Vacation Boating Adventures!
Megan Gates is an active blogger who provides written work to the blogosphere pertaining to New York Luxury Real Estate,Hamptons Vacation Rental Properties, home improvement and the latest architecture, design, family and travel. Follow her on twitter @MEGatesDesign.
I don’t know what it is about boating that makes it so easy to overlook safety. Maybe it’s the beautiful weather, the company of friends, the party atmosphere, or the water that is warm and welcoming to the touch, smooth as glass and seemingly harmless as the air we breathe. Whatever it is, I’ve seen many people make mistakes out on the water, and I’m not too proud to say I’ve made them myself.
Several years ago we were out on Lake Mojave with a jet boat I had at the time. I didn’t buy it new and I’d had it a few years, but it wasn’t a wreck. Since I stored it on a trailer I had it checked out before we left. There’s nothing like getting to the lake with a dead boat. In any case, the boat worked fine. Perfect for hauling the kids around on a tube or puttering into a cove to drop a line and catch some fish.
It was our third day out. After a morning of water skiing and lunch, the kids wanted to take a cruise and check out the scenery. After some discussion, every single person in camp got on the boat. That was mistake number one. We packed a small cooler with a few bottles of water and a couple sodas and beers. Another mistake, but we didn’t know it then. The girls wore t-shirts over bathing suits. My wife and the other women wore sundresses. I didn’t even have a shirt.
We had a great time, cruising through the coves and canyons along the river. We got farther from camp but I kept an eye on my watch and the gas gauge and figured we were fine. At last we landed in a long, deep canyon that, unlike every other one we’d been in, had no one else in it. The red stone cliffs cast their shadows onto the water. The kids were hot and clamored for a swim. I dropped the anchor and killed the engine. The kids paddled around in the water while the adults had a drink and shot the breeze.
After an hour or so a bunch of wet, hungry kids clambered over the swim step and into the boat. We started to leave. Big problem. The engine wouldn’t fire. I was nervous but didn’t want to upset anyone. There we were, in the middle of nowhere, with no food, limited drinks, the sun setting and a dead boat. I took off the engine cover and started fiddling, but I’m no mechanic.
Ultimately, it ended well when we were able to hail a passing boat that towed us to the marina. The lesson I learned: PFDs are well and good, but even if you take off on a pleasure cruise, make sure there’s someone who will miss you; pack some food and plenty of fresh water; make sure your flares will work and always stow a few blankets under the seats, just in case.