Warning for night boatersÂ…
We had a very close call on Saturday night. We were watching the ASU game Saturday night just outside of Steamboat on the boat. We watched the sun go completely down, beautiful, and watched some more of the game.
I wasnÂ’t really worried about making it back because I have radar and it picks up everything including buoys of the no wake zones and rock hazard buoys. Between radar and knowing the lake very well, I was not worried about making it back to the Nautical in very dark conditions. There was no moon Saturday night either.
Well we get under way for the Nautical around 7 PM and head North towards the canyon section that leads from Steamboat to Copper Canyon. I wasnÂ’t using my spotlight, didnÂ’t need it with radar. We make it through what would be the canyon section and I was cruising around 37 MPH. Well, the lake starts to open up right in front of Copper Canyon and I get on the throttles a little more, about 45 MPH. I am standing up, not sitting behind the windshield and I am only taking my eyes off of the water every 5-7 seconds to double check my radar. I am looking for any sign of buoys that may have not shown up.
I am now in the middle of the bay and feeling very confident in my navigation with my cheater radar.
All of the sudden, a light appears directly in front of me. I take a quick glance at my radar and look up again thinking I am seeing things and there is nothing on the radar screen. Next thing I realize is that this light is really a handheld flashlight and they are directing the light at the sails of the fockin boat.
This a-hole is in a sailboat with ZERO lights. It was a much older sail boat as well. All I could see of it was that it had square sails like a pirate ship. I thought the focken Black Pearl was trying to kill me. He had NO, zero, nada navigation lights or anchor lights and at the last minute when I am barreling down on him for a head on collision, he turns a flashlight on. WTF!!! I made a quick turn and missed him by about 20 yards. He had to have gotten a good wave from my wake that close.
As I passed him, I checked and rechecked my radar screen and there was zero sign of this guy on my radar, yet I picked up the buoys at Copper Canyon. He wasnÂ’t there.
I researched radar today and it will not pick up fiberglass alone. It needs something reflective to bounce back for the reading. At West Marine, they sell radar reflectors for sailboats because this is a common problem I guess.
We did pass another sailboat about 3 minutes later in the bay and my radar fully picked him up. This one had a light on the top of the mast, and those lights that are up that high are very difficult to read in Havasu. It blends in with all the lights from the city, so watch for those.
My point is to be very careful out there. There are people on the water without any lights on driving their boats around. I was taking every precaution with exception to running my spot light. In case it matters, the only thing in my cooler was water, Sprite, and a few Cokes. DidnÂ’t drink 1 time last weekend, rarely do. Next time, I will have the spot light in hand.
Look out for the Black Pearl at night. Hopefully it scared the shiat out of him even more and he gets some damn lights installed or working on his boat.
Fortunately for me... counting on my radar for guidance at night isn't a problem I have to concern myself with...
Thanks for the reminder though. I wake up in a cold sweat on occasion thinking about the proverbial person in a black swimsuit in an innertube floating down the river in Parker...
Probably a Canadien snowbird.
Probably a Canadien snowbird.
It was damn close. Almost a deadbird.
Did you stop and ask the dumbass why no lights?
This is why the stealth bomber and fighter are 100% composite. Nothing to reflect.
In some cases power boats will not show up either. Just depends on angle of attack and the amount of metal.
Glad your ok. Damn.
Did you stop and ask the dumbass why no lights?
I yelled some choice words on the way by. Trust me, he heard them. We were not far apart and my boat is very quiet.
i really didn't want to confront an idiot to begin with in the middle of the lake. Seems he has a death wish, not me.
45MPH at night with no moon?
Any faster and you would have had to spin it out on the reeds.
Glad everybody was ok.
Warning for night boatersÂ…
We had a very close call on Saturday night. We were watching the ASU game Saturday night just outside of Steamboat on the boat. We watched the sun go completely down, beautiful, and watched some more of the game.
I wasnÂ’t really worried about making it back because I have radar and it picks up everything including buoys of the no wake zones and rock hazard buoys. Between radar and knowing the lake very well, I was not worried about making it back to the Nautical in very dark conditions. There was no moon Saturday night either.
Well we get under way for the Nautical around 7 PM and head North towards the canyon section that leads from Steamboat to Copper Canyon. I wasnÂ’t using my spotlight, didnÂ’t need it with radar. We make it through what would be the canyon section and I was cruising around 37 MPH. Well, the lake starts to open up right in front of Copper Canyon and I get on the throttles a little more, about 45 MPH. I am standing up, not sitting behind the windshield and I am only taking my eyes off of the water every 5-7 seconds to double check my radar. I am looking for any sign of buoys that may have not shown up.
I am now in the middle of the bay and feeling very confident in my navigation with my cheater radar.
All of the sudden, a light appears directly in front of me. I take a quick glance at my radar and look up again thinking I am seeing things and there is nothing on the radar screen. Next thing I realize is that this light is really a handheld flashlight and they are directing the light at the sails of the fockin boat.
This a-hole is in a sailboat with ZERO lights. It was a much older sail boat as well. All I could see of it was that it had square sails like a pirate ship. I thought the focken Black Pearl was trying to kill me. He had NO, zero, nada navigation lights or anchor lights and at the last minute when I am barreling down on him for a head on collision, he turns a flashlight on. WTF!!! I made a quick turn and missed him by about 20 yards. He had to have gotten a good wave from my wake that close.
As I passed him, I checked and rechecked my radar screen and there was zero sign of this guy on my radar, yet I picked up the buoys at Copper Canyon. He wasnÂ’t there.
I researched radar today and it will not pick up fiberglass alone. It needs something reflective to bounce back for the reading. At West Marine, they sell radar reflectors for sailboats because this is a common problem I guess.
We did pass another sailboat about 3 minutes later in the bay and my radar fully picked him up. This one had a light on the top of the mast, and those lights that are up that high are very difficult to read in Havasu. It blends in with all the lights from the city, so watch for those.
My point is to be very careful out there. There are people on the water without any lights on driving their boats around. I was taking every precaution with exception to running my spot light. In case it matters, the only thing in my cooler was water, Sprite, and a few Cokes. DidnÂ’t drink 1 time last weekend, rarely do. Next time, I will have the spot light in hand.
Look out for the Black Pearl at night. Hopefully it scared the shiat out of him even more and he gets some damn lights installed or working on his boat.
Damn sailboaters think the rules dont apply to them
Sailboats not showing up on radar is a common problem, especailly for trailerable sailboats. The main problem with those refllectors is they're not that big so its only going to be a little plip on the radar.
Regardless that douche still should've been displaying the proper lights!
45MPH at night with no moon?
A Skater wont even stay on plane at that speed.
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