Wake at your own risk

President Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk: THE BUCK STOPS HERE. Despite all the time spent on the subject of wakes on the Spokane River by governmental bodies and stakeholders, the most salient point is consistently missed.

It is pretty much black letter law in the admiralty courts throughout the entire world. The operator/captain of a sailing vessel of any type is responsible for his wake and whatever damage it may cause. Being within or below the speed limit does not in any way excuse any wake damage.

I have sailed as the navigator on one of the world’s largest ammunition/oilers, multiple destroyers, one submarine and as the commander of a mine sweeper, patrol boat, coastal patrol boat and the world’s largest fastest hydrofoil.

The last ship I commanded had a submarine torpedo tube in the cargo hold. We test fired weapons all day and recovered them from the ocean bottom all night long.

Even with legal documents published, signs posted all throughout the area, flashing red warning lights, high speed patrol boats and helicopters, I was still responsible for the safety of any boater that strayed onto our active weapons range. The buck at sea always stops with the skipper.

Regardless of where I was, passing Mt. Vernon on the Potomac River on a converted mine sweeper, doing 60 knots on a hydrofoil in Puget Sound, moving through a canal in a swamp in Vietnam on a jet-propelled patrol boat, I was responsible for my wake.

Inexperienced, inebriated, over-confident, ill-trained boaters on the Spokane River combined with a crowded waterway is a recipe for a dish that will not be pleasing to anyone. The river is too narrow for high speed craft not to cause wake damage.

Wake damage is often incremental and not readily discernible. The skill level of the boaters is all over the place and at the speeds they move and considering there are no recognizable lanes of traffic, a boat operator must be ultra alert.

If no one has informed you, should your wake cause a craft to overturn or founder and the people on that craft are injured or die, you are now going to be charged with manslaughter at the very least. A civil lawsuit almost certainly follows, so for the fun of irresponsible speed, get ready to lose your savings, home, car, etc.

P.S.: I don’t have a dog in this fight. I don’t live near the river, nor do I own a boat.

Robert B. Hunt is a Post Falls resident.