You must have a Wingman when you ride in the ocean. Fighter pilots and Marine Corps Infantrymen do not fly or walk into combat missions solo, you should not venture into the ocean solo on a PWC. Wingmen are those men and women in a fighter pilot's formation who assist in accomplishing a mission and watching their wingman's back. With offshore PWC riding, designated Wingmen are those men and women in your group who help you get back to port and to your family in one piece. The process and trusting relationships you build with your Wingmen PWC riders are critical to your success and safety on the water. After riding in the ocean for almost thirteen years, I have seen many close calls that could have resulted in injury or a loss of a rider. There are few places on earth that can be less forgiving than the ocean, especially if you're on an eleven foot PWC and twenty miles at sea. She is majestic, soothing and beautiful but she can also be death, she must be respected. Don't respect her and she will bite, it is only a matter of time. You must be proactive, prepared and vigilant about safety. It goes without saying that you must have the fundamental safety gear, communications equipment, navigation equipment and tow rope etc., but that's a different article. So how does a Wingman apply to riding PWC and how does one implement an effective Wingman process and strategy in the ocean. Here are a few guidelines for your consideration. First, you must identify your wingman before you step off the dock and he/she should acknowledge you as his/her wingman. They should be two man teams. Choose a Wingman that has equivalent riding skill and a watercraft that is similar in speed. You must have a game plan and prepare for either breaking down or losing one another (but don't do that! Stay together!). Don't rush the conversation with him before you step off, yes you're excited to get on the water but ultimately its not a fun day if you don't come home. Have a contingency plan. You are now accountable for one another. You must have a two way radio and have his or her cell number programmed into your fully charged waterproofed cell phone that you carry with you on your craft. You must each have tow ropes, redundancy is key. RULE #1, you never, ever leave your wingman while en route - NEVER! You must stay within a distance that enables you to maintain visibility of him/her and monitor how he is doing. We all have that desire to focus forward, hammer the throttle down and get to our destination. Should you have a wingman and not look back and monitor their progress, you could lose them. Full throttle on a stock contemporary watercraft equates to about 65 mph. Three minutes at full throttle without looking back at your wingman can equate to a mile (s) distance between you and him if your Wingman has had a mechanical and is dead in the water. Rule number 2: Always look back, frequently! Check his progress and don't leave him behind, slow down if necessary. If there is fog, decrease dispersion based on the thickness of the fog or marine layer so you can maintain visibility. So what if you break the rule and inadvertently lose your wingman while en route and can't find him. What do you do? Well, other than being relegated to the dishonorable PWC dungeon of the ultimate sin of leaving him behind, consider stopping and calling him with your lat and long. Always leave a voice mail if he does not pick up. He can then input the lat and long and proceed to your destination via his GPS. Rule #3: Always communicate! Leave voice mails / check voice mails and leave the time you are calling so the Wingman can track how he/she is progressing, inform one another if there is the potential of a developing emergency situation or if she has already arrived at the destination etc. Communicate.
You must be prepared, you must plan, you must have the safety gear, you must have the navigation gear, you must have reliable communications gear. If not, don't ride into the ocean. Ride hard and ride safe, have fun!
M. Gerner. Gerner is the founder of PWCOFFSHORE.com, a site that focuses on offshore and endurance PWC riding and racing
PWCOFFSHORE AND ENDURANCE RACING FOR THE RACER, RIDER AND ENTHUSIAST. TIPS FOR THE LONG BEACH TO CATALINA ISLAND AND BACK RIDE AND RACE. BEST PRACTICES ASSOCIATED WITH HARD CORE OFFSHORE RIDING AND RACING.
