Etiquette for passing other boats on the water?

To suggest that they had the right to cut within 3 feet of me on all sides while I was working a trap and keeping my boat off the rocks, AND that it was my responsibility while doing all that to also warn them to the obvious danger in front of them is almost as puzzling as what happened in the first place.

Nobody said that though. 

Novice kayakers were clearly out of line.  That is going to happen.  This is more about how to deal with it.

exactly..if i see someone issuing a warning I do one of  two things   signal back to see if they need help or avoid them ... as far as kayaks on TB..I saw a "tour" guide take "6 kayakers" in white caps w/ easily 10 -15 knot winds while some very experienced kayakers were coming in..so if they`re taught  wrong.....

It was gusting to 20+ on Friday, lots of white caps and big chop for TB. Same group was out in it all afternoon, made me think they might be "experienced" and not a tour. Should have known better.

Did you catch any rock crabs?

Anyway, thanks for letting me vent and for giving me some insight to the other side of the coin. I still think they should have had some gut instinct to avoid me but oh well. Nothing happened where it could easily have gone bad and for that I'm thankful. I don't think they will ever know how dangerous a move that was in those conditions but most will probably never get on a boat again anyway and the others ill hopefully gain better judgement.

Cheers.

Did you catch any rock crabs?

2, one was a rider but he stayed on too long 

I'd have done better but forgot the fresh bait so had to use a mix of frozen sardines, a frozen squid, and a fresh clam from the beach. Apparently not what rocks want to eat.

I get where you, as a kayaker and experienced boater, are coming from but understand who you were dealing with. A flotilla of kayakers aimlessly paddling around, as others have said, screams guided/unguided group of tourists. For all that you know, they very well may have been sipping Chardonnay and gobbling oysters and thought how cool it would be to post some pics of themselves kayaking on Instagram. Point being, expecting them to be aware, much less, know to give you room is probably giving them too much credit. Would any of us cut in around you in a situation like that, no. Would people who don't know any better do so, apparently so.

Whether you're a paddler or powerboater or SUPer or whatever, the best game plan is to NEVER rely on or expect others on the water to do the right thing. Its not the paddlers or the boaters or the powered or the unpowered vessels responsibility to communicate. If you want to keep YOURSELF safe, its YOUR responsibility to communicate.

how would we feel if we had fishing lines out.
i would blow my top

had the opposite happen all day long to us yesterday......lots of ocean, but the boaters still have to go "between" a tight group of fishing kayakers.
I hate the smell of those engines and will avoid them like the plague...in a nice way.

Forgive me if this is totally off base, I've never been to Tomales bay, and do not have a clear picture of the spot you were in.  But why would you be dropping traps where others would be transiting anyway?  There are some people that think it would be a good idea to drop a pot in the outlet of the HMB harbor, despite all the boat traffic there.  But year after year, I see it time and time again.  As far as I can tell, it's kayakers doing it, not thinking about the impact it would have to boaters entering or exiting the harbor.

Tomales has poorly behaved boaters as well as kayakers. A lot of the boaters will buzz by dive-yaks within 40 feet or so as they go out over the bar. No way it's not deliberate. They're very aggressive and pretty soon one of them will actually hit a diver. 

Sounds like you encountered one of the Blue Waters Kayaking tours. They're inexperienced and probably meant nothing by it. No reason you couldn't give them a friendly piece of your mind though.

Forgive me if this is totally off base, I've never been to Tomales bay, and do not have a clear picture of the spot you were in.  But why would you be dropping traps where others would be transiting anyway?  There are some people that think it would be a good idea to drop a pot in the outlet of the HMB harbor, despite all the boat traffic there.  But year after year, I see it time and time again.  As far as I can tell, it's kayakers doing it, not thinking about the impact it would have to boaters entering or exiting the harbor.

TB is a long narrow bay and this was along one side, about 2/3 the way up towards the mouth. It's about a mile wide there and my single pot was 15 feet of a cliff on the west shore. PLENTY of room on the other side of me   

Sounds like a group of inexperienced boaters/kayakers. And you're right to be upset about the way they acted. We get a lot of that in Monterey & Santa Cruz too. At first, I would try to politely help or "educate" them. Then, after seeing it over & over, I started ignoring them. But I have seen some people/boaters go way overboard in reprimanding them or yelling at them...which is understandable in some cases, but not efficient. The inexperienced kayakers aren't going to believe or listen to someone yelling at them; they'll just go about their business thinking that the boater was wrong or "being mean." So if I really want to make an impression (and deem it's something worth saying...most offenses I witness are ignorable), I will approach the subject like a friend offering advise, like "Oh hello, I didn't see you there on the blind side of the jetty approaching the harbor entrance. That can be a dangerous spot because there is a lot of boat traffic coming & going...and your kayak is difficult to see from outside the jetty." Or in the example at Tomales, perhaps tell them that they are too close to the boat...and that they should never navigate between the shoreline and another boat under power, etc.
And if that doesn't work, Draxx them sklounst.   

Forgive me if this is totally off base, I've never been to Tomales bay, and do not have a clear picture of the spot you were in.  But why would you be dropping traps where others would be transiting anyway?  There are some people that think it would be a good idea to drop a pot in the outlet of the HMB harbor, despite all the boat traffic there.  But year after year, I see it time and time again.  As far as I can tell, it's kayakers doing it, not thinking about the impact it would have to boaters entering or exiting the harbor.

I was thinking the same thing about Noyo harbor.  Many crab pots get dropped in the channel with long rope and it drifts into the boat traffic.  I have seen some pissed off boaters who wanted to cut the line. They probably have. 

I have seen kayakers and boaters being stupid so it goes both ways.  We had a commercial salmon boat almost ram us last time I was out.  The driver left the wheel and went back to check his gear and was all over the place. 

I just enjoy my fishing and try not to get stressed.  I just move when I can or wait until it's safe to pass by. 

And if someone really pushes it I will verbally vomit on them.  But if things get that bad I don't think anyone would fault me for it. 

Just thinking, they may have been tucking in to the cliff for wind break. Instructor could have told the inexperienced paddlers to do just that, and to avoid the wind the best they can. But still, its a boat, it's bigger than you. Maybe they thought, if no motor, it's like a pedestrian! Or...

I'd say that's standard operating procedure for Recc paddlers.  You should see the folks that hang out in the channel at the sc harbor mouth. It can get fun trying to slalom in between yaks a sail boats.

This should be mandatory reading for new yakkers......




Read the comments, golden....
http://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336

I'd say that's standard operating procedure for Recc paddlers.  You should see the folks that hang out in the channel at the sc harbor mouth. It can get fun trying to slalom in between yaks a sail boats.

This should be mandatory reading for new yakkers......




Read the comments, golden....
http://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336

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Dead.