How to Maneuver in the Open Seas
According to the United States Coast Guard, 70 percent of all boating accidents are attributable to operator error. According to legend, bad things come in threes, and salty veterans of the sea swear by this axiom. Problems on the open ocean can snowball quickly. A small mistake sets off a chain reaction that can result in a foundering vessel and a captain in need of rescue. There is no substitute for preparation and common sense, but a little study before you take to the ocean never hurt either.
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Instructions
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Take a boat safety course. Contact the nearest Coast Guard installation in your area, or visit the United States Coast Guard website (see Resources below). The website provides a number of resources for boating safety classes, distance learning and demonstrations.
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Understand your boat's limitations. Knowing how to maneuver your boat in rough seas is of little help if the craft is not up to the challenge. Small boats often have a lower transom or one that is cut down to accommodate an outboard motor, and that gives water easy access to get onboard. They also have a shorter freeboard which is the distance from the surface of the water to the gunwale or rail along the sides. When water does enter, small crafts often have just one bilge pump that is inadequate to deal with the deluge of the open sea.
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Keep your bow into the waves when you are stopped. Never put the stern to the sea. If you are drift fishing, use a sea anchor to keep you pointed at the waves. A sea anchor is nothing more than a weight, often a sandbag, tied to the bow and hung over the side into the water to help keep you oriented.
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Match the speed of the waves when things get rough. A sunny, calm day can get ugly in a hurry. Don't try to outrun the gathering sea. When you're running with the waves, that is you are heading in the same direction as the predominant seas, slow down. Try to stay between crests when possible. If you maintain speed, you'll rush down the face of one wave and bury the bow in the back of the next one. This is called broaching.
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Take following seas on the aft quarter instead of square to the transom. This means you should alter your course by about 45 degrees relative to the wave behind you. Even if this is not exactly the direction you want to go, you can tack, or turn to the opposite 45 degree angle, every so often to maintain course. Taking following seas this way helps you to keep moving along quickly without broaching.
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Always think about the return trip. Getting out to sea through an inlet might be easy one day and nearly impossible the next. If you have an easy time getting out with waves behind you, remember that you'll be staring into the teeth of them on the way back in.
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Take head seas at idle speed if you must approach them directly. Head seas are those coming straight at the bow of the boat. Like following seas, you can quarter the waves by angling at 45 degrees to increase your speed slightly. A 60 degree angle will give you a little more speed capability, but you run the risk of losing your line and taking a hard hit along the beam (the side) which can capsize a small boat.
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