Television pioneer, legendary and trusted news anchor, renowned journalist, intrepid sailor, Walter Cronkite died this past July.
In Waterway Guide; Navigational Advice Covering Waters of the Delaware Bay, the New Jersey Coast, Long Island Sound, the Coasts of Massachusetts and Maine, published in 1986, Walter Cronkite wrote this Introduction (my edit updating in blue and red).
Considering this was written some 23-years ago, his words still ring true today. And, like so many of you, I've admired his style!
Of all those plaques sold to brighten up one's yacht, the one that reads "A collision at sea can ruin your whole day" speaks volumes. A collision at sea, or a hard grounding in breakers, or a fire on board, or a man overboard - - any one of these calamities certainly will ruin your whole day if not your whole life.
Anyone who has nudged a dock or hit a rock at a comparatively measly speed of five or six knots knows that even a little bit of momentum can do a powerful lot of damage. Now engines and hulls are getting more and more efficient, cruising speeds of large boats are soaring into the 30s and 40s, and there is even talk of a new speedster that can exceed 100 knots. Imagine that one thundering through your harbor with a dingbat at the wheel happily waving a can of beer at friends!
Concern for boating safety is growing in direct proportion to the greater number of vessels - - from sailboats to floating palaces - - that share our waters. Anyone who spends considerable time on board is aware of the hazards of increased traffic, and few mariners, I suspect, have not witnessed either an actual accident or at least a near miss that inspired frightened awe.
In a recent issue of The Practical Sailor, the editors of that splendid publication learned just how lively the concern about boating safety is. New boat owners have been writing to the editor with the suggestion that the magazine start rating boats according to safety. Practical Sailor notes the impracticality of that and adds the sage, if obvious, admonition that "any boat is only as safe as the person driving it." Put another way: no boat is safe if you've got a dingbat at the wheel.
Greater speeds and more crowded waters may eventually force operator licensing. Now, no one but an advanced masochist favors more government regulation. We all like to think that part of the lure of the open water is the escape from land-based restrictions. Seemingly every boating organization opposes licensing, just as the automobile associations opposed drivers' licenses up until the 1930s. Now, of course, no one in their right mind opposes automobile drivers' licenses. (Washington State instituted a mandatory Boater Safety Course in 2006. Oregon and Canada also have similar requirements.)
In the past few years more and more states have responded to concerns about boating safety by licensing juveniles to operate boats. Some, like New York State, have extensive training and testing programs, and if the early evidence of success in this effort is borne out, the pressure to extend the program to adults may increase..
Any licensing procedure would encounter the problem of the shortage of enforcement machinery - - a problem that already hampers the enforcement of safe boating practices. The budgetary squeeze on national, state, and local governments has discouraged support for increasing maritime police forces, and obligated the Coast Guard to reduce its boating safety personnel to a paltry 199 nationwide. The magnitude of the Coast Guard's budget problem is underlined by the dilemma created by the 1984 federal legislation making it unlawful to operate a boat while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. The noble idea has been stymied by Congress' inability to come up with funding for enforcement machinery.
Meanwhile, the safety of all of us on the water is up to each of us on the water. How mind-bogglingthat all those who venture forth at the helm of any vessel - - from dingy to cruiser - - don't understand that simple truth. Safe boating is no mystery: nine tenths of it is in alertness and anticipation. For Mariners, "What do I do if..." should be the question foremost in mind. An awful lot of trouble can be avoided if the helmsman is thinking and weighing the variables that cold affect the boat in the minutes and hours ahead.
The first duty of any skipper is to learn the rules of the road, pilotage, and simple navigation. Coast Guard Auxiliary or Power Squadron courses are available nationwide. Commercial correspondence courses are cheap insurance compared to the cost of ignorance. (CruiseMasters Boating Instruction has been instructing Northwest power boaters with actual hands-on experience since 1997.) At the very least, a thorough reading of Chapman's Piloting or another good book on boating fundamentals, followed by some stringent self-testing, can do the job. Some of us who might be more forgetful than others find it advantageous to do a little self-test drill at the beginning of each boating season to refresh our memories. I favor a talk session with my crew during which we throw traffic and navigation problems at each other for quick solutions.
A final word: courtesy. That curiously old-fashioned idea is one of the fundamentals of safe boating. If we keep in mind the other fellow's comfort as well as our own, a lot of the dangerous, nerve-racking situations that occur on our crowded waters could be avoided. Let him (or her) cross in front, let him get securely in his slip before you try to wedge past - - what's the hurry? Put your anchor down to give others room for theirs and to swing freely. Lack of courtesy is the sole cause of one of the most annoying and frequently disastrous incidents at sea: the tumulus wake from a passing boat can easy swamp boats, causing fires from upset stoves, or toss crew overboard.
Man wasn't meant to live on the water - - and certainly not in it. When we go boating we are venturing into a hostile world, but most of us feel the enjoyment received is worth the risk involved. But for our own sake and that of others, all of us should reduce this risk to the minimum possible.
- Walter Cronkite
And that's the way it is.
