Sandbar Fun

[Destroyer]

Originally Posted by fishingwithblue

I have not run aground in a looooong time. I did have plenty of water and beer so it was kinda nice all alone. Two different boats from my community dock passed by and had two completely different reactions.

The first guy(in a 15' McKee) insisted on pulling me off. I ended up making him give up as to not burn up his 40hp Susuki. He was really worried about leaving me and made me give him my cell phone # so he could call and check on me. Good neighbor and steward of the sea.

The next guy(in a 20' CC) blew passed at full throttle, never waved and was laughing like a girl. I don't get it. I thought everyone knows to give a little wave. Nice community I live in. Good thing I wasn't dying. I waited for him at the dock and told him my new project in life was to make sure my two little boys never turned out like him.

Please give a small wave! it is the most universal way for boaters to know "you ok" "I'm ok" "ok"

The second guy risked up to 5 years in prison and a $500 fine for failing to render aid. All boaters are required by law to stop and attempt to render aid when observing another boater in distress. I was in a similar situation years ago and that is what the Coast Guard OOD told me when I reported the accident.

We used to have a house in St. Mary's, Ga many years ago... one of the things that took some getting used to (for a nothern yankee) was having perfect strangers wave to us as we were driving... Took me a year to get used to it, and to start to wave before they did.... Sorry that the tradition seems to be dying off... :(

[charlie_the_tuna]

i know you wouldnt think it to look at them but these things can run in some skinny-a$$ water.

[spareparts]

last spring, I was drifting in a small center console, with the engine cowl off, draped over the engine trying to get it to start. I was just going under the Cooper River bridge in Town Creek when I heard a loud noise and looked up in time to get waked by a Coast Guard patrol boat. It just about knocked me into the water. They had to be running 40 knots or better. Afetr I got myself situated and standing back up, I gave them a 1 finger salute as the kept on going by. They were headed back up river to the base so I know they were not going to rescue any one(you can see it from where i was). I didn't have time to get any identification numbers. Ikept on drifing back towards the marina till I got it up against teh dock. When I got home, I called a friend thats the EO on one of the cutters in the dry dock, told him what happened, I asked who I needed to call to chew some one a$$. He told me they are not supposed to be in that creek to begin with unless on a specific patrol. Told me not to worry about it, he'd take care of it. I told him what time of day it was and the best description of the boat and people on it. I haven't seen any of the patroll boats blasting thru there since. Even the coasties don't have any courtisy.