It’s that time of year again! Hey there and welcome back to another edition of Pro Tips. Boating season is upon us and it really does feel like everyone has a boat. Corona Virus sent boat sales through the roof and boat ramps are more crowded than ever.
This week I was reminded of how quickly things can go wrong at the boat ramp and knew exactly what this month’s Pro Tip would be about, ramp safety.
As I pulled up to the ramp before my afternoon charter, I noticed a brand new pick up truck pretty far down the ramp. I quickly got out of my truck to caution the driver, but before I could speak, the drive continued in reverse, sinking his truck. Thankfully, he was ok but I can’t say the same about the truck.
The same day, this time at the end of my charter, I watched a boater trailer their boat out of the water, but they forgot to lock the winch resulting in the boat sliding off the trailer. Quickly the gentleman backed his trailer down to the boat and literally drug it up the trailer. I’d like to say that he learned his lesson but, you guessed it, he failed to lock the winch a second time and the poor boat slid back off the trailer. This time I made sure to double check the man’s winch for him and use the trailer’s safety chain.
Neither story is recalled to belittle either party and their experience or well inexperience. Instead, let’s all learn from these situations at the ramp.
For Seasoned Boaters:
- Be patient and courteous with everyone at the ramp, you never know when you’ll need help.
- Offer a helping hand when needed.
- If someone is taking a long time, remember that yelling doesn’t help, so don’t be that person. Let us all be nice to each other.
For New Boaters:
- Make a launching/trailering checklist.
- Practice launching and trailering your vessel during non busy times to avoid clogging the ramp and getting stressed out.
- Be ready to launch before approaching the ramp.
- Slow down. Let’s not drag our feet here but also don’t rush. Remember what you practiced and refer to your checklist.
For more fishing stories, check out my fishing show, The Captain’s Log, streaming free on Waypoint TV, Amazon Prime Video and our YouTube Channel.
Safe boating,
Capt. Jonathan Moss
Go Castaway Fishing Charters
www.gocastaway.com
(407) 760-8593