Things that make us go... Hmmmm

[Megabyte]

I wanted to title this thread, "Stupid things seen on the water", but I figured that might limit us a bit.
This thread is for everyone to post to... when you see something at the dock, your marina, or wherever that makes you think... WTF!?

Here are two from my marina today.

I spent several hours today pulling maintenance, washing the boat, and generally making her ready for bad weather that we are expecting tonight and tomorrow.
As I was leaving my dock, I saw two examples of WTF...

The first is a sailboat that probably needs 20' of cable to power it's onboard a/c (and who knows what else), but has probably 50' of cable attached to the dock pylon.
Maybe this person does not realize that you can actually shorten one of these cables. :roll:

The second photo is rather sad. It is another sailboat with it's dock lines doubled.
Um... our last hurricane was over a year ago. :roll:
Makes you wonder when the last time this owner visited their boat.

BTW - Our boaryard folks are very good.
If they know that a storm is coming, they will double the lines on boats who's owners are clueless.
Thing is, they rely on the owner to remove those lines.
Score one for the boatyard, and zero for the owner.

So... what do you see at your marina, ramp, or other water-place where boat owners are seemingly clueless?

 

[grouperjim]

This was 8/19 just down the street from my house. Guy had some rods on top of the car getting ready to go. Someone in an SUV shows up and relieves him of his rods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSt1RbZl1wE

 

[dcunniff]

Am on a lake, so see different things now.

1. Including this weekend, boats that use their life jackets or throwable cushions for fenders.

2. Yesterday, was a jetboat out ahead of us. We pulled into same restaurant pier for lunch. They tied off with their polypropylene tow line.

 

[dcunniff]

Though he is on a lake, friend has a portable, battery operated light for all around white light on a 22 foot deck boat. Has it in the removable light mount. Hasn't wanted to fix his original light.

 

[Brent]

This was 8/19 just down the street from my house. Guy had some rods on top of the car getting ready to go. Someone in an SUV shows up and relieves him of his rods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSt1RbZl1wE

:shock:
I hope they catch the dead beat

Print some posters and place around neighborhood

 

[Megabyte]

This was 8/19 just down the street from my house. Guy had some rods on top of the car getting ready to go. Someone in an SUV shows up and relieves him of his rods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSt1RbZl1wE

:shock:
I hope they catch the dead beat

Print some posters and place around neighborhood

I agree. That is a pretty low-life thing to do. :evil:

 

[jonas grumby]

My buddy and I ease up into the RECOVERY side of the local ramp to see a family launching a brand new 17' Boston Whaler. The teenage son is in the boat holding a poly docking line in hand, not cleated, mom is standing on the dock w/ sis next to her and has the tag end in her hand. The tow vehicle is nowhere in sight. Mom instructs son to turn loose of the dock line and the boat starts to drift into an approaching boat which is RECOVERING. Mom starts yelling at son and tosses line back to him. I must have had a crazy look on my face as mom begins to explain their situation. It's a brand new boat that they just picked up down the street at a dealership and none of them have ever been on or operated a boat before! She goes on to ask me if I wanted to come along to help them learn to operate a boat. I forgot to add, they were all dressed like they were going to a party and mom was pretty easy on the eyes. Tempting as it was, I declined and told her hadn't had enough to drink yet to which she laughed. As we pulled up the ramp on the trailer, dad was walking to his new boat while trying to fasten his life jacket, pretty comical. I was sure I would read about these folks in the paper! :lol:

 

[skipperhub]

Watched a walk-thru run-a-bout with a gas inboard-outboard, pull up to the fuel dock. The guy left the engine running, was smoking a cigarette and talking on his cell phone while he was waiting for the fuel tank to top off and blow us all to hell.
The only thing left for him to do would be to throw a match down the filler tube.

12:30 PM. Two guys departing the dock from a weekend hunt on one of our islands in a 15 foot blunt nose alum lake boat with enough engine on the stern to push a 20 foot center console. The boat was loaded with hunting and camping gear to the point where it had about two to three inches of freeboard left. They had to cross a section of St. Catherine's Sound and travel part of the ICW where it is about a mile wide.
1:30 PM. Two guys standing almost knee deep in a swamped 15 foot blunt nose alum lake boat with their gear floating out to sea in the outgoing tide. I don't know if guns in gun cases float or not. P.S. no radio but another boat got a visual on them and went to the rescue.

I always remind my passengers and crew to never, under any circumstances, attempt to jump from the boat to the dock. If you can't step off then stay on board. Last week I tested my therory, on a wet dock, that you could get hurt doing something stupid like that. I am now doing what I can with just one arm, limping, and sitting on a pillow!

Watched a guy with two small children, one under each arm, no life jackets, walk past the sign that requires kids under 12 to wear a life jacket from that point. He went down a steep ramp, low tide, made his way out a dock finger, stepping over all manner of trip hazzards. He then proceeded to step into about an 18 foot run-a-bout, still with the kids in his arms! There was some serious rocking and rolling but thank God he made it!

Two guys, two women and one four year old in a rent-a-boat from a military base with no radio, no bimni, hot sun, hard aground in the ICW where Red-Right-Returning doesn't work if you are north bound. They apparantly were running full bore in waters they knew nothing about, went to the wrong side of a navigation aid and slid right up on a hill of mud. Tides still going out, It's about two hours to dark.
Step two. Get out of the boat with no life jackets on and wade around looking for deep water. Fortunately they did not find it and experience being washed down the river in a 4 knot current. I asked if they needed assistance and the guys answer was no. I said,"yes you do." You are about five or six hours from having enough water to float you, it will be pitch dark and you have no idea where you are. The ladies insisted that they allow me to call Sea Tow and get them in touch via cell phone. Have another beer!

 

[HOTPURSUIT]

My neighbor runs the rescue/fire boat out of the neighborhood firehouse, he told me this story that happened just a few weeks ago. He got a call of a person missing about 11:00 at night. Out they went in the dark for a rescue, when he arrived on the scene he found a group of people on a boat anchored up in the middle of a near by river, drinking beer. He asked who is missing, they said one of our friends, but he can't be far we keep hearing him yell for HELP!!!!! :roll: Joe got him safely home

 

[jonas grumby]

At the ramp a while back, some "chowda-heads" are backing down a 24' Maxim cruisin-type boat, brand new by the looks of it. The "boss-man" was giving directions "mon-back... mon-back" suddenly gives the "Hoooe" signal. The Cadillac Escalade and trailer come to a complete stop but the boat just eased on back until the skeg hit dry concrete, boat now at a 45 degree angle from the trailer. Luckily, we were already launched and quickly got the heck out of there. This is one of the busiest ramps in my area and there were some "stink-eye" looks from the folks waiting in line! :roll: