Everyday millions of Americans fight congested roadways in order to get to work, often experiencing road rage from fellow drivers. This is the very thing families try to escape when taking a float trip on Missouri’s rivers which made us stop and wonder, are there ways to avoid boat rage on the river? No matter how hard we try to be courteous on roadways, conflicts are inevitable and similar situations can arise when lots of canoes, kayaks, rafts and power boats congest the river on peak weekends. Here are some suggestions to prevent conflicts with other boaters on Missouri’s rivers.
When it comes to Missouri float trips on popular weekends, rivers aren’t the only places that get crowded. Campsites get crowded too, especially when large groups spread out their tents and gear. If you’re part of a large group, be sure to concentrate use of a campsite as much as possible. This will reduce the impact on the site as well as provide other groups the opportunity to enjoy a neighboring campsite. Your group can stay within its campsite by concentrating its activities to the fire ring or picnic area.
And who has the right-of-way on the river anyway, power boaters or floaters? While floaters have the right-of-way on the river, both floaters and power boaters share the Upper Missouri River and should respect each other on the water. When the water is low, floaters need to remember that power boats can only travel in narrow channels in some sections of the river. To accommodate power boaters in this situation, floaters should group together and pull to one side of the river to allow the power boat enough room to pass. By the same token, power boaters should also be courteous of floaters, slowing down and giving them a wide berth. Power boaters will also want to slow down to “no-wake” speed at boat landings and docks.
Boat launches can get quite busy during peak season. Couple this with Missouri’s heat and humidity and tempers can flare. This is why it’s important to drink lots of water so you can keep your head cool and prevail. Remember to be patient and courteous to other boaters at docks and boat landings. Have your gear prepared and make any “pre-trip” decisions before you ever get to the ramp. And don’t be a ramp hog either. Choose one side of the ramp or the other to drive your vehicle down so both sides can be used. If you need to make trips once you’ve launched your boat, be sure to position it out of the way of launch traffic.
Plenty of youth groups and other organizations take float trips every year with leaders wondering what the best method is for a group to travel down the river. To keep everyone safe and accounted for, consider keeping your group as compact as possible with a lead boat and a sweep boat that everyone in your group stays between. A best practice for your group to follow is to not get any further apart than half the width of the river. This is because emergency situations like boating accidents or threatening weather can happen. The situation is made even worse when trained individuals aren’t present to administer aid or the needed gear to remedy the situation.
If your group gets spread out, the opportunities to be out of sight and sound from others in your group increases. But when your group sticks together as compactly as possible, it’s safer and easier for power boats to pass you on the river. Strong currents and winds work against groups trying to stick together which is why lashing boats together with rope is also a good idea. And at the end of the day when tired paddlers struggle to keep up, a tow rope can be a real life saver.
