Evicted!

[Anonymous 121765]

Roland,

It probably won't help pal.
The reply has no salt or essence. It's all about education & safety.

For me, if I feel an injustice has been done, I bite back & I bite back hard.
You may not feel this way & just decide to move on & that's OK too.

That's fine pal, but the exposure then didn't happen for those remaining unaware.

CR

 

[LuzSD]

Since reading Capt. Ron's article and now the results of Roland trying to educate more marinas and slip renters, I decided that if I could find this article, I would share it with anyone interested. It is long, but it is really graphic in describing what can happen and why it happened. I am not 100% sure I did not find it originally here on this site, but I don't think so. If I did, it is probably time to reintroduce it, it is that good. It should probably be posted as a new post, but I will let the moderators help me with that if that would help get it out to as many as possible can see it.
I see people swimming among the slips, especially kids with parents watching and applauding, in our marina way too often. Between this issue and the need for ladders at the ends of docks, we need to be heard....because I fear it'll only get marina's attention when tragedy strikes directly. Thanks Capt. Ron and Roland for bringing this to the forefront again.
Save this link for a time that you have time to view... its 90 min. or so!
The title is Hot Docks, Hot Boats and Electric Shock Drowning

 

[Roland5048]

It's all about education & safety.

I hear ya', CR. That's what I'm all about too. In addition to my former day job, I've also been teaching sailing and boating skills part time for almost 30 years. That's not a brag. Now that I have more time, I'm on this forum a lot more because of the wealth of information and the education I get here. It won't take long for word to get around the marina as to why I'm being kicked out. Maybe I'm vindicated, maybe not. If I've educated someone in the process, that's what it's all about and my conscience is clear.

 

[Roland5048]

Thanks Capt. Ron and Roland for bringing this to the forefront again.

No, thank you!

 

[NotCook]

Hot Docks, Hot Boats and Electric Shock Drowning

Very tough video to watch and listen too. Roland, your Marina owner needs to watch this video, and then explain it to the DM.

Luz, thanks for posting this.

 

[woodster]

Would not talk to me except to say, "I talked this over with the owner and we think it best if we part ways." He then handed me my walking papers. After I paid my slip fee, of course. Not all is lost, however. I have a slip lined up, not as nice, but less than 4 miles from my house instead of the now 15 miles and next to the marina I captain out of. Just goes to prove the old adage: No good deed shall go unpunished.

that doesn't make him any less uninformed , stupid or drunk with implied power ....... we have dockmaster here that lives on a houseboat and from somewhere up north...... minnesota i think and he just loves to run screws in your dock lines on the pilings i told him never do that to mine or buy them .....can't even tie a cleat hitch but he is THE "dockmaster"...simply amazing ...oh and it just a matter of time before i will probably get evicted too ...so you will not be alone .......

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The reaction in here is exactly the reason why the marina owner and the DM are pissed-off at Roland. He has cast doubt and suspicion on this marina where it may be inappropriate to do so. How does anybody in this forum know what precautions the marina owner has already taken? Based on Roland's post, just about everybody in this forum is assuming that the marina is indifferent to the issue, without even knowing what the marina does to protect their customers. Public service announcements are great in the right context. However, Roland went behind their back to cast doubt and suspicion on them. Even though he announces to us that it was not his intent the perception is otherwise, as exhibited by the reactions. I'd be pissed, too, if somebody did that to me. If I was the marina owner and had a customer whom was casting doubt and suspicion on my business, I'd kick him out, too. Of course, I'm making the assumption that the marina owner has seen the news articles, has seen the video, and takes responsible precautions. Just because they resent the fact that Roland sticks his uninvited nose in their business doesn't mean that they aren't being responsible or caring. It doesn't mean that they are, either. I could be placing my trust in the wrong place just as easily.

I have nothing against the public service announcement and the concern is certainly noble and valid ... I just think the assumption that all marinas are universally indifferent and/or negligent is off base.

 

[woodster]

I have nothing against the public service announcement and the concern is certainly noble and valid ... I just think the assumption that all marinas are universally indifferent and/or negligent is off.

most are not indifferent but some are...... this dialogue could go on all day and it would be like bending a piece of steel on a log to straighten it and every time it is bent it is bent to far and so you turn it over and bend it too far again ect ect

 

[Bad Obsession]

LOL....Nothing like voicing some concerns to the local agency handling safety in businesses.

You could take this two ways, just move on or you could make a huge stink.

Here is the thing, sometimes if you make a big stink it may hurt you in the long run. People may not rent slips to you if you get a reputation.

Maybe you could make amends with the DM. I know that you feel that they did you wrong and you probably are right, for the most part. Maybe being the bigger man makes you the better man in this case.

 

[Southpaw]

I have met Roland on several occasions, as I had a boat that I owned at the marina where he is moving to. I thought that was what the common area in the marina is for, to put information out to the public. With respect to Roland he is only trying to save lives. Sorry it happened to you, we will see you in NPR

 

[fstbttms]

I see people swimming among the slips, especially kids with parents watching and applauding, in our marina way too often.

FYI- Electric Shock Drowning ocurrs almost exclusively (maybe only) in fresh or brackish water. It is pretty much unheard of in saltwater marinas.

 

[LuzSD]

FYI- Electric Shock Drowning ocurrs almost exclusively (maybe only) in fresh or brackish water. It is pretty much unheard of in saltwater marinas.

ok, cool, so the only thing I have to worry about when they're swimming around as boats pull in or out is not hitting them. Thank you!

 

[woodster]

well here in mobile bay we have salt from the south and fresh from the north (brackish) so we have good water and bad ...we just have to know witch is witch ...so i just treat it all like its fresh and don't worry about it ...oh and i have see gators in these waters

 

[Johnb]

ok, cool, so the only thing I have to worry about when they're swimming around as boats pull in or out is not hitting them. Thank you!

fstbttms is a hugely experienced professional diver and valued contributor to this forum. He simply stated a fact, arising out of the difference between the conductivity of salt and fresh water and the conductivity of the human body. His comments are much more valuable than cheap sarcasm.

 

[LuzSD]

fstbttms is a hugely experienced professional diver and valued contributor to this forum. He simply stated a fact, arising out of the difference between the conductivity of salt and fresh water and the conductivity of the human body. His comments are much more valuable than cheap sarcasm.

I am honestly relieved that it's not something we need to worry about! I will still worry about where they are as I come in and out though, as I stated. I'm aware of the fact that he knows what he is talking about, I've read his post for years.
I am not known for sarcasm, and sorry it came across that way to you.

 

[Roland5048]

First, I'd like to thank everyone for their views and comments and the dialogue this has generated. This is such a great forum.
Second, I secured a slip in the marina I work out of. Very nice slips, I get to use the hotel amenities, especially the Tiki bar 100 feet from my new slip and, one dollar cheaper per month. WooHoo. Ten miles closer to home, also.
Third, the owner of the charter company I work for thought the article was spot on and also brought it to the management of the hotel marina, where they keep their boats, who, also, thought it was great info.
Contrary to some posts, I honestly believe I did nothing wrong and was always open and forthright with the powers that be. But, thank you for providing another viewpoint.
The world works in mysterious ways.
Until we meet again in other threads.
Fair Winds.

 

[LuzSD]

Good for you Roland, that is awesome. I completely agree that things work as they should, we just don't always see it immediately. Enjoy your new surroundings and lack of needing to check yourself constantly. Slips and boats in them are supposed to be fun and relaxing!!

 

[MrBill_FLL]

IMHO, the way I would have disseminated the info was talk to the owner or manager, and say, look at this. this is why you don't want people pulling their props or swimming in the marina. -what do you think? should we post it?

I can understand why he was upset, if you didn't contact him 1st, and let him know you were on his side, not stirring up trouble, or looking for a law suit.

as a former Dock master, I would have a problem with the posting without disusing 1st.

 

[lee oakley]

Well look's like your better of. Sound's as if they may truly have a problem and felt threatened by ya!

 

[Scott T-Bird]

Well look's like your better of. Sound's as if they may truly have a problem and felt threatened by ya!

Well, that's just ridiculous. You think an owner with a multi-million dollar investment in a marina would be unaware of ESD and/or aware of defects in his electrical system AND punish a customer, rather than take corrective action? That's absurd. The news about ESD is certainly not new. I've been aware of this for at least a decade or more and I've only been active from a minor recreational perspective. If you are in the industry as a marina owner or dockmaster, how is it possible NOT to be aware?
Captain Ron's posting was a fantastic reminder, but it was hardly new news. It also isn't news that this is a freshwater issue. I can see where it is a danger to owners of private docks, where residents perform DIY projects running electric down to their docks; and swimming pools with underwater lighting or improper bonding. I'll acknowledge that a case at a marina in Oregon (on the Willamette River, I believe) may have been one of the first cases to bring this issue to prominence because it DID involve a marina. That death occurred in 1999.
Peggy made an important distinction ... it is possible for pedestals to be safe, but the electrical defects may be on the boat. Where that is the case, I think it can be very beneficial to post warnings in a marina ... and be specific about THAT issue, to drive the point home to the slip renters, many of whom may not be aware of the danger. To pick on Roland a little more (and I've picked on him more than enough, I know), it sounds like the feedback to the marina from slip owner's that he (Roland) talked to, might have indicated to the marina that he was telling customers that the pedestals were faulty. Possibly there was some significant mis-communication which led to an unfortunate dust-up. I have a hard time believing that there could be any marina in a major boating locale that isn't aware of ESD or is simply ignoring the concern. The DM may have simply felt insulted for the assumption that the marina is negligent. I think I would be.