A recent survey by BoatUS among a half-million recreational boat owners found that 99.4 percent wave out on the water when they see another boat approaching.
“Waving to nearby boats is natural for many boat owners,” BoatUS President Margaret Podlich stated in a press release. “It doesn’t matter what kind of boat — power, sail, fishing or personal watercraft. Nor does it matter who does the waving. It’s a universal gesture.”
Ironically, Podlich commissioned the survey after being out on her own boat and feeling shunned when a few other boats failed to return her wave in kind.
BoatUS says this may be because its members are simply happier out there on the water. The rest of us are apparently reluctant to say hello. (At least we’re not all giving the one-finger salute…)
