
We all have our favorite spectator sports: baseball, football, tennis, etc. Those just mentioned are also known as team sports. But there are other activities that people like to watch that aren’t sports themselves. Rather, the sporting part of the activity is watching the activity. I call some of these pure spectator sports transportation sports. If you go out to any municipal airport on a nice day, you will find a group of people who are not involved with the activities. They are plane spotters. More specifically, they are there to watch planes take off and land. Just as a baseball fan can name the players and tell you a little bit about each player (or a lot, depending on how big a fan we are talking about), plane spotters can tell you a little (or a lot) about the planes landing and taking off.
Another pure spectator sport is train spotting. As a locomotive engineer I encountered hundreds of train spotters in my career. They called themselves railfans, and we often called them rivet counters. They made it their job to know everything there was about a single locomotive or a class of locomotives. Their field trips took them to certain spots along the railroad where the rail traffic was heavy, and they could test and improve their knowledge. Railfans often follow alongside or drive ahead to other interesting locations while following a certain train. The fact that roads often parallel the tracks make this possible.
There is another pure spectator sport that isn’t often mentioned: ramp watching. While you can’t follow a boat from place to place, you can always catch boats being loaded and unloaded at a busy boat ramp. Even boaters like to participate in this sport. One class of ramp watchers are particularly interested in what is called ramp fails. Ramp fails include crashing into the ramp, running a boat up onto the trailer so hard that it damages the boat, jackknifing the trailer when backing down the ramp, etc. Fails. Ramp fails.
But there is another group that simply enjoys watching the coming and goings of boats at the ramp. They bring their lawn chairs and beverage coolers and umbrellas and set up in out of the way spots so they can watch the comings and goings. Otis Redding wrote a song about sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the ships roll in, and watching them roll away again.
Even if you have never sat on the dock of the bay, you can imagine the tranquility of the sport. You might go for an hour with nothing happening and then all of a sudden, a boat or two will head toward the ramp or a boater begins the process of launching his or her boat. One can just enjoy seeing the activity of loading or unloading a boat, or you might observe specific methods of performing the various tasks involved with loading or unloading a boat. There are lots of things that can go right when an experienced boater is at the ramp, but there are lots of things that can go wrong when an inexperienced boater attempts the same maneuvers. Let’s look at what can be observed by the ramp watchers.
Amateur Class Ramp Watchers
The amateur class ramp watchers are in it to ramp fails. They both cheer and jeer the recreational boaters as they launch and retrieve their boats. They bring their lawn chairs and set up a viewing line close to the ramp (but usually not in the way). Often they tend to be obnoxious, but they do applaud clean launches and retrievals. Although they may or ay not be recreational boaters themselves, the amateur class ramp watchers generally know when they see a good launch or retrieval. They will often yell helpful instructions (see the megaphone in one ramp watcher’s hands). They appreciate a bad lunch as well as a good launch or retrieval. Examples of ramp watcher comments include:
- “Your trailer is too deep!” or “Your trailer isn’t deep enough!”
- “Better get a rope on that thang!”
- “Your wheels are off the end of the ramp!”
- “Are you taking your trailer with you? The boat is still strapped on!”
- “Is that a water-activated plug?”
Amateur class ramp watchers are akin to the average baseball game attendee. They are there for the action and participate by yelling instructions to the pitcher or batter, or making remarks about the umpires.
Amateur Class Boat Spotters
Amateur class boat spotters are there at the ramp or dock to note and appreciate the variety of boats as they are launched or retrieved. Some keep journals of the boats they observe. They can usually be differentiated from the amateur class ramp watchers as they usually set up close to the ramp but in nobody’s way. They may give a thumbs up to an obviously skilled boater, but they generally do not yell at the boaters. They often have high end binoculars to help them scan the waters. If their post is a dock, they may be wearing a life jacket. Boat spotters tend to be more sophisticated than ramp watchers. They don’t yell at the players (boat operators). They know the difference between a 44-foot Cabo Flybridge and a Bayliner center console. They are there to enjoy being near the water and observing the different recreational boats plying in the waters.
Recreational Boating Safety Program Visitors (RBSPVs)
Some Coast Guard Auxiliarists are trained to provide recreational boating safety visits to marinas and boat ramps. These Auxiliarists have to be trained, pass an exam, and undergo supervised visits before they can go out on their own. Their goal is to partner with the marina or boat ramp to provide informational pamphlets and to help bring the marina or ramp owners aboard as partners of the Recreational Boating Safety Program. Other partners in this program include boat dealers, shops, and other businesses on or near the water.
Coast Guard Auxiliary Ramp Watchers
Another way the Coast Guard Auxiliary contributes to the Recreational Boating Safety Program is to have what we call Ramp Days. Ramp Days consist of trained Auxiliarists who go as a group to a ramp or marina and offer safety materials and pamphlets to boaters at the ramp. Additionally, the Auxiliarists offer free on the spot Vessel Safety Checks to recreational boaters. They will also offer to schedule a Vessel Safety Check at another time and place. Although we may offer unsolicited advice whenever we see a dangerous situation, we will not jeer or laugh at you at the ramp. We will offer Coast Guard approved recommendations designed to help you operate safely on the water. A Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check can not only save your life and the lives of your passengers, but it may also save you from a fine if you are stopped out on the water by a Coast Guard boat.
Coast Guard Auxiliary Vessel Safety Check
A Coast Guard Vessel Safety Check (VSC) is a type of boat inspection in which the examiner has a checklist of required items and a separate list of Coast Guard further recommendations. We know that VSCs save lives because the people whose lives were saved tell us about it. Different types of boats and different lengths of boats have different regulatory requirements. Vessel Examiners undergo extensive training and are certified to provide VSCs. Our certifications are not one and done- we must undergo annual training and we must perform the required minimum of VSCs each year to remain proficient.
Here are some of the required items on a VSC checklist:
- Current state or national registration and registration numbers are displayed
- Coast Guard Approved and properly fitted life jackets for each person aboard
- One or more Coast Guard Approved fire extinguishers per boat length chart
- Visual distress signals (in most cases)
- Ventilation of bilges
- Backfire flame control with inboard gasoline engines
- Sound producing devices (horn or whistle) Navigation lights (in most cases)
- Deck free of hazards
- Emergency cutoff device (most boats)
Some recommended items include:
- Marine radio
- Dewatering device (bilge pump) and backup
- Mounted fire extinguishers
- Anchor and line for the area of operation
- First aid kit
- Nautical charts (electronic now)
- Extra precautions when operating offshore
- Fuel Management
- Float plan
- Safe Boating classes (required for those born 9/1/23 or later)
Summary
Recreational boaters are liable to find more people around a boat ramp other than the boaters using the ramp. Some of those people are ramp watchers, and are there for the entertainment, especially that entertainment provided by either very skilled or low skilled boaters. They are there to observe the action and to cheer or jeer the boaters. Some of the people at a ramp are primarily boat spotters. They are unobtrusive and are there to relax and enjoy the water and the boats operating on the water. Finally, you may see Auxiliarists in uniform. They are there to talk to the boaters and offer them safety advice and a free Vessel Safety Check. Be sure to take advantage of their offers.