Took teh Sea Ray out last weekend

[the daydreamer]

WE GOT CAUGHT IN THE LOCKS DURING A BAD STORM. WATER WAS COMING OVER THE DOORS TWO TO THREE FEET! THE LOCK WAS AS FULL AS I HAD EVER SEEN IT. AND YES LIKE SPARE SAID IT WAS A HUGE PARTY!!!!!!DRUNKS EVERYWERE. THERE WAS A GUY IN A PONTOON THAT WAS PLASTERED!!!!! THE GATE KEEPER TOLD EVERYBODY TO START THERE ENGINES AND UNTIE YOUR BOAT BECAUSE WHEN I OPEN THE DOOR YOUR GONNA HAVE THREE FOTTERS IN HERE!!! THE GUY IN THE PONTOON STARTED OUT BEFOER THE LEFT DOOR WAS OPEN ALL THE WAY AND HIT THE DOOR. THE BOAT LISTED HARD OVER ON ITS RIGHT SIDE!!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE CAPT TRYING TO RIGHT IT. I JUST KNEW HE WAS GOING DOWN!!!!! I TOLD MY WIFE TO START GETTING ALL THE LIFE JSCKETS READY. MY PLAN WAS TO GET OUT OF THE LOCKS AND CIRCLE BACK TO THE LEFT AND START THROWING OUT LIFT JACKETS!!!! WHO EVER SAID GOD TAKES CARE OF DRUNKS IS RIGHT!!!! EVERYBODY ON THE PONTOON GOT ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF THE BOAT(PORT SIDE)AND THE CAPT WAS FINALY ABLE TO GET BACK UNDER CONTROL. IT WAS QUITE THE ADVENTUER THAT IN THE LOCKS AND LEAVING THE LOCKS!!!!!

[RidgeRunner]

We've got a few locks in Florida. In their infinite wisdom, SNARK, the Army Corps of Engineers decided that they were better at controlling the watershed than mother nature. They artificially allow water to flow thru locks on the south side of lake Kissimmee all the way to Okechobee and then eventually out one of the rivers that flow off the big lake and into the Everglades. There are complex system of canals and trubutaries that are all manmade everywhere you look from Orlando south to Florida City. Nowhere near the same amount of fall to the locks we have I think 8 to 10 feet is it. No partying, they take your vessel registration numbers and sort of keep track of you. No engines running or smoking as our locks are kinda small. Hold onto the rope as you get the aqua-elevator ride. Water comes and goes at a fairly fast rate. With one person in the 20' Wellcraft is a handful keeping it off the wall and in shape.. No floating docks or anything to tie off to. Although that might be fun to watch as the water rises and the guy next to you is tied off to the wall of the lock. I am sick that way. Not to say there aren't plenty of drunks in our locks, they just enter the lock pre-lubed.
I tried to find a picture but no luck.. The go-fast crowd at Scream and Fly hold boat meets at River Ranch every year. If the wind picks up on lake Kissimmee they take their tater chips thru the lock and race them in the "ditch" (manmade canal south of the lock at HWY 60, laser beam straight and 80 to 100' wide.) I bet i have 25 pictures of boats in the lock but I can't find them...