Boating dangersAs they sailed into brilliantly orange sunset off Yorktown, Ann and David Gross recalled a harrowing experience while boating on Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri.

They were proceeding at 10-15 mph in their 20.5-foot Bayliner one night. Then they nearly T-boned another boat because it had no navigation lights showing. There are several lessons learned. (1) Know your lights and turn them on at dusk. (2) Assign two crew members as lookouts. (3) Proceed with great caution slower speeds of 10-15. (4) Be thinking of potential evasion tactics; in this case David veered right quickly. (5) Try to go out when the moon is full, or at least bright (6) Don’t go out at night, or at least not far. “I could reach out and nearly touch his bow,” Ann said of the near-collision. “I could feel my heart fluttering afterward,”David added.

Counterfeit This

Candian $20

Retired ad exec Bob Fleck of Toronto learned about the meth-maker who went on to learn counterfeiting. So he whipped out a Canadian $20 bill and challenged, “Try this!” Among other security precautions, it has a clear plastic element. That makes it nearly impossible to replicate. (Shown on the left with photo of the queen). The new U.S. currency has new security features, but not plastic.

Boating dangers

Sailing in Circles

Rick Hines stopped me at the Kiwanis Shrimp Feast for a ribbing. “Here you are, a guy who doesn’t like NASCAR for going around in circles, yet now you’re running in circles on the York River.” We had a good laugh over the irony. Then again, sailing is a lot quieter and dust-free.

Bucket Shot (Boating Dangers)

boating dangersAfter she was done with her Subway lunch, a woman guest discreetly asked me about the wrapper, “Where do I throw [this]?” I casually pointed to a blue bucket in the cabin below, and she exclaimed wide-eyed, “In the bucket?” When I told her to simply toss it like a basketball shot, she was shocked. “That’s all right,” I soothed, “we all use it.” It turns out that what she had actually asked was, “Where’s the throne?” She was referring to the head or bathroom.

Let’s Go Sail to Avoid Boating Dangers

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