Sea gnats
"We're sitting here, acting as the windward mark for every jet ski in the
area. Fortunately sunset is coming and they should disappear. Maybe not, but I
can't recall having seen any jet skis with navigational lights, have you?"
Rudy, that's what you get for anchoring off the island on a Saturday.
Rudy shows his considerable (I helped him celebrate his last birthday) age
calling them jet skis. For those not yet aware of this activity, it has become
a popular tourist thing here to rent a PWC and then join in a group of six to
ten folks being lead around our Shell Island (about a 20-mile run) by a "guide."
I think a mid-run stop is scheduled for lunch/swimming. While anchored off the
island, you can see these groups coming at you as a bunch of dark dots within
larger white blots of spray - kinda like looking at an inbound cruise missile.
They mostly go by anchored boats at a reasonable distance - it is the larger
singleton PWCs which tend to slow down and plow a large wake about 20 feet off
the bow that irritate me. The PWC industry has done a good job of quieting
these craft from the whining howl we used to hear.
An associated story: One day some years ago a couple of Asian men on a Seadoo
showed up at my pier while I was working on the boat. In broken English, they
related that they were low on gas and could not find the pier from which they
had departed. Apparently the owner of the PWC had merrily sent them off from a
pier on a canal farther down the bay and told them to have fun. Duh!
Rich Gano
CALYPSO (GB-42 #295)
Southport, FL (near Panama City)
Good Morning Rich
I'd update my terminology for that type of watercraft, but I don't know how to spell PWC!
Stay away from us? Nah, given 150 feet of room and they all chose to slide down our side 20 feet away. Oh, here it is, I found it... written in the jet ski handbook, page x, paragraph xx- "when an anchored boat is observed, take it as close as possible when overtaking, undertaking or when, by any other method, passing it.
You are right though, they are somewhat quieter than in past years. I knew that they often travelled in herds, but a guided herd. Now that's good, one shot takes out the leader and then they'll just mill around, lost, hopefully until they die of starvation. (For those with jet... ahem, PWC, I'm just kidding; I love you all.)
By the way, I called it correct, they did disappear around sundown, but then the other gnats showed up. Fortunately, these gnats stayed away with the use of a mosquito coil. If the jet skis were only so easily influenced.
Rudy
Briney Bug, Panama City, Fl
PWCs do not have lights - so no night operation.
"watercraft" means a vessel less than 12 feet in length, propelled by machinery,
that is designed to be operated by a person sitting, standing, or kneeling on
the vessel rather than in the conventional manner of sitting or standing inside
the vessel.
Nighttime Operation Prohibited--The law prohibits the operation of a personal
watercraft at any time between the hours from one-half hour after sunset to
one-half hour before sunrise.
So much for the Sacramento Delta area of California.
A personal watercraft (PWC) is considered an inboard vessel and comes under the
same rules and requirements as any other vessel. PWC operators must keep in mind
that there are specific considerations when using a PWC.
PWCs may not be operated during the hours between one half-hour after sunset to
one half-hour before sunrise. Due to navigation light requirements after sunset
and before sunrise, PWCs without navigation lights may operate only between
sunrise and sunset.
So much for Florida requirements, BUT it would appear if a Florida PWCer (is
that OK instead of "boater?") were to either affix said nav lights to the PWC
(suction cup model nav lights are available) or have one with lights installed
by the manufacturer, it'd be legal to run that thing in the dark, since here in
FL it's just another inboard power vessel. Anybody know of a maker who puts
lights on PWCs?
Rich Gano
CALYPSO (GB-42 #295)
Southport, FL (near Panama City)
-----Original Message-----
From: Rudy and Jill [mailto:rudysechez@yahoo.com]
Subject: Re: T&T: Sea gnats
Good Morning Rich
I'd update my terminology for that type of watercraft, but I don't know how to
spell PWC! ................
..............By the way, I called it correct, they did disappear around
sundown, but then the other gnats showed up. Fortunately, these gnats stayed
away with the use of a mosquito coil. If the jet skis were only so easily
influenced.
Rudy
Briney Bug, Panama City, Fl