification program for recreational boaters.)
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