The Qualified Captain: Holden Beach close call highlights importance of navigation rules
HOLDEN BEACH, NC (WWAY) — A close call on the water near Holden Beach is serving as this week’s boating safety lesson from The Qualified Captain.
In the latest edition of WWAY’s ongoing partnership with The Qualified Captain, boating safety instructor Chris Juall breaks down a video showing two boats nearly colliding near the inlet.
The video shows the approaching boat heading toward the other vessel, forcing the driver to make a quick turn to avoid a collision.
“The guy almost got thrown out of his seat, who was driving. What you don’t see is the guy in the passenger seat did get thrown out of the boat, and almost got run over by the other boat, but thankfully, everyone did what they could to avoid the collision,” Juall said.
Stay on the right side of the channel
Juall said the boat coming toward them was not on the correct side of the channel.
“So the bottom line with this situation is that the boat that was coming towards them. wasn’t on the right side of the channel,” Juall said. “They should have been on the correct side, which is the starboard side, and in other words, they should have known the nav rules better.”
Juall said there are rules of the road on the water, and boaters need to know them before heading out.
Three key takeaways
Juall said the incident offers three major takeaways:
- Always travel at a safe speed.
- Stay to the right side of the channel.
- Wear a life jacket.
- Keep clear of other boats and know the navigation rules.
Juall said if there is a risk of an imminent collision, both boats must do everything they can to avoid it.
“Things can happen in the blink of an eye. This is a perfect example,” Juall said. “You need to be wearing a life jacket because the person that got ejected could very well have hit his head or her head. And next thing you know, that would be an incident where someone’s drowning and possibly dying.”
WWAY’s boating safety series with The Qualified Captain uses real-world videos to educate boaters and promote safe practices on the water.
The Qualified Captain also offers boating safety education courses, including NASBLA Approved State Online Boating Course and Non-NASBLA Approved Courses.
