Learning to drive a boat

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Part of the problem is charter boats tend to come with very basic life jackets that resemble a large padded foam toilet seat. Some offer "premium" jackets for an extra fee which are self inflating, with a safety line hook loop. When I was being a rent-a-skipper in the summer it was a bit embarrassing having my high end jacket on while my customers had toilet seats.

Solas-Approved-Foam-Life-Jacket.jpg
 
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I'm not convinced its so important when the sea is 25 degrees and 3m deep and you are 100m from the shore. It would hinder you getting to the shore. Once you are out in the rough, then having the helms person lined on is important. Though in this case they might have been better without him.
 
Cocking up whilst manuvering is part of learning and perfectly normal, trying to dig yourself out of the hole with brute force is not.
I managed to knock someone's outboard off a bracket on their pushpit whilst getting caught out in an unfamiliar marina with both wind and tide in the same direction.

It was embarrassing for me, but thankfully the damage was limited to the bracket on a decrepit 2hp mariner outboard. The owner of the outboard was quite happy with the accident because i had to replace his outboard with a brand new one to replace the 20 year old one that got fished out by grappling hook the following day :(
 
Got told a story about taking speed boat out and lost sight of land. Took guess which way was land and made it back after several hours. Got lucky they said
 
I managed to knock someone's outboard off a bracket on their pushpit whilst getting caught out in an unfamiliar marina with both wind and tide in the same direction.

It was embarrassing for me, but thankfully the damage was limited to the bracket on a decrepit 2hp mariner outboard. The owner of the outboard was quite happy with the accident because i had to replace his outboard with a brand new one to replace the 20 year old one that got fished out by grappling hook the following day :(

I always tie them on with a second line, particularly when lifting them down in to the tender. Insurance doesn't normally cover them.
 
I always tie them on with a second line, particularly when lifting them down in to the tender. Insurance doesn't normally cover them.
The outboard was mounted on a storage bracket attached to the pushpit of another moored yacht in the marina and was tied on. Unfortunately, when i got pushed sideways by the wind and tide i just clipped the outboard with with my pushpit and it sheared the outboard's mounting bracket and the outboard fell straight down into the sea and out of sight. The mounting bracket stayed securely tied on :(

I didn't even bother trying to claim on the insurance.

We didn't have much luck with outboards that year. Our Avon got flipped by the wind with our outboard mounted on its stern whilst tied alongside in Salcombe and got a proper soaking. Despite giving it a thorough fresh water flushing, replacing the oil, plug, fuel etc, it never ran properly again after that and we ended up replacing it the following year. The old one ended up as a mooring anchor in Alderney harbour :)
 
always tie them on with a second line, particularly when lifting them down in to the tender. In
I once jumped into a tender to drop owner off on his yacht then take it to another...I had never used an outboard with twist throttle on end of tiller...IT was like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at once...Could i fek do it...I had visions of ending up in Venezuela!!!...But sussed it after about 10minutes
 
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