I don't think anyone gets any joy out of someone's honest mishaps. It's the skippers who have already established themselves as jerks who introduce the humor. You know who I'm talking about, the ones who block 4 lanes of the ramp while they rig their trailer-sailor, the ones who think more throttle is the answer to everything, the ones who scream at their wives when things go embarrassingly wrong. I've got no sympathy for them and feel their disasters are poetic justice and high comedy.
How Not To Launch A Sailboat
- Thread starter Freedom77
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Brian,
last weekend I did that exact move....heading to fast cause it was blowing hard then realized I need to slow down and put it in reverse but by now the wind has me sideways so I gun it to get out of the slip and my Bruce anchor caught a line on the pole and it deployed (I guess the clutch wasn't so tight thank god) well my friend was on the bow the whole time and was able to untangle the anchor while I kept the boat from hitting my neighbors...no damage but embarrassed and thankful my wife wasn't on the bow cause the result would have been different
last weekend I did that exact move....heading to fast cause it was blowing hard then realized I need to slow down and put it in reverse but by now the wind has me sideways so I gun it to get out of the slip and my Bruce anchor caught a line on the pole and it deployed (I guess the clutch wasn't so tight thank god) well my friend was on the bow the whole time and was able to untangle the anchor while I kept the boat from hitting my neighbors...no damage but embarrassed and thankful my wife wasn't on the bow cause the result would have been different
Good Restaurant sites must be at Launch Ramps
I remember launching our daysailer in Sausalito, CA (across the bridge from San Francisco) and there was a restaurant along side the launch ramp. Looking up from the ramp all you could see was large glass windows and the guests at their tables.
With all those witnesses you know you want to do it right.
I can imagine these were probably really sought-after seats! Probably reserved?
I remember launching our daysailer in Sausalito, CA (across the bridge from San Francisco) and there was a restaurant along side the launch ramp. Looking up from the ramp all you could see was large glass windows and the guests at their tables.
With all those witnesses you know you want to do it right.
I can imagine these were probably really sought-after seats! Probably reserved?
Before I was reborn, I used to be a power boater, and used a very busy ramp at a very busy lake close to a lot of nuevo-rich buttheads that had WAY more money than sense. Most of us were orderly, and prepared our boats in line prior to getting on the ramp. It seemed that every weekend some dude would pull in with a 25 to 30 foot dual 454 powered go-fast, go around our orderly line, and plop himself right in the middle of the ramp, then proceed to prepare the boat while we all stood tapping our toes, patiently waiting our turns. I even saw it come to physical blows on several occasions! Oddly, and most certainly coincidentally, these dudes SUV tires sometimes seemed to be flat when they came barging back into the dock, going right through all of us floating, waiting our turns. Mostly, they never did learn.
Ok...so it's a wee bit political...
But it's still funny. In fact, I suspect the politicizing was added in photoshop.
But it's still funny. In fact, I suspect the politicizing was added in photoshop.
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WOW! great response to my post. By the way, It was never my intention to ridicule "newbies", it just seems that pride goeth before the fall. I'm sure I was guilty of a little macho fever when I first started as evidenced when we took our brand new V222 to Catalina on a three day weekend, set the the anchor and went into town for dinner only to discover that our boat had drug up and drifted away. Luckily we found a room in Avalon and the Harbor Patrol found her drifting four miles offshore heading for Newport. Lesson, make sure you have the proper ground tackle. Fair Winds...
10 years ago we were at the city marina in Hollywood Florida for a week. While there a large (90 to 110') powerboat when down the ICW at a fairly good clip. A city police officer was on the fueling dock and used his whistle to signal the passing captian who promptly flipped the policeman off. He actually stood up on his upper deck command station to do this.
What he hadn't seen was the 2 police jet ski's and the police twin engine runabout that was on the backside of the fueling dock area. They had his fanny within 2 minutes. I've always wandered what all they got him for as they were there a very long time.
Ray
S/V Scooter
What he hadn't seen was the 2 police jet ski's and the police twin engine runabout that was on the backside of the fueling dock area. They had his fanny within 2 minutes. I've always wandered what all they got him for as they were there a very long time.
Ray
S/V Scooter
Some power boaters are like muscle car owners. It is a macho thing that says mine's bigger than yours. These people are a danger to the rest of us. Add alcohol in large quanities and it spells disaster. The National Park Service on Lake Mead deals with this on a regular basis and makes arrests and impounds when necessary. On Lake Mead this literally becomes a federal case. Fair Winds...
In 1978, for $450, I bought a used 17' Lone Star closed bow ski boat, complete a 55 HP V-4 Evinrude that must have burned 20GPH when skiing. Pretty rough looking, but no problems all summer until the Admiral decided life could not go on unless we took her Mom (and her dog) for a boat ride. This involved getting the right colored scarf to keep the (blue) hair from blowing. Returning to the ramp and I felt the motor drag on the lake bottom. While backing our old 1964 Fairlane convertible down the ramp, I noticed everyone on the dock was pretty excited and pointing at the boat. Apparently, I had hit a stump and not the bottom, cutting a hole in the hull along the keel and the boat was filling fast. By the time I finally rammed the trailer under the boat, the motor was almost completely underwater and the water was over the car's rear tires. No idea what it weighed full of water, but that little 260 V-8 actually pulled it up the ramp. The bass fisherman loved the whole event, actually taking bets if the car could pull it up the ramp. Made it home safely and traded the ski boat to a power boat dealer for a 16' wooden masted daysailor. He only wanted the motor and trailer and really wanted to unload that sailboat.
I've pulled a few moves on launching/recovering boat too. Our ramp usually has a stiff cross breeze an because of this I tend to launch and recover on the windward side(not so bad recovering unless motor stalls-
). Earlier in the season all the windward sides were occupied by stinkpotters taking forever to start their motors etc so I switched up and went to the lee side to launch. Can't see to back as easily; Admiral has to control stern line while I drag the boat back in once it floats-did I mention that she's not too coordinated? - so she simply started walking the 20' line in while holding the end. We nearly hit another sailor who's wrestling his boat onto the trailer in the low level condition and in my consternation, seeing this in my mirror I momentarily gun the engine to yank the boat straight before checking if I'd put it fully in drive - nearly running the poor guy over in neutral while he's trying to help. Kodak moment for sure! (bought him a 6-pack later).
). Earlier in the season all the windward sides were occupied by stinkpotters taking forever to start their motors etc so I switched up and went to the lee side to launch. Can't see to back as easily; Admiral has to control stern line while I drag the boat back in once it floats-did I mention that she's not too coordinated? - so she simply started walking the 20' line in while holding the end. We nearly hit another sailor who's wrestling his boat onto the trailer in the low level condition and in my consternation, seeing this in my mirror I momentarily gun the engine to yank the boat straight before checking if I'd put it fully in drive - nearly running the poor guy over in neutral while he's trying to help. Kodak moment for sure! (bought him a 6-pack later).
ok. my OhNooooo moment was launching a 20' skiff.
Trailer wheels at the waters edge, I climb over the bow, and ask the gf to back the truck... and I lower the engine and start it as she does...
Only problem was I forgot to undo the stern straps and the boat wasn't quite big enough to float both the boat and the attached trailer... I realized this as water was pouring over the transom... yelled like Hell for the g/f to pull forward before the boat sunk like a rock... LOL!
so much for the quick launch!
Trailer wheels at the waters edge, I climb over the bow, and ask the gf to back the truck... and I lower the engine and start it as she does...
Only problem was I forgot to undo the stern straps and the boat wasn't quite big enough to float both the boat and the attached trailer... I realized this as water was pouring over the transom... yelled like Hell for the g/f to pull forward before the boat sunk like a rock... LOL!
so much for the quick launch!
I haven't had any major whoopses at the ramp but I did forget to take the turnbuckle that was the backup for the trailer strap off the bow once. Frankly, I'm not sure it was very effective 'cuz about the time the boat floated off the trailer it went "TING!", flew across the ramp, and disappeared into about 6 feet of water. I use a chain now.
Yeah boy, great comeback on that truck sticker. Some people just can't handle a joke any more. More than all the other stuff combined THAT is what's wrong in this country.
As for whether the boat ramp laughter is mean and nasty, I tend to think that really it's more of a "there but for the grace of God" kind of a thing.
Truth be told, is there anyone amongst us who, at least once back in the day, has never done something stupid while trying to launch a boat?
If so then you haven't launched many boats.
If you have, then chuckling about it is entirely fair. It's like "Welcome to the club, Bunky; we're having jackets made"
And of course the arrogant, pompous jerks who roll up half-drunk in a $60,000 truck pulling an $80,000 boat, don't have the first clue what they're doing, won't ask for help, try to pretend everything's fine, block the ramp for 45 minutes, yell at their wife and then damage their boat deserve all the mockery they get and then some.
Karma is a funny thing.
As for whether the boat ramp laughter is mean and nasty, I tend to think that really it's more of a "there but for the grace of God" kind of a thing.
Truth be told, is there anyone amongst us who, at least once back in the day, has never done something stupid while trying to launch a boat?
If so then you haven't launched many boats.
If you have, then chuckling about it is entirely fair. It's like "Welcome to the club, Bunky; we're having jackets made"
And of course the arrogant, pompous jerks who roll up half-drunk in a $60,000 truck pulling an $80,000 boat, don't have the first clue what they're doing, won't ask for help, try to pretend everything's fine, block the ramp for 45 minutes, yell at their wife and then damage their boat deserve all the mockery they get and then some.
Karma is a funny thing.
I had a little to do with that one, the important thing to remember is that Boston Whalers don't sink.
The poor guy was going out for the first time in his new boat, had never launched a boat before. His wife and teenage kid were along for the ride. He forgot to unhook the boweye, kid was in the boat and wife was on the dock. I was launching on the other side of the dock, which went off flawlessly, of course. He backed down too far, the boat picked up the rear of the truck until the rear tires lost traction. This is where it got dumb. Instead of standing on the brakes and calling for help, the guy gets out of the truck and tries to drag it back up the ramp. Another guy jumped in the water to help. Slowly, inch by inch, the truck rolled back with him holding on to the front bumper. I backed my trailer down in front of him and threw him a dock line telling him to tie it to the truck. He couldnt find anything to tie it to, no towhooks, the front bumper was dragging on the ramp by this time, and he is diving looking for something. I tried to toss my knife to the kid but dad didn't want to cut the bowline. When the water started coming in the cab, it became a salvage operation, so I tossed the dock line to the kid, and pulled him to the dock, did I mention that Whalers don't sink? As we pulled the boat to the dock it swung around ant the truck started to drift out to sea, We tried to pull the rig backwards up the ramp, but the trailer swung over and jammed under the dock. The harbor patrol showed up add I went sailing. Took 2 hours and a diver to get to the famous picture. I'm thinking there was a boat for sale that night, the wife didn't look at all happy and the truck was a total loss. Moral of the story,:naughty: if you lose traction, step on the brake and holler for help...and Whalers don't sink.
I back into my slip, tie up portside to dock and to drop off some joy-ride passengers. Then pick up new ones let off the lines and motor forward. boat won't move, so I gun the throttle and she still isn't moving, it seems some helpful soul tie up the starboard of my stern to the dock since there's a line there! Such helpful soul ...is not!
One more, my friend took our boat up river, anchor it and go ashore for meals only to find the boat drifted away as the tide comes in. Not enough scope. So off he went to another part of river for over noght anchorage. Now smarter, he let out plenty of scope just incase tide comes up again. Next morning found the anchor rode wrap round the wing keel. All other boats points one way and ours the other. Go figure.
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