Correct procedure for coping with overtaking boats wake?

[Barnfather]

Just moved my boat down the Trent from Sawley to Farndon/Newark. I have a Viking 23 narrowbeam cruiser. A few years cruising experience on canals/Soar/Upper Trent.

 

On a trip to Newark In a previous year (different, smaller boat), myself and then wife were caught out by the water skiing zone on the Trent near Gunthorpe, where we were buzzed closely by a passing speedboat and it was a someone interesting experience as you can imagine.

 

This time, I was at least prepared and whilst I was not passed by an idiot like last time, was overtaken at a slightly more moderate speed by a speedboat with trim setting so the bow was high out of the water and all his passengers were at the rear of the boat effectively digging a huge 'hole' in the water and causing a huge wake.

 

I am fully aware of the optimal approach when passing a boat causing a large wake (almost at right angles to cross the wake), however when being overtaken and the wake approaches from behind, I am not sure the correct approach - other than bobbing around uncontrollably like a cork until you can get yourself inside the wake-boundaries.

 

I figured I would ask now as being based in the area of trip boats, gravel barges, speedboats and so on, it would make sense to handle this properly.

 

Also a question - are any boat types less effected by wakes than others? Or are the wider-beamed sports cruisers that are common up there affected equally?

 

 

[b0atman]

Surely there is a speed limit for your area of river ?

[Titus]

There's no speed limit at Gunthorpe on the Trent and at West Haddlesey on the Aire (& Calder) for speed boats involved in water skiing and both are C&RT approved,

I've skied on both stretches in a previous life but we did try to avoid other boaters

[Machpoint005]

Lack of a speed limit doesn't condone reckless navigation, I'll bet.

However, if it's a known water-skiing area, there is a generally accepted hazard. Was the OP actually in any danger, or was it just a bit choppy for a wee while?

[Guest]

Surely there is a speed limit for your area of river ?

There are a couple of zones up here where water skiing is permitted.

 

You can't water ski while being towed by a narrowboat doing 3 or 4 mph

[FadeToScarlet]

You can turn away from the overtaking boat, so that you're at 90 degrees to the wake, and it meets you stern on- that way, you pitch but don't roll so much.

[blackrose]

The wake of a boat coming up from behind can be a bit uncomfortable, but boats pitch, yaw and roll - that's what they're meant to do. If possible turn into the wake, if it's not possible don't worry too much about it.

 

If you go onto some busy rivers like that tidal Thames then waves approach from all directions and there isn't much you can do about it because you're often lining up for a bridge. I appreciate that on a small plastic cruiser you're going to get bounced around quite a bit, but surely those boats are designed to deal with that? I think the boat can handle it, but it's often those on board who can't.

[blackrose]

You can turn away from the overtaking boat, so that you're at 90 degrees to the wake, and it meets you stern on- that way, you pitch but don't roll so much.

 

If there's plenty of room then steering away from the wake might be ok, but on a narrower waterway it might send you into the bank. I'd just hold your course and then steer in.

 

A police rib once overtook me to starboard at about 30 knots on the Thames as I was going under a bridge and it pushed my widebeam sideways about 6ft to port, almost into the path of an oncoming passenger boat.

Edited June 3, 2014 by blackrose

[Naughty Cal]

Just don't panic. As Blackrose says the boat will cope with it.

 

It is a known ski zone and the ski clubs are allowed to be there. If you don't want to be thrown around by them avoid days and times that they are out.

 

We find the wash from the big Brooms of Newark far more disconcirting, especially when moored up and they come steaming past!

[Barnfather]

thanks for the replies.

 

In response to someone earlier in the thread, the wake I encountered recently wasn't too dramatic - just hurled us around a bit. It was more a realisation that this will be a more common occurrence being based up there now, and how best to deal with it.

 

It seems like the general view is to just to ride out the wakes impact and try and keep as on-course as possible (I don't think going stern-on to the wake would help, as I think it would propell me too close to the bank).

 

I suppose you don't hear of recreational boats on rivers being capsized due to wakes, so I'm not quite so much worried about tipping over as much as wanting to know that I'm not doing something wrong at the moment I encounter one

[Neil2]

Even if your Viking is only Cat D, which I suspect it is, that still means it must be designed to cope with occasional waves up to 0.5m which is about the height of the waves created by a big cruiser's wake. But with a boat weighing, what, about a ton? It is going to get thrown about quite a bit whatever you do.

 

This is one reason why despite what many folk think, narrowboats are ideal craft for river cruising, with all that weight they don't respond in the same way. Nor do they get bounced around when moored.

[Naughty Cal]

Even if your Viking is only Cat D, which I suspect it is, that still means it must be designed to cope with occasional waves up to 0.5m which is about the height of the waves created by a big cruiser's wake. But with a boat weighing, what, about a ton? It is going to get thrown about quite a bit whatever you do.

 

This is one reason why despite what many folk think, narrowboats are ideal craft for river cruising, with all that weight they don't respond in the same way. Nor do they get bounced around when moored.

 

So why do they complain so much about getting wet feet when we pass them

[John V]

Even if your Viking is only Cat D, which I suspect it is, that still means it must be designed to cope with occasional waves up to 0.5m which is about the height of the waves created by a big cruiser's wake. But with a boat weighing, what, about a ton? It is going to get thrown about quite a bit whatever you do.

 

This is one reason why despite what many folk think, narrowboats are ideal craft for river cruising, with all that weight they don't respond in the same way. Nor do they get bounced around when moored.

 

 

but with that beam they don't half roll

[Naughty Cal]

Even if your Viking is only Cat D, which I suspect it is, that still means it must be designed to cope with occasional waves up to 0.5m which is about the height of the waves created by a big cruiser's wake. But with a boat weighing, what, about a ton? It is going to get thrown about quite a bit whatever you do.

 

This is one reason why despite what many folk think, narrowboats are ideal craft for river cruising, with all that weight they don't respond in the same way. Nor do they get bounced around when moored.

So are River cruisers.

 

Clues in the name.

[FadeToScarlet]

 

So why do they complain so much about getting wet feet when we pass them

 

'cos they're standing in the wrong place or have the wrong sort of stern - no wet feet if you're standing in the hatches with the doors properly shut behind you!