Dropkicks on the water

[The Bigfella]

Some people really have NO idea.

I was heading out to Grantala today and realised she was hidden behind a "new" houseboat in the mooring field. It turned out to be an anchored 45' houseboat with no-one on board right next to Grantala. The anchor chain went straight down - no scope whatsoever. Its 34' deep there..... so 34' of chain was out.

Fortunately the wind and tide were aligned - if they were opposed, we would have had a 20' overlap and been banging into each other.

I was tempted to hook a rope on and tow it around to the public moorings - about a kilometer down river and out of sight, but called NSW Maritime instead - and got them to sort out the hire company. The hirers eventually turned up and the bloke got all snooty because he had to move. "We didn't know ......" said the wife.

Sometimes I wonder why I'm so polite?

[bamamick]

A friend of mine has a son who is in dental school in the midwestern part of the US. The kid had never been around snow until he started school up there. He met a friend while in school that invited him to come and visit the farm where he grew up and spend some time snowmobiling. They gave him a five minute session on how to drive the snowmobile and what to watch out for. Within an hour he had tried to take a hill the wrong way and rolled the dang thing down the hill, escaping injury himself but pretty much wiping out the friend's nice snowmobile.

I think that a whole lot of boaters or would-be boaters find out the hard way what not to do by tearing stuff up. Even as much experience as I have I still find myself in some tough situations from time to time. It's a terrifically unforgiving world we fool about in, and quite often I wonder why the vast majority of us bother. I am glad that the newbies got sorted out without doing you any damage. Hopefully they won't do too much in their new mooring, but odds are they'll do at least a little.

Mickey Lake

[SchoonerRat]

The anchorage at Avalon, Santa Catalina Island, one of the few cruising destinations in So. Cal. is well over 200' deep. I have spent many hours on anchor watch, mostly watching boats arrive, drop 150' of line, then lock the boat up and head off on a shore boat. Call me cruel, but I took great delight in informing them that their boat was not stolen, but had taken a joy ride all by itself.

[The Bigfella]

I got put on to a nice trick in crowded anchorages - eg the fireworks nights in the Harbour. Get a very small boat nice and close on each side of you - be nice and friendly and let them push off if they come close. Much better than tangling anchors with a large idiot-powered vessel.

[Dave Hadfield]

The worst new habit I've seen in anchorages is to put a Honda generator on the swim platform and then go below and watch a movie.

Everyone has to hear that damn generator going all evening...

A beautiful wilderness anchorage, a lovely sunset, and grind-grind-grind-grind.

Makes you weep....

Dave

[paladin]

Late one evening some folks came into a small island retreat at Poplar Island in the Chesapeake bay...it was a quiet hideout for me, and in close the water is about 14-18 feet deep out of the channel.....
late one evening some idiots in a 30 plus foot small cabin cruiser anchored 50-75 yards from me.....they were the only folks around the island and they picked next door to me....and started a generator on the swim platform......running an air conditioner....
about 2 a.m. I strongly suspect someone in snorkel/flippers came visiting.....and poured a cup of brackish water in their fuel tank....

[Pagie]

And what about jet skies. I think if they come within range they should become targets. Down here if you own a boat you must have a license but if you hire a fishing boat you don't need one.

[Gary Bergman]

We have a standing joke about 'the boat magnet', as when transiting, people come from a mile off to snap photos,so..they hurry up to snap the photo or take a look, waking us in the process, then hurry to leave, waking us again...we've actually done 360 degree turns basically out of control from such fine examples of the boating community...and then, well, travelling the ICW, we get to a bridge maybe 20 minutes before opening, and the large power yachts all pass us in our holding pattern, and fill up all our safe turning room with their damned fancy yachts..happens most every time we transit..reconsidering paintballs for the cannons..use a leather wad as when firing off candy for kids, oughtta work..

[Rational Root]

These were skydiving teeshirts, but they apply to taking a boat out too.

"If at first you don't succeed, this just might not be your thing!"
"It's is not all that dangerous, it's just Damned Unforgiving"

Dave



.... It's a terrifically unforgiving world we fool about in.....
Mickey Lake

[Concordia...41]

about 2 a.m. I strongly suspect someone in snorkel/flippers came visiting.....and poured a cup of brackish water in their fuel tank....


:D:D:D

[JimJ]

A few years back we spent Australia Day weekend at the Bedrooms on South Stradbroke island. About lunchtime at high tide, a 25-30 foot stink boat motored through all the anchored boats and ran up onto the beach. All piled out and headed across the island the surf beach. They returned just before dark to find the boat high and dry and sitting on its in/board leg. Frantic mobile phone calls with water taxis arriving to take the passengers home. Poor skipper? had a long wait until he had enough water to float off.:D

[Frank E. Price]

Are jetskis game animals, or furbearers? In Alaska you have to trap furbearers; not allowed to shoot them (legally).

In SE Alaska I see so many sailboats motoring up the middle of Clarence Strait in beautiful sailing weather with their sailcovers on, I wonder why the owner didn't leave his boat home. Or trade it in on a motorboat.

Frank

[paladin]

ain't got nuthin' against motorboats........but good grief......summa those idiots couldn't drive a bicycle properly, or have a clue of what's going on around them....

[The Bigfella]

ain't got nuthin' against motorboats........but good grief......summa those idiots couldn't drive a bicycle properly, or have a clue of what's going on around them....


and you realise of course that their driving on public roads is no better. Its hidden a bit because they have lines painted on the roads for them to follow, but that doesn't mean they are any more aware of what is going on around them.