Date: 17 December 2013. Air Horn Saves the Day.

© janice142
 

Aboard any boat safety has to be a paramount concern, even above the decadence and good life I promote! And yet all too often safety equipment is expensive.  Fortunately, not everything is costly and for Seaweed one thoughtful Christmas gift surely made a difference for Skipper and I. Let me explain.
 

A couple of Christmases back a friend (Doc aboard Safira) gave many of the folks in the anchorage an air horn from the Dollar Tree. I tucked his next to the companionway into my cabin. Yes, I have an official Coast Guard approved model for inspections. That said, having a spare seemed like a Good Idea. Frankly, if I had seen the air horn at the store, I would have bought it. Safira's gift was amazing. I am grateful.

I suspect that choice was a result of an experience a fellow cruiser had. You see Stono II's outboard conked out as he was attempting to cross a river. The current caught him and it could have been ugly. Picture being swept to sea in a marshmallow otherwise known as a rubber dinghy without a means of raising help... Okay, legally he probably did have one of those toy whistles however when the wind is kicking they are not all they are cracked up to be. In my opinion the whistles are not loud enough. I do confess the hearing is not what it once was. Frankly nothing else is either.
 

Here is a marshmallow aka inflatable dinghy.

 

One thing you may have noted is how often boaters refer to each other by the names of our boats. Please, PLEASE chose something that is not pornographic.  You will be in phones and address books listed by your boat name so one that is easy to spell would be helpful too. Something simple, easy to spell, and not-too-ketchy (rolling eyes) would be wonderful.
 

In any event, I am not certain if the horn idea was a direct result of Stono II being in his dinghy without a hand-held VHF and no way to call for help or not, but for Christmas Safira gifted many of us with the air horns. I had one air horn as it is a part of the safety gear required aboard my boat. The one from Safira was tucked in the corner by my companionway.

Later I added another Dollar Tree air horn to my cockpit next to one of my fire extinguishers.

 

So one morning I was up, futzing around in my cabin and as is the norm did a 360 scan to see what was going on in my world. Just up river and heading toward me was a small center console boat. The individual aboard was wiping down the seats, facing aft. He did not realize how close he was to colliding with me. He was on a direct bow to bow collision course!
 

Quickly I grabbed the Safira horn and gave a couple of blasts which alerted the fellow to the impending crash. He immediately went to the helm and swing the boat hard to starboard. With a "sorry" as he passed thrown in, I could tell it was one of those "weak-knee" moments we have all had...
 

There is no need to remind me that five rapid blasts of a horn indicates danger. I would have done so but that the gent was alerted and on his way to the helm before the five could have gotten out. In my view there was no need to continue as danger was averted as soon as he turned the wheel.
 

How did it happen you may ask? Let us first look at the chart of the Carrabelle River:

 

The gentleman was heading out toward the mouth of the river along the edge of Timber Island. With the current pushing him along a bit faster than he imagined, there is no doubt he was unaware of how close he was to my boat. His attention was not on his surroundings and he was distracted by a chore (wiping dew off the seats and windshield) that should have been done prior to leaving the dock.
 

I am anchored near the red star, to the north of a secondary channel. Yes, I am well off the channel and on the opposite side of the river (and oyster beds plus sandbars) from the designated channel. Also Seaweed is one of the few boats that does display a black ball when anchored. That is in the regulations incidentally.
 

The center console boat came within 10' of mine, and yes, he did say "sorry" though I suspect his voice was almost as wobbly as my knees. As he was going fishing I was rather hoping he would express his regrets with something tangible like a fresh-caught fish, but alas, that was not to be.

Situational awareness saved the day, along with an air horn that was easily accessible. This is something to think about as you decide where to stow your stuff. I now have a third air horn and tucked it out back by one of my fire extinguishers.
 

Read the instructions on the container. Do NOT shake the air horn before using.
I only mention that because I did not know that it myself!
 

Damage was averted and it was a lesson for both of us -- me, in having an air horn handy (rather than stored in a drawer) and the gent to pay a bit more attention when underway. We have all done stupid things, or are liars. For me, the thing I took away was to be aware when I hear a boat heading my way and that maybe having everything tidy is a super idea. That and it confirmed that the air horn placement was pretty doggone good. Thanks Safira.
 

Do you have more than one horn on your boat?
Is the second placed so if you needed it RIGHT NOW you could get to it easily?
 

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