food for thought - a scary moment that almost made me a statistic.
 

With all the saftey concerns running around here lately I'll post this and be sure to spice up the board a bit and make you all think, and hopefully give you all something to tell your "new to boating" passnegers, and some "regulars" you bring out often. Dont get on my back about it either, I know this story sucks. Ok Last summer, big party 1500 boats 5000 people, a mess, law enforcement hates this party and for good reason, too big a crowd to control, on a 2.5 acre island, Just a total mess, and odds of getting pulled over are 50/50 when you leave, which I think is a good idea cuz there are way to many drunken itiots, enough said, I'll have a beer or two in the begining of the day, and I always bring water for me so dont tell me about drinking and boating, I drink, sometimes like a fish, but not if I'm driving, period. It's the end of the day, I'm totally sober, all 10 passengers aboard are completely wasted, which is perfectly fine with me, I know thier in safe hands, mine! People on the island are saying someone drowned, and its like 5pm, and I'm getting tired of all the drunks and hungry so me and my friend load the people on our boats and go. Me following him. We go out a narrow channel at around 30 mph, and here come 3 coastguard and sheriff boats on a rescue, lights flashing, and a helicopter is coming fast and low just behind them. I'm sober and completely aware of this bad situation. Narrow channel, oncoming rescue boats, following a boat, just then a female friend wasted gets on the side of me and says "Rob we need to get my purse from the other boat" (we were following to go eat) "I need my purse, catch up and tell them" (I have the faster boat). Just then my friend I'm following cuts right and the sherrif passes him and he proceeds along with the other two coast guard boats, and the helicopter buzzes about 50 feet above us just hualing, everyone on my boat is cheering cuz It was pretty cool, lots of wakes to jump, choppers, ect.. plus they're all drunk. All this going on and deserving of 100% of my attention, all while I'm getting an earfull about a purse. She's right in my face, grabbing my shoulder to hang on over the waves and not shutting up no matter what and has no idea of what just happened. (She's a total definition of dumb blond anyway) As soon as all the rescue boats were off to my port side going steady and about to pass me, and I see my friend in front of me going along steady, I figure I have a 1/2 second to get her out of my way. I turn to this girl and just push her off of me into the second row bolster, and look forward to see his nose in the air and stopping, I cut the wheel and throttles and glide up coming off plane right next to him 10 feet to my port side, everyone on both boats cheers like it was just the coolest approach ever and a perfectly placed stop. I cut the motors, turned to the girl and ripped her a new one, her new steroid face boyfriend she brought along stands up, starts to say something and I'm a pretty big, crazy bastrd myself and instantly sat him down and told him I'd plunge my anchor thru his chest if he opened his mouth. he listened, and at that point everyone realized this stop wasn't my plan, it was lucky, they realized what danger this drunk ***** in my face had caused everyone, and scared the living **** out of me. Just think about this story, all split second, Boat, boat, boat chopper, push, cut the wheel, all in a few seconds, all cuz some drunk. What if the 1/2 second when I pushed her back was a second? It really changed my outlook, and now I tell everyone on my boat, dont even talk to me when I'm running, not until you look around and there are no boats around and just deep blue everywhere. That close, that's what it was, I just hope to get you all thinking about controling your boat, and passengers, there's plenty of unknowns.

I know there's alot of things I could/should have done different, but it's all in hind sight now, and I know I was alomst someone you read a story about. I just wanted to share this with all of you, in the hopes you take it to heart, and give it some thought, I know alot of you out there are partiers just like I am and run with some wild people and have lots of crazy stories just like me, but food for thought...

[ 02-04-2002: Message edited by: advantage_ROB ]

Good post Rob. Some of us don't realize how many times we've been "lucky".

Look how many times we take those "drunks" home and never realize what would happen if the boat started on fire or you hit something that results in everyone bailing overboard ????, you think any of those drunks would know enough to get to dry land?, doubt it and probably will read about them in the paper :(

I like to party too, but I must admit having your family and kids around sure makes you think twice even three times about doing stuff that I did when I was crazy.

That was a great post Rob, it is so true, it only takes a split second to turn a normal situation into a potential problimatic (did I make up that word?)one.

I can picture what your talking about.
Ive snapped at people (usually girls) that are trying to talk to me because Im afraid we are going to hit a wave and have her leave her teeth in the side of my head. I say usully girls because if a guy gets that close to me he gets ditched at the next stop.

Good post Rob, I have never been to the party you are referring to but can only imagine the scene trying to leave that place. It can get crazy enough on a Sunday with nothing going on there.

Right now my boat isn't fast so I tend not to worry about going overboard, etc. I do take it easy with a bunch of drunks aboard however.

jobbienooner.com has pic's of this party, it makes the papers, ect, a big mess every year, unfortunately someone drowned this year, I think I am going to look into doing something to try to get together with the local law enforcement to see if there's anything I can do to possibly help patrol or something that day, similar to patroling the races, I dont know, but it was such a mess this year, I was rather uncomfortable with the situation, I might see if I can offer to bring a crew of 8 or 9 uniformed officers to help get some control of the island on these days. I am torn here, I mean it's a great party, dont get me wrong, but it's gotten out of hand, and something needs to be done, short of shutting it down, similar to the sandbar of havasu, it's just too many people no law enforcement, just chaos, not gang type problems like I saw at havasu a few years ago, but chaos, no real problems at all actually, but really easily a problem could occour, and there is no police presence. I have attended these parties for years, and It use to be just a gathering of mostly General Motors designers and engineers like myself and it was great 50-75 boats rafted up in one of the local bays, jobbie being local contract designers/engineers, and on a friday, pull a nooner. So came the name jobbienooner, but it's really gotten out of hand, the water has been low, forcing it from the formerly waist deep bays to Gull island, and it gets crazy, there was 5 or 6 bad ass bands, people with helicopters landing on the island, jet skis zipping all over and tons of boats everywhere, and an all out to party, announced on local radio stations ect. I mean I'm all for it and it's a great time, but it's gone too far, and something needs to happen to cure this dillema. As far as drunken passengers, I take it easy on them on the ride home, they wouldn't know the diff between 40 and 80 anyway.

[ 02-04-2002: Message edited by: advantage_ROB ]

Thanks for the story Rob. There's a lot we can learn from each others close calls. Sure wish more of our OSO brothers (and sisters) would tell their stories. In aviation there's a lot of this story telling and it saved my life at least once. Sure hope we can get the same thing going on OSO.

Great post...something for all of us to think about.
And being responsible and not drinking, even when everyone else is partying...very commendable.

Thanks for posting!

[ 02-05-2002: Message edited by: Sydwayz23 ]