Rude boaters

[texpie]

We have cruised from Charleston,SC to Miami on our way to the keys and Bahamas. We have encountered many great boaters inside and out of the ICW. However, we intend to avoid Miami in all future travels. I believe Miami has the rudest boaters on the planet. Not everyone in Miami but the largest percentage of a$$holes we have encountered was in the Miami area. Please comment if other areas should be avoided with similar boaters.

[Leo Ticheli]

Miami has, by far, the worst car drivers in the nation, so it's not surprising that too many boaters there behave the same way. Our entrance and exit through Government Cut was exciting with an "escort" of full-throttle cigarette boats.

Fair winds,
Leo

[Tellie]

Lived here all my life. If it can at all be avoided I never go boating on the ICW during the weekend.

[tkeithlu]

I think it's worthwhile to simply pop out at Fort Worth and enter again through the stilt village in south Biscayne Bay. That stretch of ICW has 29 lift bridges and a generous supply of the boats (boaters) that are annoying you. The south bay is a beautifully quiet area to anchor, get out the drinks, and enjoy both the sunset and the Miami lights - at a distance. Illegitimi non Carborundum.

[texpie]

Originally Posted by Leo Ticheli

Miami has, by far, the worst car drivers in the nation, so it's not surprising that too many boaters there behave the same way. Our entrance and exit through Government Cut was exciting with an "escort" of full-throttle cigarette boats.

Fair winds,
Leo

We arrived via Fishermans channel to the same reception. I do not plan to exit the same way. Plan to escape via under the William Powell bridge to points south. I would rather cross the Gulf Stream in a norther than attempt entering the Miami inlet. I have dodged many things in my life but a lot of the powerboaters around Miami are either crazy or drunk.

[a64pilot]

From my admittedly inexperienced perception, you have pretty much described Fl from about Sarasota South.
Tampa Bay on the Fourth of July weekend, should be avoided, I learned.
Government cut was the first time I have ever seen a 1200 HP Law enforcement RIB, honestly four 300 HP outboards. What in the world is that for?

Why are they allowed to run as fast as they like in the channel, but not outside of the channel?
Saw a large Turtle dead in Sarasota, his back had been busted open by a speed boat.

[TJ D]

Believe it or not, we've found Annapolis to have the biggest bunch of aloof/unfriendly people afloat. Not in how they operated their boats, but just the nose in the air snobbishness of the place really surprised us. We spent a couple of weeks on a mooring there 2 years ago, and I can say without a doubt that we experienced more unreturned waves at passing boats than anywhere else we've cruised (and the list of places is quite long in our case).

Most places, it's just customary to exchange a greeting, mostly just a smile and a wave. Apparently this is not the case in that village. We found it quite strange. Ego alley is aptly named.

Sorry to Annapolians, but the behavior on the water there was quite perplexing to us. Heck, even the blue-bloods of Newport were friendlier than down there.

Weird.

TJ

[donradcliffe]

My impressions is that its Brits who don't believe you exist until you have been properly introduced, which is a holdover from their two-class society. That attitude has migrated to the the Northeast Coast of the US, which winters in Miami.

[texpie]

I should have articulated my observations better. It seems a large percentage of Miami boaters have complete disregard for their wakes and the affects to other boats when passing.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

My impressions is that its Brits who don't believe you exist until you have been properly introduced, which is a holdover from their two-class society. That attitude has migrated to the the Northeast Coast of the US, which winters in Miami.

Your 'impression 'is wrong. Its the huge influx of machisimo latinos who foul Miami area roads and waterways with their idiotic driving.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

My impressions is that its Brits who don't believe you exist until you have been properly introduced, which is a holdover from their two-class society. That attitude has migrated to the the Northeast Coast of the US, which winters in Miami.

If your going to be racist get it right..
Its a 3 Class System..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VxkltwS9g0

[tkeithlu]

I don't think rudeness, inexperience in boats, intoxication, more cents than sense, or excess testosterone can be attributed to any social or ethic group, be they Brits, Latinos, or rednecks. The reality is that when you combine dense population, too much disposable income, no regulation whatever on what you can buy and put on the water, and vastly underfunded marine law enforcement in a crowded space, defensive boating or removing ourselves from the scene is a good idea.

[moctrams]

Some of the crabbers on the Chesapeake Bay carry a few 5/8" nuts on board and if they get waked, they will chuck it at their boat. It sounds like a gun shot. They really move out after that.

[a64pilot]

Didn't realize Brits were a separate race?

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by moctrams

Some of the crabbers on the Chesapeake Bay carry a few 5/8" nuts on board and if they get waked, they will chuck it at their boat. It sounds like a gun shot. They really move out after that.

I honestly, briefly considered a paint ball gun in Sarasota, but figured it would land me in jail.