Dave, I don't know about boat instruments. Our boat is a rowboat, and we take it on quiet rivers, to birdwatch.

I think the parade in Texas was called together by people who didn't know enough about boats, and the Trump supporters in the parade found themselves in a situation they could not control. The boat being overwhelmed in the New York Times photograph is a houseboat, intended for toddling along in quiet waters. I'm sure the owners didn't visualize themselves surrounded by turbulent wakes and fast boats which are way too close.

I am reminded of a party that some teenagers posted on Facebook in my city. Four hundred people showed up! The hosts were swamped, didn't know most of the people, and a serious number of Covid 19 cases could be traced to the event. As with the boat parade, when you put an event on social media, you lose control.

I wondered whether boat parades are common, and if anybody has developed rules for running a safe parade. I learned that there are quite a few boat parades in Florida at Christmastime, but I didn't find anything on how they are organized.

I think we're done here. The boats sank or hit the rocks because there were too many of them too close together, going too fast.