My Nominee:Stupid Boater of the Month

MitchM

.
Jan 20, 2005
1,011
Nauticat 321 pilothouse 32 Erie PA
On the night of June 20, 2016, Justin Stahmer, 39, from Newport News, Virginia, was on his boat, floating several miles northeast of Cape Henry on the Chesapeake. He picked up his VHF and made a “Man Overboard” call on Channel 16. Fortunately for the rest of us, the Coast Guard takes these calls very seriously, and it immediately scrambled a 45-foot rescue boat, an 87-foot cutter and a Sikorsky helicopter to search for the missing person.For 45 minutes the Coast Guard tried to get back in touch with Stahmer but he didn’t respond. When they finally found his boat, he was indeed alone. He had been alone all the time. He had been drinking and he said he called the Coast Guard because he had run out of gas. He also became belligerent when Coast Guardsmen boarded his boat, and later threatened and tried to kick one of them.
A jury in Norfolk just sentenced Stahmer to four years in prison for making the false distress call and ordered him to pay $56,7094 in restitution. Read more:

https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_63af0e23-9068-5628-869a-f3ee9a103631.html
 
Jun 10, 2017
174
Catalina 1980 Catalina 30 Mk II John's Pass / Tampa Bay
WHAT A DUMB-ASS!
The $56, 7094 was probably the cost of launching the rescue operation.

Here's a story for you.
10 years ago fishing on a friend's boat 22 miles out around 4:30 PM in January an hour before dark,
we spotted 2 neophyte divers wearing only skin suits & pneumatic spear guns.
They trailered their boat from Orlando to Clearwater & launched. It was a 26 ft. cuttey cabin.

There was a guy on the boat for the first time. The anchor broke in 4 ft. seas with a 15kt wind.
Luckily, we happened to see them about 75 yards off. The water temp was 59 degrees & they were floating for an hour.
Meanwhile, their boat drifted over a mile away. The newbie on the boat never realized the anchor rode failed & he was drifting. They were Latino & spoke broken English. We stripped them down & warmed them up with blankets while slowly making our way to their boat.

As we pulled alongside, the guy on the boat asked if we had seen any divers. I said they're here warming up.
A half hour later & warmer, they were back on their boat & followed us back to port.
When we got them onboard, they were minutes away from hypothermia & darkness would be soon.
I left him my number but never got a call. They could have died but for me hearing them yelling & waving the guns.

This is my DUMB-ASS story. I'm sure SBO owners have other DUMB-ASS tales.

ps: They also had 2 undersized fish on their stringer!
 
Last edited:
Sep 30, 2013
3,538
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
On the night of June 20, 2016, Justin Stahmer, 39, from Newport News, Virginia, was on his boat, floating several miles northeast of Cape Henry on the Chesapeake. He picked up his VHF and made a “Man Overboard” call on Channel 16. Fortunately for the rest of us, the Coast Guard takes these calls very seriously, and it immediately scrambled a 45-foot rescue boat, an 87-foot cutter and a Sikorsky helicopter to search for the missing person.For 45 minutes the Coast Guard tried to get back in touch with Stahmer but he didn’t respond. When they finally found his boat, he was indeed alone. He had been alone all the time. He had been drinking and he said he called the Coast Guard because he had run out of gas. He also became belligerent when Coast Guardsmen boarded his boat, and later threatened and tried to kick one of them.
A jury in Norfolk just sentenced Stahmer to four years in prison for making the false distress call and ordered him to pay $56,7094 in restitution. Read more:

https://pilotonline.com/news/local/crime/article_63af0e23-9068-5628-869a-f3ee9a103631.html

HIP HIP HOORAY FOR THE NORFOLK JURY!! :clap:
 
Mar 29, 2017
576
Hunter 30t 9805 littlecreek
Story time. Oct 2017. Virginia Beach Neptune sailboat race. I was running in first place in nasty 10' sea in the mouth of same Chesapeake bay. Headed to ocean and finish line 10 miles down beach. When I came across a man in water. He had an auto inflation life jacket on water cold but not real cold. Picked him up he a kayacker fell out 2 hr ago gave him a towel blanket and water. He said ok and I could finish my race. So off we go. After a perfect man overboard drill. Never even started the motor. Worred be accused cheating. Because I still won the race.
 
Mar 13, 2011
175
Islander Freeport 41 Longmont
Well here is mine, sailing off Berkley back about 1997 while taking my bareboat class. Of course the main thing they want is the ability to do man overboard recovery. The instructors use a set of weighted floats to simulate the man in the water and are known to throw them at any time.

About 200 yards off of the Berkley breakwater our instructor throws The buoy and yells man over board. The guy at the helm turns around to look, does a double take and then asks do you want me to recover our bouy or that guy over there??? Seems someone trying to get to San Francisco that day got tired of looking at the city in all the traffic, decided to drive to the end of the pier and dove in, figuring he could swim the 3 miles. Of course SFBay is about 53 degrees in the Summer time and so he started to struggle and that was when we spotted him.

Long story short, we recovered him, hauled him to shore and the ambulance came to take him away.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
main thing they want is the ability to do man overboard recovery
Is that because at that time there was a lot of self medicating going on in Berkeley?:laugh:
Really it never stopped since the 60's :laugh:
So you saved the frustrated drive. ( I know his pain.. I have been in the line of parked cars they call the Bay Bridge)
Did you ever recover the "simulated the man in the water"?
 
  • Like
Likes: jon hansen

MitchM

.
Jan 20, 2005
1,011
Nauticat 321 pilothouse 32 Erie PA
kudos to all those who interrupt boat races to pick up human Man overboard. don't you deserve to get some extra points for saving someone's life in the middle of a race ?
 
Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
kudos to all those who interrupt boat races to pick up human Man overboard. don't you deserve to get some extra points for saving someone's life in the middle of a race ?
Maybe add a seven minute handicap, 'cause that's how long it took Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag to do it. :clap: Maybe subtract handicap time if it's your own crew. Subtract double time of you don't go back for him. :yikes:

- Will (Dragonfly)
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
While caught in the fog approaching a channel in the San Juan Islands. A small powerboat comes alongside with 4 people aboard: "Do you know where we are?"
After determining where they wanted to go "Go straight east and you will soon break out of this, but don't turn North. There is a rocky shore there." They thanked me, opened the throttle to a high-speed plane, then turned north and disappeared into the fog.

Ken