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last weekend while motoring home after a nice day on the water, I let my wife (pushed her into it) drive the boat.(I've always worried a little bit about droping dead out on the water and making my wife look silly by her having to call 911 on the cell,(channel 16 ?what's channel 16?)and then having to be towed in instead of just her continuing to enjoy the leisurely ride back to the marina,followed by a pumpout and fuel before calling the funeral home.
Anyway she is a bit nervous behind the wheel,and wouldn't you know it, not 10 secs after she took the wheel ....bang then bump we hit a floating log or tree. I turned around to to see it pop up out of the wake...is that a vibration I feel?...Damn better check the bilge...Climbed down the ladder lifted the aft hatch and oh ***....water....don't panic....oh ***....that vibration seems worse...check the front bilge......Call the marina,head strait in,they're waiting at the lift,lift the boat immediately....with a freaken crowd gathering...I swear the whole bar emptied out,should have sold tickets...Nothing...little tiny scuff mark and a loose prop nut..."really honey...you really gotta try it again....it's just a freak thing....it never happens" ....DAMN
Please insert acceptable political or boating statement here...or not... I really don't give a crap....
We took a 4 day cruise over Easter - and about 2 hours from home down the ICW, I had my wife take over while I ran down to get a cup of java.
While below, I heard the engines change note, and I popped out back to see whats up, only to see mud in the wake (only doing about 10-12 knots).
She had veered slightly wide of the channel (unmarked in the 1/2 mile wide ICW in this area). I took over and we slowed and backed out OK, but she didn't want anything to do with the wheel the rest of the day (or the next).
Captain Ross, 2009 Trojan Boater of the Year
"Viva Mahia" F32 Cummins 6BTA diesels,
"Mack Attack" Chaparral 244 Fish, SeaPro 180, McKee 14, Montauk-17
Funny - squirted my coffee out of my nose reading this. Thanks, that was a good way to clean out the old sinuses! Actually, glad nothing really bad happened. My wife took the helm for a lot of our Erie Canal trip and did a helluva lot better job spotting floating logs, etc along the way. Most likey developed the uncanny eyesite and hearing raising our four juvenile delinquents and the 8 grandkids that followed.....
Mine loves to drive the boat. When we first met she had never done any boating and had never driven a power boat. I took her on a ten day vacation while we were dating and was showing her how to drive the boat. The next day while we were travelling between ports I had to go use the head and asked her to take over while I was gone. When I returned to the bridge, she was having a great time, was right on course, and had mastered using the GPS. I said quite matter-of-factly "I'll take it now" to which she replied "I don't think so" I sat down and she drove for the next two hours and loved it.
I think I have created a monster. We now get in great discussions over who is going to drive when we travel.
My wife enjoys driving our smaller boats, especially offshore trolling on our 26. I bought her a 14' McKee for Valentine's day 3 years ago .... she loves it and sometimes takes it out with her friends. We still have "her" Corvette from when we got married 19 years ago - we both had Vettes at the time.
Captain Ross, 2009 Trojan Boater of the Year
"Viva Mahia" F32 Cummins 6BTA diesels,
"Mack Attack" Chaparral 244 Fish, SeaPro 180, McKee 14, Montauk-17
My wife allows me to be the deck hand and beverage server until we get in a tight spot. I check the oil, she starts the engines, I do the bilge check, she turns on the instruments, I cast off the lines, she drives the boat, I stow the fenders, she barks orders,... I mean, "gives commands", I salute and obey, she even docks the boat. However, she was apprehensive at first but after several lashes of the cat-o-nine-tails she took right to it, (I still have the scars). She used to pull the anchor but there was a mutiny on board and I ended up with that duty, (thank God for anchor wenches). If I ever tried to take back the controls out on the water there would probably be a burial at sea,... mine.
Come on, you guys! I do all of the docking and departing, and most of the driving. Sometimes, I single-hand the boat. I give all credit for my docking skills to my husband, who's a great coach.
Oh, good, Wowzer, I see your wife is right there with me. I do believe a windlass is in your future. That's one of the best things we've added to the boat. 35-lb. Bruce is really heavy especially when dug in the mud, sand or weeds.
I chuckled when I read your posts about wives driving. We had our last boat, a 25' Thundercraft, 12 years. She drove it once, under duress. We had broken a throttle cable while at another marina about 5 miles from our marina. I took it apart far enough to readize I could not fix it, and in her words, "Oh no, you couldn't ask for help, no you had to get back on your own." I opened the engine cover, removed the air cleaner, took the flag pole and sitting on top of the engine I wedged to pole into side of the carb linkage. She had to take the wheel. I told her that when it hit 3000 RPM wave a hand. Well for the next 20 minutes I could see nothing except the top of the odd boat over the side. I suddenly realized she was taking the "short" way back......3' deep on sandy bottom. I decided the safest place to stay was on plane at least we were only drawing 18" of water. Every once in awhile her head would turn and I could see her mouth moving.......do you know how loud the engine is with no cover and no air cleaner? Oh yes and the vitals 6" from the carb throat.
Well we made it back w/o incident and she was off that boat in a flash and found her bottle before it was even tied up. By the way, she did drive it one other time, the weekend before we sold it I got her to pull up and tie to the rest of the raft. She drove it then like a seasoned skipper.
I'm working on her to drive this one. Mostly slow moving, anchoring etc. I do agree that someone else onboard should know how to operate the necessities.
I've never been able to my wife to even want to operate the boat. When we had speed boats I couldn't get her away from the wheel, But now with the bigger ones she just won't.
Since my younger brother had a recent heart attack she has intimated she might want to learn. I'm hoping this weekend if the seas are calm I'll get her to step up.
When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.
Ronald Reagan
1987 F36 Tri-Cabin
Twin 270 Crusaders
"Special K"
Upper Bay, Chesapeake Bay
