Letter to the Editor
Rocking the boat
Published Sunday, June 1, 2008
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To the editor:
Lately I have been spending my leisure time floating down the Chena River in either a kayak or a canoe. I have an observation to share. Some power boaters are very inconsiderate of the effect their wakes have on canoes, kayaks and rafts.
To the two mullet sporting guys with their NASCAR caps on backward, waving beer cans at us as they sped by ... you can disregard this letter because it’s pointless to try to enlighten you.
But, to the majority of you responsible power boaters who are just trying to have as much fun as we “Drifters,” may I suggest that you throttle back and slow down while passing us? I know you aren’t intentionally trying to swamp us, but maybe you just forgot.
Thanks for your cooperation.
Community Discussion
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I'm sorry, but unless you can paddle your canoe as fast as I can drive my powerboat, you don't belong on the Chena. Canoes and kayaks belong on the sidewalks and bike paths!
Bull Pucky Bedasse! The only things that belong on sidewalks and bike paths are SUVs! There they can be safely pushed by their owners, who can no longer afford to put gas in them.
Well, they better stay out of my way!
i would hope there would be safe boaters out there especially in town. we know there are lots of people paddling and hopefully boaters will respect each other. i head to the shallow end on turns and to the nearest shore when i hear a motor coming. i know the bigger the boat the more speed he needs to stay on step.
all in all everyone needs to think about each other and be willing to turn around and help someone if its needed.
peace
Ouch, Bedasse! Unbelievable that you'd express such a selfish and inconsiderate attitude. What kind of vehicle do you drive? I'll be *sure* to stay clear of you and your reckless attitude when driving on icy roads. You'll be off the roads and water soon enough, though, once you're wearing a nice orange jumpsuit, doing time for vehicular manslaughter.
Yall are funny!
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Oh you know the other old saying, "Smell Bad, Yep, that's an gr-n-la."
Please people, please stop airbourne walrus hunts and yield to the right of kayaks on our city streets!
Your talking to a wall when you try to explain to the pepole complaining When you take a big boat off step it drops into the water LOWER and produces a bigger wake.true story -quit complaining.
One can only slow down so much before you will make a much larger wake. Remember to pass on the right when meeting oncoming traffic if possible.
The Chena is not a very safe river to run these days. There are too many people on it. With the price of fuel it may cut down on the motorized traffic.
Bedasse,
Missed Respect 101 from his parents, so he wouldn't know anything abut river etiquette. One of these days he will swamp somebody and will have to live with it the rest of his life. But then again, why should he care...
i run up and down the chena a lot in my river boat. There are a lot of human obsticles to skirt around especially on a sunny weekend when the water is down. We do have to pay attention to a number of things to keep everyone safe. The responsability is on both parties though and before you jump in your cute little canoe or kyak you should be aware of your part of the safty practices that help to keep everyone safe while we're all out there having fun.
As far as coming down off step for conoe'ers and such well that only makes for a bigger wake at times and if you have taken up the main channel its likely a jet boat may have to speed up just to get around you .If you light weight fun seekers want our respect and courtesy then please give the same to us.I know every situation has its moment and it takes two to tango. Believe me ,,us big jet boats aren't out there plowing down the river drunk, using you as cones to rally around for our amusement. So please learn your part in water safty for this not so common mixture of JET BOATS,, SHALLOW WATER,, CORNERS,,and lots of CONES. Keeping things safe should be on our minds all the time. Drunk or sober.But What I see way more of than inconciderate random acts of unsafe boating practice or mabe it's just boat rage. But what I see more than anything on the chena is unaware or unknowing floaters who seem to put us jet boats in jeapordy all the time. So just please realize we are all just out there trying to have fun and it can get dangerous if we all prefere to be illtempered finger pointers instead off vigual managers of situation relief
Seems to me Bedasse was kidding around. Spoofing on all the bicycle articles and stuff.
I thought it was funny.
Some people need to lighten-up a little.
chenariverboy is right.
chenariverboy says "But what I see more than anything on the chena is unaware or unknowing floaters who seem to put us jet boats in jeapordy all the time."
Boy, you need to grow up. How in the *expletive* do you think a canoe is gonna put your frickin' boat in jeopardy? That's like a UFC fighter being afraid of a 6 year old white belt! Give me a break!
My and my family, with my young daughter, were swamped by a jet boat just this past weekend. We all got to go for a swim - the jet boat didn't stop - just kept on going (of course).
Now, in what possible scenario could 3 people in a canoe flip/swamp one of those jet boats and put your life at risk?
Thanks to the proliferation of rude jet boaters, it is no longer safe to canoe in the fairbanks area. Thanks a bunch you selfish $%#*@^!!!!
Thank you newsreader for driving home the fact that "what we all see more than anything on the Chena is unaware or unknowing floaters who seem to put us jet boats in jeopardy all the time."
We own a canoe and a jet boat. I have never had a bad encounter with a jet boat but have had many encounters with rude and unsafe floater on the Chena. I assume you are using the middle of the main channel and not yielding it.
Remember your life jackets and try to get along.
For the record I am "drifter" but I think chenariverboy has a couple valid points, mainly that everyone needs to informed and responsible in the watercraft ettiquette. Just because I and my friends are in canoes/rafts doesn't mean that our behavior couldn't present a hazard to other boaters. For instance if a group of us are floating down the river together it isn't very smart or reponsible for us to spread out across the entire width of the river in narrow sections especially on a bend in the river. To be safe I'd stay to the inside of the bend and leave room for a powerboat to get by. By definition sharing a resource means some form of compromise.
All boaters need to be smart, be respectful and have a good time on the water.
I don't know all the factors in "newsreaders" unfortunate swamping but to answer his question about how does a canoe present a danger to a powerboat consider what I said above and the following analogy: Pedestrians not repsonsibly crossing a road (in the crosswalk etc) are a very real danger to an automobile driver whos swerves or slams on the brakes to miss the jaywalker on an icy road. Just another perspective.
is there no coast guard or "fairbanks finest" water patrol?
come on people common courtesty or let karma take it course.
This situation just goes to show that it's not about bicycles, kayaks, SUV's, or jet boats. It's about self-involved, unaware, vapid people.
Kind of like being up that famous creek without your paddle.
DEAR NEWS READER.
MAY i SUGGEST YOU FIND A FRIENDLIER ATMOSPHERE TO CANOE ALONG. MABE A SMALL POND OR SLOUGH WOULD BE MORE COMFORTABLE FOR YOUR MENTAL STATE. AND IF TAKING ALONG THE WIFE AND CHILDREN PLEASE PUT THEIR BEST INTEREST AT THE FRONT OF YOUR DEAPTH DUMB AND BLIND CONCIOUSNESS.I would like to go easy on you but there is too much at risk if you are planning more canoeing adventures with your loved ones.
Hello to all,
I would like to add to the comments made about this subject and stress boating safety in the best way I know how. Almost 5 years ago I was involved in a boat accident on the Chena River upstream from Nordale Road Bridge. Unfortunately, a great friend of mine, who was also my passenger, died in this accident. The cause of the accident was a boat running into the front left of my boat while both boats were on-step. Both boats were about 18ft and were both flat-bottoms. My boat was not welded so it did not take the impact very well and the other boat basically went right thru the side of my boat and hit my friend. I am not writing this to put blame on any one act or person, but I am writing this to let everyone know that accidents do happen. I wish I would have met this other boat on a straight away that was more open or while I was pulled over to fish or something, but it was not to be.I know this part of the river by heart and know every rock and sand bar on it, but this day I didn't know what this other boat operator was going to do in the circumstance that did arise.
I can give my view on a few things: Stay on the right side of the river at all times, or when possible(because of obstacles). Especially when going around corners. When the stars aline and someone else is thinking like you are trying to cut a corner and you both meet...there is not much time to avoid a crash.
Boats coming down stream should have the right-away. Remember that jet boats rely on jet propulsion for their steering and usually going downstream makes it harder to stay on-step. Plus going downstream allows boats to pick-up more speed which can cause problems when trying to avoid accidents and obstacles. Boats going upstream have more control and go slower while maintaining the "on-step" approach.
People operating canoes and rafts need to be aware of these rules also and need to follow them to keep the waters safe. chenariverboy was speaking the truth explaining the different situations that arise on the rivers and each party must do their part to make all boat trips safe and keep everyone alive.
If you are in a raft or canoe and hear a boat coming up or down the river, move to the side that you should be on and if you are approaching a corner, stop and let the power boat pass you and make sure that they can see you. Get to the shore and wait a moment. This may sound like more trouble than what it is worth, but enjoying a trip, the water, and coming home alive is worth the few seconds or mintutes it takes to get out of the way. Please use common sense...
A timely and informative LTTE and subsequent comments. I was planning to go canoing next week with a group of people down the Chena. I've only canoed once before, totally loved it, and look forward to being on the water again next week. I didn't realize these kinds of conflicts existed, though, and the comments here on both sides of the issue (motorized vs. non-motorized) has made me more aware that safety is everyone's responsibility. Thank you, posters.
But one or two of you could stand to step up on your reading comprehension. "Better get out of my way" can only be construed as an aggressive and potentially dangerous attitude. It's attitudes like that that get people injured or killed. It's attitudes like that that likely inspired this LTTE. It was funny? Lighten up? Nope, not when it could be my safety at stake.
Thanks for sharing Jaded. I also grew up on the Chena and know it very well. I purchased a new tunnel hull honda 4 stroke and was trying to dial it in. I met a large inboard coming downriver. I went hard right but he turned into me. I threw the boat into a 360 and almost hit him with the motor. My 5 year old flew clean across the boat but luckily did not eject. This guy did not know the rules of the river but luckily we did not collide. He went hard aground and I left him right there. I avoid the Chena these days because of this. Be careful out there folks.
Thanks for your input Jaded. And sorry about your accident.You know better than most of us the seriousness that has to accompany the fun easy day on the water. I don't believe in mandated issues or patroling and policing our playgroung on the water. I think that would only make the river a not so fun place to play but we do need a serious mentality and mabe an outreach program of some sort to alert people to some key issues and practices that could make everyones time on the river a little less hectic when dangerous moments are encountered.
LadyNYC: ""Better get out of my way" can only be construed as an aggressive and potentially dangerous attitude."
Context is a beautiful thing. Don't construe without it.
Yeah. About as serious as "canoes and kayaks belong on sidewalks and bike paths."
chenariverboy, I agree...there isn't much of an issue here to discuss...Everyone needs to be alert and be ready for anything. If you are high or drunk, you make the waters 10 times more dangerous. There is a time and place for everything, and driving anything is not the time for enjoying a beer or anything else one likes to do when recreating. The side to take regarding this issue is the safe side for all. Know the rules, take safety gear, and always be aware of your surroundings.
Be safe and have fun...
And saying the folks pushing their SUV's down the bike paths better stay out of the way of your boat.
Lighten-up.
Bedasse and other like-minded individuals -
I'm as willing as anyone to concede a point if I missed something. With your comment, I didn't. (Non-motorized watercraft) "don't belong on the Chena." "Better get out of my way." These statements speak so strongly they hardly need context. They stand on their own very well.
Okay, so maybe you really were referring to when you are on a bike path or sidewalk, in response to the Curmudgeon's comment. Maybe you were talking about empty-tanked SUVs and their owners needing to get out of your way, and not paddlers. (As though you were on a bicycle, running or walking and *demand* that bulky SUV get out of your way . . . illogical . . . it doesn't fit in the culture of those who like those activities since it's far easier to simply move around an obstruction than make an issue out of it being there). Still and all, the bad attitude comes across loud and clear. And it speaks to a larger issue, one that I've not seen addressed too often publicly.
Motorized vs. non-motorized sports. I've noticed in my years in Alaska that proponents of one aren't often proponents of the other. One type of enthusiast loves to go out in nature, get a good cardio workout, and generally enjoy the peace and quiet of their surroundings. The other type of enthusiast loves the open space, the wind on their face, the power of their engines, and the adrenaline rush of high speeds.
These these two types of enthusiasts like different things that can, and generally do, conflict with each other. The non-motorized sports enthusiast isn't keen on the loud noise and exhaust fumes. The motorized sports enthusiast isn't thrilled about suddenly happening upon something/someone that could cause them to crash.
Yes, both sides are responsible for safety, and both need to be considerate of other types of recreation.
Yes, a pedestrian can cause a car to crash, a canoe can cause a speed boat to go disastrously off course. But in reality what's more likely? A person slams into a car, and the car only sustains light damage, if any. The other way around, and it likely results in a fatality. Human power is simply more vulnerable than horsepower, living flesh is far more fragile than metal or fiberglass. In areas where both motorized and non-motorized sports are allowed, both types of sports have a right to be there. Both types need to be considerate and both need to practice safety. But a "get out of my way" mentality is something that won't get a bicyclist or paddler very far, yet it is one easily acquired when there's a throttle and fuel involved.
And that kind of mentality is just plain rude. And potentially dangerous. Context be damned.