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Joe,
I really think you should start a new forum titled "Common Sense". It's in very short supply these days. I'm sure everyone here has a similar story...
“...Marine Emergency...”
We all know, you just can’t make this up....
Before I had a boat in the water, I had to rely on others, to get on The Hudson, for some fishing. So when Nick called to go fishin’, there wasn’t much arm twisting involved...
Having been around boats all my life, I was somewhat skeptical about Nicks’ upkeep and maintenance procedures on his little Starcraft 15’. But I knew the motor was sweet, and we weren’t going far...what could go wrong?
We head to the new double wide ramp in East Kingston...a thing of beauty.
I’ll hold the bowline while you back her in...
At low tide there was a little more boat than float and I give her a tug to nudge her off the trailer, and go bungholes over teakettles when that little piece of rotten polypropelene goes BING!...
Gee Nick...ever think about investing another $5 in your vessel, for a new set of lines????
Oh...just use that anchor line...it’s new....
We go fishing. Nice day...caught some fish...saw the sights...ran out of beer...time to go! Buzz back to the ramp.
So I’m holding on the anchor line waiting for Nick to back in the trailer and up pulls Horatio Hornblower from NYC in his brandy new 42’ SeaRay...
Hey!!! can you move that...that thing...so I can pull in there???? I’ve got a Marine Emergency!!!.....
Really? Well just hold on there Ahab...we’ll have this “thing”, out of your way in a second....which we do.
So with no fenders out we “rescue” Horatio and tie him up to the dock. Crunch, crunch, crunch....
What seems to be the problem?
He gets out in his full salmon colored jumpsuit WITH matching Captains Cap and shoes...
I’ve got water in the engine compartment!!!! I’m sinking!!!
Hmmmm.... motors’ still running but both bilge pumps are working....so we pop the lid and he does have 75 gallons of water sloshing around in there...
Gee...how’d you get all that water in there...this looks like a brand new boat!
With that, out pops Princess from the forward berth...scowling! Her backside is soaked and she is PISSED that Daddy has ruined her new $400 boating outfit!
Everytime HE backs this “thing” up...a whole bunch of water comes over the back and I got WET!!!!....
Well...that explains the water in the bilge.....musta been backing up pretty fast...I suggest you just wait for a few minutes and let it pump out...you’ll be OK...
That’s IT! He snaps....
He’s on the phone to his lawyer in NY, screaming at the guy that he’s gonna have the boat dealers’ head on a platter for this atrocity.. and he’s stuck up here in the middle of NOWHERE with a boat that’s about to SINK... and WHAT is his lawyer going to DO about it!!!???? I NEED THE NUMBER FOR SEA-TOW!!...
We get him the number, and point out that he just passed the Sea-Tow dock about a hundred yards ago on his way to this ramp....perhaps you noticed all the big yellow boats that said SEA-TOW on them?....he hadn’t.
So we retie his boat up to the other side of the ramp while we’re waiting, as there are 12 or so other boats coming in that can’t, cause he’s got the whole thing blocked with his marine emergency....
And we’re not leaving quite yet, just to see how this plays out...beer or no beer!
We’re helping out some guy and his family get their boat out, who just spent a nice day on the water, and up pulls Sea-Tow...in their TRUCK...
after all, they are located just around the corner!
They busily check his engine compartment and his running engine(s) and find no water left to speak of as the bilges have done their job...and very officially pull out their credit card reader and charge him up the WAZOO for the service call...MARINE EMERGENCY OVER! WHEW!!!!!!
So Nemo and Princess climb back in...he slams it into reverse taking water over the stern and off they go...safe and sound back to New York City....
So we’re laughing...telling this saga to the guy we just helped out...he’s all set...gave us a coupla beers...thanks buddy!...and off he goes!
We’ve had enough...time to go...you just can’t make this stuff up!
As we’re pulling out of the lot...we spot his wife and kids standing around looking uneasy and confused....he went home without ‘em!
Talk about Magic Moments on the water....we didn’t stick around to see the final chapter....
ya can't make this stuff up, ya just can't, fact is stranger than fiction, thats why NY is about to make the ABC (America's Boating Course) mandatory !!!!! I can't count how many times some "Meat Head" has put ME (and my family) in the line of danger because of their stupidity, how come when they're stupid, they're always in a bigger boat than you ? and how come when you give them tons of room, and apply safe boating rules, they still almost manage to kill or sink you ????
I'm all for that law. The Authorities have compensated for the lack of it by quadrupling the enforcement presence. And I'm not saying it isn't needed. Between the JetSkis and the Cigarette boats the risk factor has increased dramatically recently. But last year I got flagged over by the Dutchess County Sherriff's patrol in their new 22' Outrage Enforcer. Beautiful rig.
At the end of our little conference, the young man piloting the vessel leans over and points at my 63' Nauset and asks, "...what kind of a boat is that?" Maybe we should sign 'em up for Whaler Central!?
