The incident at The Baths is quite similar to the Hillbilly debacle. The Hillbilly didn’t have the benefit of Red Flag warnings but an experienced skipper shouldn’t need a flag of any color to guide his/her decisions. I do understand how a bareboater, especially with several guests or family on board, can overlook questionable conditions while trying to entertain shipmates and hit all the high spots during a 7 or 10-day charter. Not saying it’s smart or responsible, just that I can understand how it happens.

Many years ago we were at The Baths and I don’t recall a red flag out, but we realized upon catching the mooring that getting the dinghy off the davits was going to be difficult. Someone suggested we “just swim in”. My wife immediately squashed the idea and we told our 6 guests the conditions were untenable. Dropped the mooring, headed to North Sound, taxied over. It made for a short day at The Baths, but still tons of fun. If we had been able to deploy the dinghy, we might have headed to shore and left the boat. Now, 24 years later, I would not even pick up a mooring in those conditions. Live and learn, and thank goodness for smart spouses.