Hi Mark,

...Just like coming up on someone under the speed limit in the fast lane, holding a cell phone to their ear, eh? No doubt they were monitoring their own private flotilla frequency, probably an all-day brainstorming in an effort to resolve a watermaker, or charting software issue... (grin)

What's most amusing about that pic, it's obvious some ICW Guru convinced them of the efficiency of stowing their tenders in that fashion, eliminating the drag of a towed inflatable... And yet, they're heading into a modest headwind, so the increased windage is likely slowing them far more than towing their dinghies would...

Always amazes how infrequently sailors look behind them running down the Ditch, they're almost always surprised when they're overtaken... More importantly, however - as illustrated by Al Hatch's story below - the lack of constantly checking your position by looking aft is the primary contributor to going aground along the ICW, IMHO...

Still, the worst offenders in the Come From Behind Sweepstakes are the trawlers... You come up behind a Grand Banks on a dreary or cold day when it is being piloted from the lower wheelhouse helm station, forget about it... (grin)

best regards,

Jon