Another boat hits a jetty...

We all have.

That said.... there are mitigation strategies. As a professional aviator for one of the "big three" (well, at least we used to be) I can tell you that countless hours are spent devising and training error avoidance and mitigation strategies. Standardized procedures with defined triggers and responses. Every time.

The central pillar of all this is standardization. Policies and procedures. SOP. Every time. Short cuts are often the first step towards the accident.

Like Pascal said.... If you ALWAYS use the NAVAIDS as designed..... your odds at seeing it wrong are a lot less. Stay in the effing channel, ESPECIALLY in the dark.

I've noticed that the expressions we tend to use most as adults are those we heard addressed to us most often as children. How sad.

That's the difference between a professional and a Sunday Sailor. As for the last part there's an exception to every rule. In this case following the navaids would have added 2 to 3 hours of navigating winding, narrow, crab trap infested back canals in the dark to an already late trip. Why do that when there's a perfectly good shortcut? He just missed it.

Somewhere between 30 and 50.

Familiar or not they should be prudent. I always assumed I would die in an inlet. I also cruised every minute with the thought "What if...". Unfortunately most boaters cruise with the thought 'La de DA'. Doesn't make them stupid. Makes them inexperienced and prone to mistakes like this one. There was nothing wrong with the route he chose. His problem was not plotting it properly and probably going too fast for the conditions. BTW, the reason I always take it slow through there, and probably why there's no 1 or 2 marker is that the shoals there shift. It's a big open inlet with a lot of water till you notice the 2 & 4 & 1 foot sections dotted all over it. What looks like the best route, to the north, contains many bad shoals. That's where I had to talk the big Broward in from. Lots of people make mistakes.

Yep. IF you remember to zoom in when plotting and when approaching anything, and IF your electronics don't go down.

On the electronic charts, I'm guilty myself of not always zooming down. Is there a split screen model out there that gives you a reduced chart as you move along, next to the one being used for the overall navigation, or does that take 2 units?

And you're experienced. Imagine amateur's. You might remember several years ago a 50' Sea Ray heading for Orient Point put his next waypoint after Pt. Jeff off the O.P. bug light, then went down below to 'make a sandwich'. Surprise!!!
It's always a good idea to have an independent GPS aboard for emergencies.

This is exactly why I have multiple screens. I have three total. I run one full screen chart zoomed out a bit then a second screen zoomed in pretty tight. I use the third screen for bottom/fish finding. If I need radar I overlay it on the charts. Everyone has their own preferences. I find this works well for me and I'm in an area where paying attention to charts and knowing exactly where you are at all times is a must.

Hmm...I’ve gone in and out of there quite a few times.

Plus cut over to Hilton Head often.

Always stayed away from the jetty. But if you look at the chart on say Navionics, it shows nothing but 12-14 of water over most of it.

There is one area that shows 7-8 over the jetty and 6’ around it. I wonder if that’s were he hit?

So I can see how someone could possibly be lulled into a false sense of security about going over it.

Especially if they don’t zoom in on the chart.