In neutral

[All U Get]

Hi all,

Having a great time in the Exuma’s for the first time but we had a close call with a boater. We crossed from Chub Cay to Nassau and was coming into a little harbor near Rose Island while following our friends. A boat had anchored ahead of us and as our friends past him the boater dove into the water with his snorkeling gear. He swam out between our boats and dunked underwater just as we got near heading across our bow. I shifted into neutral and used my air horn to try and get his attention, the horn eventually froze. He finally comes up on the other side of our boat and we had a serious discussion about his folly. He was upset that we got in his way. His wife was still on his boat but not really happy to respond on the radio. Maybe she was hoping for better results.

.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Reminds me of a time I was out job hunting in Boynton Beach. We'd just moved there. I was heading South on the main drag early in the morning. The road has two lanes of traffic heading North and South separated by a wide median planted with palms. From a side street on my right comes a large cadillac. He sees me just as he pulls out and I stop when he drives into the middle of the road. Since this is an intersection, there is a large gap in the median and he proceeds to turn right, executing a giant clockwise circle in the space. As he comes around again, he steers into the Northbound lane and gives me the finger and shouts on his way by. I guess I had the audacity to be driving on the same road system he was on and surprised him. By the way. I was on the main road with no stop sign or light. He had the stop sign. I guess he thought I was trespassing or something.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[dlochner]

Where's Darwin when you need him?

A few years ago we were bringing my boat up the Oswego Canal. There is a narrow section between 2 locks, so not a lot of room to maneuver. Some guys were fishing from the canal wall. As we motor towards the next lock this guy casts out in front of us. No room to turn, no time to slow down, we kept going. He gets mad as we motor across his fishing line. Maybe he should have waited for 1 minute, the fish were waiting patiently.

 

[Will Gilmore]

That happens constantly around here. You'ld think life would have taught them that lesson early on.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

while you are wandering around Rose Island, see if this is still there

also there's a really strange story about the sidewalks. The island is privately owned and the owner did not know they were being built- he was a TAD upset !!u

 

[JamesG161]

Some guys were fishing from the canal wall.

Same exact thing happened to us with 3 guest aboard, going to pick up 2 more at a public Marina that did not have a lot of traffic, normally.

It was a Father and son fishing across the entry canal.

We slowed way down and were drifting. Son pulled in his line, politely.
Father started yelling...
"Don't you come in here!!! You #$!z&!!" [this is mild version]
Ans: "We need to pick up guests"
Father: "If you do I will shoot you on the way out!!" [felony Assault ]
We called the local police as we pick up the guests.
Police: Not our jurisdiction since you are on the water. You need to call the Marine Patrol.
Marine Patrol: Not our jurisdiction since the Father is on the Land.
Ans: Who investigates when one of us is shot and killed? Should I call the State Police?
_____
Guest are now scared.

Solution:
I asked 2 Guests to pull out the most deadly weapons aboard!!!

iPhone video!!

They stood on the foredeck and pointed their cameras at the cussing Father, as we motored by him.
He saw them and was in a state of shock. Said nothing at all until we were 300 feet out in the main waterway.

Father: "And don't you come back You #$!z&!!"
Guests: Applauded and toasted the Captain.

Captain
Jim...

PS: It was a great day and returning no Fisherman could be found on the canal.

 

[capta]

What was that quote, “Stupid is as stupid does”? 'bout says it all for me.

 

[Tom J]

It's called entitlement. Some people think they own the water, the land they stand on, etc. When I worked security at a resort, my boss had what he called the 1% rule. One percent of the guests felt "entitled", and that the rules did not apply to them. A few of them ended up out on the sidewalk at 3 AM with their luggage piled up beside them.

 

[Tally Ho]

The entrance to our marina has some BIG signs stating “NO FISHINSG FROM WALL”, but every weekend you see people in their lawn chairs on the wall right above the sign, with lines cast into the entrance channel.

Every once and a while, a fisherman will have his bass boat sitting in the channel, with lines cast out.

If it wasn’t for the mess the line makes on my shaft and prop, I would motor over their lines at every opportunity.

Greg

 

[All U Get]

Moved around a bit, now helping friends with an outboard. I should have invited the guy over to clean the bottom since he likes being under the boat so much.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The guy likes swimming underwater, I can relate. It sounds like something I might do, I'm ashamed to say.

Several years back when we had our boat on a mooring at our Lake Hopatcong marina, we came back from the 4th of July fireworks show with guests. I dropped off passengers at the concrete wharf and then took the emptied boat to our mooring. It was my habit to swim to the boat and back in warm weather (even though marina personnel frowned on it) because there was a nice convenient step. Well, it's the typical fireworks night zoo at the marina before midnight, with hundreds of boats (all of them only 15' to 20' or so in length) waiting in turn for the ramps. Idiotic as it would seem to be, I jumped in for the 100' swim because it was such a pleasant night. Everybody is normally very chill … boats are just floating in the water waiting their turns. But there was one boat that was sort of jockeying into position for his upcoming turn at the ramp right next to the wharf and I figured I needed to either wait for him to move forward or I would have to swim in front of him. I couldn't really tell what his intentions were. Sue was standing on the wharf with a towel for me but she wasn't happy about me going for a swim, either.

At some point, I was about 15' from the boat looking at the driver. I'm in the water, it's dark, but there are lights to shine on top of my shiny head. So I called out … "excuse me, do you mind if I swim in front of you for just a moment?" The guy's startled look was priceless and it was one of those moments when I know that Sue had serious doubts about me!

 

[Will Gilmore]

My family and I were snorkeling near the boat launch in John Pennikamp, Key Largo. The channel was 100 yards to the right and we were exploring the grass flats just at the cove entrance, everyone but I were near the coral embankment. I was in the middle of the flats. There were 5 of us and we had a dive flag on a float. I watched a small outboard come through the out of the pass just as I dove the eight feet to the bottom. The buzz of the outboard seemed to get suddenly louder so I figured to wait a minute before surfacing again. I looked up and watched his lower unit pass just a few feet directly over my head. He'd cut the channel and went directly over the flats on his way out. Completely oblivious.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Tom J]

My family and I were snorkeling near the boat launch in John Pennikamp, Key Largo. The channel was 100 yards to the right and we were exploring the grass flats just at the cove entrance, everyone but I were near the coral embankment. I was in the middle of the flats. There were 5 of us and we had a dive flag on a float. I watched a small outboard come through the out of the pass just as I dove the eight feet to the bottom. The buzz of the outboard seemed to get suddenly louder so I figured to wait a minute before surfacing again. I looked up and watched his lower unit pass just a few feet directly over my head. He'd cut the channel and went directly over the flats on his way out. Completely oblivious.

-Will (Dragonfly)

When I worked on a commercial boat, we always had the dive flag up when diving, but a lot of boats cut way too close to our boat while we were diving. I asked the skipper why he didn't have a rocket launcher on board for situations like this, and he quoted some kind of federal law or restriction or act of war, or something like that.

 

[capta]

When I worked on a commercial boat, we always had the dive flag up when diving, but a lot of boats cut way too close to our boat while we were diving..

You seem to assume that most boaters even know what the diver down flag means they should do!
I've had them bring their dinghy alongside to chat when we were flying the flag and cleaning the bottom. Perhaps, I'm a bit rude in this situation, but it angers me greatly when some idiot endangers my wife, thoughtlessly.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I've had them bring their dinghy alongside to chat when we were flying the flag and cleaning the bottom. Perhaps, I'm a bit rude in this situation, but it angers me greatly when some idiot endangers my wife, thoughtlessly.

Your wife cleans the bottom?!?! You really did marry up!

 

[Roland5048]

Your wife cleans the bottom?!?!

My diver is a woman. Too bad she's married. Anyway, I think women are more meticulous about things. My bottom has never been smoother.

 

[capta]

Your wife cleans the bottom?!?! You really did marry up!

Ha, ha, ha. Yep, I sure did! She also does almost all the engineering, plumbing, refrigeration/AC and electrical work. Never mind the deck work while sailing and the cooking on charter.
However, I do do the dishes.

 

[capta]

My bottom has never been smoother.

Perhaps a bit too much info there, but how is your boat's bottom after she cleans it?

 

[Ron20324]

... At some point, I was about 15' from the boat looking at the driver. I'm in the water, it's dark, but there are lights to shine on top of my shiny head. So I called out … "excuse me, do you mind if I swim in front of you for just a moment?" The guy's startled look was priceless and it was one of those moments when I know that Sue had serious doubts about me!

You should have asked for the Grey Poupon!

 

[Will Gilmore]

My bottom has never been smoother.

Is this a "That's what she said." Joke?

-Will (Dragonfly)