Help -All You Drivers Out There. Right or Wrong?

OK, I just want a few opinions from the boat drivers out there. We ride in a very small area called "Turtle Cove" on Manahawkin Bay in NJ. Would the normal boat driving rules still apply if your in a designated area AWAY from normal boat traffic?
This is a small cove of protected water which is for the most time great for wakeboarding. Down fall is, there could be 6 other wakeboard boats all trying to get a position for the spot of butter in this cove. OK, here's the thing. Normally as you go up and down this strip of water up against the banks, you stay in your position and it's just courtesy if there's another boat coming towards you to either go to the inside or outside of that driver. Normally you stay in position and hold your line which would have the other driver go to the right or left of you. Sounds OK right? Over the weekend another driver was trying to muscle in on the area I was in wanting to stay right where I was and insisted on playing chicken with me. Needless to say I had to have our 3rd let the rider know we were stopping because I thought he would move over (considering we were riding in that area for over an hr before they came there and it surely looked as if he was going to move). We stopped dead right in front of each other with the other driver yelling the rules and safety of boat driving. You know, going south stay to the right going north stay to the left or visa versa. He passed me a few times earlier not listening to his own advice. But because he had to stop, he was now pissed off and thought he'd try lecturing me on the rules of boat driving.
Soooo, would'nt this be more of a safety courtesy issue since it's an isolated cove/strip of water being used for wakeboarding? You share the water and be safe & courtious. You don't try and muscle people and practice unsafe boating and then try to lecture someone else on driving when it doesn't go your way. Am I right or wrong?

I thought keeping right when you were heading straight for one another was alway the rule of thumb. Stay right going north and left going south? If you follow that rule you'd run into each other.

Being safe and courteous and using common sense is where it's at, as far as I'm concerned and as you pointed out. Cutting somebody elses groove when they were there first and especially when they are towing somebody is BS.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/mwv_files/NR_Files/navrules.pdf

Head on: Move to the right or stop.

Other collision course: Boat to the right must maintain course and speed. Boat to left must slow and yield right-of-way.

I can't tell what actually happened from your description.

We are extremely safe and courteous when out on the water. As much as we love wakeboarding, there have been instances where I've stopped driving and have called it a day because of too many boats in the cove and feeling it just wasn't safe enough to try and share the water. I've never ever had a problem before. And whenever there were other boats, they have always been courteous watching to see if you're going to stay left or right. I just think this was one of those cases where he felt like playing "bully on the playground", trying to take my water and perhaps because I'm a woman and maybe he thought I wouldn't know better. I do know, if I see the boat again, and he does it to me or another driver, I'm reporting him.

Salmon, Thanks for the input. Actually I thought my description was clear. I think it goes without saying to stop or yeild to avoid collision. Seems as if I maintained my course and speed and the other driver wanted my spot as well and stayed to the inside of the strip coming right at me. I say he should have been courteous enough and safe enough to move to the left coming towards me and he could have went right by. He should have seen I was there, had been there for quite sometime riding, and if he wanted to share the same water, just be courteous and not be a water bully. He should have moved.

Hmm...yeah, I think I am disagreeing then. If you were both coming straight toward one another, you both should have moved to your respective rights. If you had moved to your right as the navigation rules specify, moving to his left would have kept him on a collision course. What then? Imagine you both just keep correcting and end up having to stop or colliding...you know...like two people doing a little dance in a doorway because they each keep trying to move the same way?

The reason the rules are there is so there is no confusion. You said "they have always been courteous watching to see if you're going to stay left or right." Why aren't YOU watching to see if THEY stay left or right? That is, of course, a rhetorical question since you BOTH have exactly the same priority. The decision to yield, maintain course and speed, or pass on the right is based solely on the relative velocities of the two boats, not on some nebulous idea about who should be courteous and give way.

So here's the solution: If you are towing along a coastline, keep close to the shore if it is on your right. If the shore is on your left, keep far enough away for another boat to pass between you and the shore. That is what I would consider courteous driving.

I'm going to disagree with all of ya. Having done alotta driving in small areas the rule in a cove is all boats move in the same clockwise direction. Problem with that rule is you get a washing machine in the center and no one gets da butta. Instead of hassling do what the bouy boys do in the course. Let the other guys know that you'll each take 6 passes, then give up the run to the next in line. Works great for weeding out the non serious guys and lets you watch some other styles. BIGGEST plus is no attitudes and no worries about bangin' boats.

Who cares who was right or wrong. If this is the only good boarding area and you guys are all there for the same reason you should share the water. To say your going to all abide by the rules of proper boating wastes the good water when cooperation is the best solution.
Next time this happens try to talk to the guy to the effect that it's in everyone's best interest to cooperate and not just obey laws which really have no value to multiple wake boats trying to make the best of a small area.

David, I totally agree with you. While everyone so far has valid points, I agree that we need to "share" and work it out. When we are all there trying to catch the same butter, it's not always easy to go by the written navigation boating rules. We are in a cove, not on intercoastal waterways with other boaters heading for a destination. Know what I mean? I think in this situation it was truly this driver trying to bully me away from the area we were riding in for over an hour by ourselves until he came along. I stayed very close to the coast line and maintained my position. For the most part this works for the other wakeboard boats as being "safe & courteous". I could have moved right, knowing he was being an A*hole but at the last minute with him not moving and me turning, I feel it would have put my rider right in his path and in danger. I had no choice but to stop.
Thanks for the input. It helps to read other driver's opinions. I will also remember the stay to the right rule and see if that helps the next time. I believe this is an isolated issue. We'll see.

We board a lot in an area that is pretty small, about 3/4 mile long and pretty narrow. It's set-up where 2 boats go at a time, all others wait there turn. But there are times when you have to make manuvers that are not kosher as far as proper boating regulations are concerned. But for that boarding spot, you just go with the flow, it all works, everybody is real cool, always waving and hooting at each other's riders when they go big.

It seems the guys you ran into were just jerks. What can you do? There is always the potential for someone to show up who's an a*@. Just try to forget about it and move on.

Cheers

I totally agree Jonathan. Just wanted a few opinions from the wakeworld community of what happened and how it could have played out. I moved on the minute the Ahole pulled his dirty trick and then tried yelling at me for poor driver. We'll see what happens this weekend.

Thanks!

Good idea to just leave it alone, sounded like you were in the right as far as the local customs were involved, to bad someone can ruin a great time on the water. Good luck this weekend!!!

Thanks Jonathan!