This is my post for #freewriters 2575 prompt wander into danger hosted by @mariannewest
As most of you know, I grew up on an inlet, not just any inlet but one of the most dangerous in Florida to navigate through. It is so bad that they hung a sign that said local knowledge needed for safe passage, or something to that effect. Back then, hearing of a boat sinking in the inlet was rare. Now we have more people with boats and no clue as to how bad it can be.
This is a photo of the south jetty, to the right is the ocean and it looks calm, but look to the left and you can see whitewater across the inlet.
People get in trouble when they are halfway through and decide it is too rough to go out. They try to turn around and instead of getting out of danger, they wander into danger when they make the turn a wave will overtake the boat and they are in trouble. Once you commit to going through the inlet, you have to follow it through, no matter how rough it is. When you get out of the inlet tide you have to decide either wait for the tide to change or make your way back through it.
A southeast wind and an ebb tide are the worst conditions for navigating the inlet, the wind will build a swell pushing it into the inlet with the tide going out against it.
This photo is of a commercial boat coming into the inlet. Years ago a fisherman who moved here from the west coast told my husband that our inlet was like a stinky fart, you do not know how bad it is until you get halfway through it.
You can not just push your way through it when coming in, you have to stay behind the wave. To do this you need to keep adjusting your speed. If you come in too fast, the wave will overtake your boat.
A friend who was at the inlet one day as we were going out, took these photos. We are in a 18 foot boat with 2 strings of 600 yard nets.
This was when we came back in the inlet, we had 1,400 pounds of fish. The Marine Patrol pulled up next to us when we came under the bridge, he would not pull all the way up, he just shook his head and motioned for us to go on. I guess he thought he would wander into danger by pulling up to us, and I agree, we did not need to be drifting sideways in the inlet while he checked everything.
photos are mine