Thread: No Wake
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Old 05-20-2022, 11:02 PM   #34
Descant
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Weekend Pundit View Post
I try to gauge distance by the number of boat lengths, in this case multiples of my boat's length (20 feet). I find it easier to guesstimate 150 feet (7-1/2 boat lengths). A couple times I borrowed a rangefinder to find out how close I came to guesstimating distance between my boat and another boat, a dock, a buoy, a shoreline, or some other object. I think worst case I was off by about 30 feet at 150 feet (I guessed 120 feet). Conditions at the time threw off my guess, but better I underestimate the distance rather than the other way around. Generally I was with 15 feet out to about 200 feet. After that I my error expanded quickly.
Good info.
Going in and out of various public docks, I was taught to use a fixture on shore, e.g. a boat house, as my reference. Usually, it was more like 300-400 feet. No problem, and we needed the extra time to determine which dock to head for in, say, Meredith or Wolfeboro.

Watch. For the most part the larger the boat the farther out they slow down or accelerate going out. The smaller the boat, the more likely they are to try to scoot past others to get to the dock, violating the boat to shore safe passage as well as boat to boat. I'd love to have a dockmaster who would refuse these guys dockage and tell them to go out in the bay and start over: "You're number 12, and I'm watching". I'd rather see this than saddle MP with it, and I think it might be more effective without tickets, etc. Those guys bother me more than close passage in more open waters.
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