How about a stupid boater thread?

Sailboaters can be self righteous a$$holes.
Yesterday I was out salmon trolling solo. Winds were 15 to 20 knots with 2 to3 ft waves. So only a couple other boats out in an area about 3 miles wide and maybe 5 Millie’s long.

As I am fishing a small sailboat is tacking its way upwind through where I am trollling. I am repeating a trolling line at 2.5 mph. Relatively straight line upwind for about 2 miles then downwind and repeat.

One of the passes the sailboat tacks behind me by maybe 40 feet. Really close. But I am using downriggers so not risk of him hanging my lines. But I wonder if he passed close on purpose.

Then maybe 30 min later I am trolling upwind down the middle and he tacks about 1/2 mile to my port. Way away. As he gets close, his line is on collision with me but he is way out so I assume he will turn behind me again. I am on a straight heading at 2.5 mph into the wind.

Well he doesn’t change direction and maintains his course and would have collided. I lay on the horns and stop to let him pass. I yelled at him and he says “ I have the right of way under sail”. I yell back that it’s a wide open lake and he could easily have avoided coming close to me. I think he purposely headed towards me to make a point about the nav rules. Some sailboaters have no courtesy and no common sense. Probably a vegan too.
 
But, he does have the right of way.

You’ve got a whole lake as well.
 
But, he does have the right of way.

You’ve got a whole lake as well.
If you have ever trolled on one engine in 20 knots you would know I am probably less manoeuvrable than him. And it’s not about the pure rule. I know the general rule of priority in navigation. But they are for close quarters. This was wide open lake. It’s about courtesy, common sense and avoiding the issue. He could easily have done that. And I swear he headed directly to me on purpose. It’s too large an area for two near misses.

It’s like when someone pulls into their slip and you help them with lines and getting in. I don’t need a rule to know it’s the right thing to do.
 
If you have ever trolled on one engine in 20 knots you would know I am probably less manoeuvrable than him. And it’s not about the pure rule. I know the general rule of priority in navigation. But they are for close quarters. This was wide open lake. It’s about courtesy, common sense and avoiding the issue. He could easily have done that. And I swear he headed directly to me on purpose. It’s too large an area for two near misses.

It’s like when someone pulls into their slip and you help them with lines and getting in. I don’t need a rule to know it’s the right thing to do.

Similar concept: I was cruising across the lake on plane yesterday and a bass boat leaving the ramp came from my right at wide open throttle straight across my bow within 100 yards.

Yes coming from the right he’s the stand on vessel but what a jerk.
 
I find a lot will cut in front to avoid the wake of a big boat.

Bennett
True but I was coming into a narrow part of the lake and he was headed back in the direction I came from so he had to hit my wake either way.
I was on the 270 when this happened which is still a lot of wake for a bass boat.
 
Few years ago we were leaving Jelly Fish Joel’s with a full crew. Had a rough night to be sure.
Anyway, I was weaving in and out of the boats to get to the small channel.
All of a sudden the boat jerks and I can’t move.
I forgot to raise the anchor!
I yell for a knife and cut it loose and slinked away.
 
Not really a stupid boater thing but one night many years ago (read that as "well before I met my GW") I was on my 330 with a date and another couple. We were tied to a mooring buoy and when it got to be about 10:00 we decided to head for home. I looked at the mooring line and found it had wrapped itself once time around the chain at the bottom of the buoy.

I told the other guy I was going to pull forward so he could undo the line from the bow cleat and to hang onto it and pull it in as I eased forward, then when we got up to buoy he was to grab the line where it went around the chain with the boat hook, let go of the line he had in his hands and pull it in using the boat hook.

Well you guessed it: The line got caught in both props.

I dropped the anchor and prepared to go beneath the boat to cut it loose. Oh, did I mention it was in October and the water was 53* and we were in a 2-3kt current?

I grabbed my Maglite and a steak knife and went off the swim platform and under the boat. Holding the Maglite between my knees and using one hand to keep myself in position and one hand to cut the line, we were free in about 35 minutes. Oh, and did I mention the water was 53* and it was darker than the inside of a doctor's bag?

Once we were free I pulled the anchor and headed for home. Once again a self-made hero! At least in my own mind!
 
Ok here is another - I went through a phase of fast boats and actually competed a bit. Regardless, I built this 18-foot Sleekcraft jetboat; all the right parts. It had over seven hundred horsepower in a twin turbocharged stroked big block engine. Coming into my canal where I live you need to enter from the intercoastal waterway on an offset channel heading east then turn 90 to the south then another 90 to the east again into where I live (zigzag). Most jetboats have no rudders in case you didn't know. So to turn, crank the nozzle over and blip the throttle, it kicks the boat around. OK all good and coming in probably a little too hot but not excessive and did the throttle blip to kick the boat around that last 90. The engine coughed and stalled - I still believe that boat actually increased in speed (that's my story) and went straight as an arrow hit bank on the shoreline and up that bank taking out a palm tree then sliding down the bank and sinking the entire aft end of the boat. Here is the weird part - I was pumping my leg like trying to hit the breaks. My buddy was with me and we still talk about it. I had to completely tear the boat back apart and rebuild it. Lesson learned.
 

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