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Communication
Breakdowns (20-3)
by Dusty Miller
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 Boating
can be a wonderful family experience. It’s a pastime
that can be enjoyed throughout your life, enjoying lengthy
cruises, water sports, fishing or any other recreational
activity on the water with your partner or children.
One of the most important ways to make boating experiences
even more enjoyable for everyone is by effective communication.
Everyone must work as a team onboard and know exactly
what the others are doing.
I have seen so many situations on the water where a
misunderstanding in a simple boating situation can result
in a heated argument. And with everyone in the marina
being an unavoidable voyeur, the added embarrassment
just makes the whole scene even worse. Not only can
this put a strain on any relationship, it places a pall
over the joy of boating. The fix is really very easy.
When you go boating with your family, it’s vital
to communicate what’s coming up, how to deal with
it and what each person’s responsibility will
be. Teamwork is key. For instance, when approaching
the harbour, there is a list of things that have to
be done or double-checked. Are the lines clear and secured
to the boat on the right side? Are the fenders set at
the correct height and are they in the right place?
Which side are we landing on and is it bow or stern
first? Is there someone to catch the line or are we
landing on our own?
When all these aspects are decided ahead of time and
everyone on board knows what he or she will be doing,
the element of surprise is eliminated. If you can anticipate
and communicate, the aforementioned tasks should go
smoothly. It’s the communication breakdown that
creates the panic.
Let’s look at how to approach a dock for a parallel
landing when the wind is blowing the vessel off the
dock. The wind creates a degree of difficulty but teamwork
can overcome this challenge. When approaching the dock
bow first, you could bring the bow very close to the
dock and have the crew step off (not jump) with the
line. The crew secures the line to the bollard or cleat
on the dock. With a twin direct drive, you can now put
the outside shifter (the one farther from the dock)
into reverse. By feathering the shifter in and out,
the stern will snug up to the wall. If you have an I/O
or single engine vessel, steer toward the wall feathering
in reverse to achieve the same effect. Here’s
where communication comes in. Simply tell your crew
what you are going to do. He or she should be on the
bow with a line in hand and wait for your signal to
step off.
I saw a boat pull into a slip in Orillia a few summers
ago. The husband was at the helm and his wife was on
the bow with the line. She stepped over the rail, anticipating
the step on the dock and he pulled the bow closer. Unfortunately
she didn’t tell him when she was going to step
and he didn’t tell her that he was going to pull
the bow away. When she started to step off, the bow
moved away and while she tried to jump, she ended up
in the water between the boat and dock. Fortunately
she didn’t hit anything on the dock so the only
thing hurt was her pride. She was also very angry. All
they had to do was talk it through and the situation
would not have happened.
If you find it difficult to bring the bow up to the
dock against the wind, turn around and pull in stern
first. You’ve got all the power at the stern and
all the weight in the water, so it’s much easier
to do it that way.
Informing the crew of what you’re going to do
simply makes sense. Once communication becomes second
nature, everyone will have a much better experience
on the boat. (Page Top) |
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