Texting and boating

CurrentSea

CurrentSea

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In state Chanel doing 22 knots coming up on the 5 mph zone. Sea ray blows by me. Guy in it slows down as do I. He immediately grabs phone and starts texting. Not watching where he is going he starts to veer into my path. I give him a horn and no reaction. So I go idle and he wakes up and straightens out. Now he is going faster than 5 mph and is going to pass this smaller boat who is also on his phone. He starts to veer again. Neither boat is paying attention. Suddenly the smaller boat wakes up and realizes they are gonna hit so he veers to starboard but there is a guy fishing in channel right there. From my angle this was about to be a 3 way smack up but at last minute sea ray wakes up and it's all avoided. Just a lot of fingers and cursing.

Don't text and boat. 5 mph zones are not red lights. Your still moving!
 
Just for curiosity, what is the big thrill of texting. If I have something to say to someone I just use the phone and talk. Why text?

George
 
Having been through Jones Inlet and some of the ICW areas on the South Shore back in the mid-late '90's I know what you are talking about. We made passages down there on the weekend and it convinced us there were better days of the week to boat. Cell phones were all it took then and now texting requires people look at a little bitty screen in the sun making it that much more distracting.
This reminds me of the couple that blew by us on I95 with her driving and texting with both hands on the top of the wheel. It was pouring rain so hard that even with new tires I as well as many others were below 55 and she passed us all at about 75.
 
I don't understand the texting fascination at all. I've had this argument with my wife a number of times (cars, boats, lawn mowers). For me the rule is simple - no texting while driving, period. Another thing, don't text me more than once. If you can't say it all in one text, call me.
 
I hate texting. I had my cell carrier turn it off. I don't receive them or send them. If I want to talk to someone, I'll dial their number and leave a voice mail if they don't answer.
 
quote:
Originally posted by gcolton

Just for curiosity, what is the big thrill of texting. If I have something to say to someone I just use the phone and talk. Why text?

George

Click to expand...


So you don't have to talk to people. Some people are a bit unique - likely been hit on the head too many times - and have an odd aversion to talking on the phone. Not at all about talking - and talking a lot - in person, but some of us just have a strange thing about talking on phones.
 
quote:
Originally posted by gcolton

Just for curiosity, what is the big thrill of texting. If I have something to say to someone I just use the phone and talk. Why text?

George

Click to expand...


So I can be in the high speed lane doing 90, sipping coffee with one hand, texting with the other, and not have to turn the radio down.

All the while, my son can be watching his DVD in the back seat and not be disturbed by my conversation.

Too difficult to try to balance the phone for a conversation and have to turn the radio down.
 
quote:
Originally posted by November Charlie

quote:
Originally posted by gcolton

Just for curiosity, what is the big thrill of texting. If I have something to say to someone I just use the phone and talk. Why text?

George

Click to expand...


So you don't have to talk to people. Some people are a bit unique - likely been hit on the head too many times - and have an odd aversion to talking on the phone. Not at all about talking - and talking a lot - in person, but some of us just have a strange thing about talking on phones.

Click to expand...


As a psychotherapist, I never used the texting feature until one of my younger patients started using texts to communicate with me. She had problems expressing herself, and was much more comfortable texting me with her concerns. I would never use texts as a replacement for the face-to-face (being able to read facial expressions, etc.), but in her particular case, the contact via texts was important.
Anyway, I agree 100%: NO TEXTING WHILE DRIVING!
 
Texting, e-mail, and forums such as this allow one to take the time consider the message and to think about the reply; a phone call in real time does not. So in theory texting SHOULD be safer as you DON'T have to answer it immediately, you can leave it till you aren't doing something else.

Unfortunately not everyone looks at it that way. Some feel they have to read and answer it immediately, regardless of what else is going on. That's why it's so dangerous.
 
Click the play button beside texting and you will know why people are so enamoured with it. Me...not so much.

Lewis Black
 
I thought getting out on the water was a way to relax and escape. I don't want anything to do wth a cell phone, texting, or a computer, Other than reading the "local" paper to find out about events in the area or listening to the radio, I don't want to know about the "outside" world when I'm on the water.

Lady C

This was posted on the Shore Haven Yacht Club's Webpage:
I want to go to a place.
Where worries fade in the ripples of a wake.
And time is merely a suggestion.
And no one asks "Are we there yet?"
I want to go where the shortest distance
between two points has never been the point.
Where water, horizon and dreams all meet.
Where I can get to know my kid again.
The one inside me.
I want to go where the end of the day
lies at the end of a dock line.
And life isn't just lived. It's celebrated.
There's a place called happiness.
Not far from here.
I want to go there.
I want to go boating.
 
quote:
Originally posted by In the know

So I can be in the high speed lane doing 90, sipping coffee with one hand, texting with the other, and not have to turn the radio down.

All the while, my son can be watching his DVD in the back seat and not be disturbed by my conversation.

Too difficult to try to balance the phone for a conversation and have to turn the radio down.

Click to expand...


This is one of your sarcastic replies, right?
 
quote:
Originally posted by Stephen

quote:
Originally posted by In the know

So I can be in the high speed lane doing 90, sipping coffee with one hand, texting with the other, and not have to turn the radio down.

All the while, my son can be watching his DVD in the back seat and not be disturbed by my conversation.

Too difficult to try to balance the phone for a conversation and have to turn the radio down.

Click to expand...


This is one of your sarcastic replies, right?

Click to expand...


Of course. Everyone knows I drive 100 and is scotch, not coffee that gets sipped. ;)
 
Sometimes a text message will work with a weak signal when voice will not work. Regardless, I have had my text options turned off. I hate it!
 
quote:
Originally posted by oneillch

I thought getting out on the water was a way to relax and escape. I don't want anything to do wth a cell phone, texting, or a computer, Other than reading the "local" paper to find out about events in the area or listening to the radio, I don't want to know about the "outside" world when I'm on the water.

Lady C

This was posted on the Shore Haven Yacht Club's Webpage:
I want to go to a place.
Where worries fade in the ripples of a wake.
And time is merely a suggestion.
And no one asks "Are we there yet?"
I want to go where the shortest distance
between two points has never been the point.
Where water, horizon and dreams all meet.
Where I can get to know my kid again.
The one inside me.
I want to go where the end of the day
lies at the end of a dock line.
And life isn't just lived. It's celebrated.
There's a place called happiness.
Not far from here.
I want to go there.
I want to go boating.

Click to expand...


Sure sounds like a great philosophy to me.

I do take my cell phone with me because I may want to call Helenback and make a reservation for pizza and beer.

George
 
I don't see what all the fascination with texting is all about, but with two kids there is no way around it for me.
I keep asking them if it wouldn't be easier to just hit the call button and tell me whatever it is they have to say to me. They think it's easier to text.
I almost never initiate a text, but I do respond to them out of necessity. I can't do it while driving or running the boat because I can't read the texts without a pair of cheaters. So I have to wait until I stop or pull over so I can find the glasses first.
 
My three kids, my ex and my wife all text. Texting is non intrusive. Frequently I need to convey a message that doesn't need to be immediately responded to. I can't always keep track of my oldest daughters teaching schedule so I will text her to see if she is in class , in route or just chillin. If I need to communicate with my ex about one of the kids I send a text. If I have a question while my wife is at work I send a text. . . both can read it at an appropriate time. I consider it more of a courtesy in that I can say what I want and not interrupt them, if a call is necessary then so be it. The idea that just because someone has your phone # they can call and intrrupt you any time they want is annoying. Send a text, phone beeps once and I'll look at it when I want, unlike people I know who feel like just because their phone rings they must answer it regardless of where they are or what they are doing.

Ever called someone to get a phone number ? And where is that elusive pen and paper ? They text it to you, you can tag it, now it's in your phone. Is it really necessary that someone call you to let you know they will be ten minutes late ? That doesn't require conversation. That they made it home safely ? Forgot to put the clothes in the dryer ? Today is trash day, I want to know these things but I don't want to have a conversation about it. We bought a new to us car last week, after we left I forgot to ask the salesman to see why the tire pressure light was on. . . .sent him a text, I didn't WANT to talk to him any more,(and I'm sure he didn't want to talk to me) just wanted him to check the tire pressures. No conversation needed, until I picked up the car.

We went to the unlimited plan on our cell service years ago, we exceed a thousand text sent and received per month. I refrain from texting while driving, have been known to pull over and park to do same, but given the number of text we do per month, and with my particular phone I can send simple one and two word responses single handed without looking at the display because of a feature called predictive text ( you enter the first letter or two and it predicts what the word will be. Most people would be more distracted adjusting the heater and radio than I am sending a short text.

Now off to make some decaf :)
 
We text a fair amount between myself, wife and daughter - mainly from my daughter for example a text when she get's where she is going now that she is driving. But never while driving the car or boat - I just quit doing that a long time ago, I'm not going to have an accident over a text! Same with the phone calls - we have made a concious effort to get our lives back from the electronic would. Computers, cell phones are nice conveniences, but it's easy to get consumed by them.
 
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