Power Boats!

[BigFlatBrook]

Just wondering if anyone has ever had problems getting buzzed by power boats -- either intentionally or just failing to see you.

If it appeared to be intentional, such as being accompanied by gestures, shouting, laughing, etc. -- what would you do?

[Gandolf]

Hi All,

A friend at work told me about his experience riding a bicycle, and it reminded me of this thread.

He used to ride in an area of relatively expensive houses near his home. It got to the point that he would pull off the road or turn a corner, or take some other evasive action when he heard a car approaching from behind him as he was riding. (This was after dark.) It got to the point that he expected trouble almost all of the time.

Guys would throw pop or beer bottles at him. Some would open a car door and try to hit him with it. One kid grabbed the roll cage on the jeep he was riding in, and tried to swing out and kick him. (This was a well to do neighbor hood, and he eventually came to the conclusion that it was mostly well to do high school kids that were the problem.)

The kid that tried to swing out and kick him regretted it, as he got so he carried pepper spray, and he sprayed the kid and the driver (the top was down on the jeep.) The kids swerved back and forth before stopping, and swore wildly at him.

What brought this on was a story he told me about a fellow bike rider, and friend of his. This fellow did a lot of racing and had a very expensive (read several grand) professional grade racing bike. He was riding along a drainage canal when some kids ran him off the road and into the canal (dry at the time) and he wrecked his bike. The high school kids thought it was so funny that they stopped to take a look. (Big mistake.) At any rate this guy carried a large Kabar type knife on the frame of his bike, and was not hurt. He got out of the canal very quickly and up to the brand new car. He promptly drove the knife thru the hood of the car several times.

The kid driver was screeming that it was a brand new car that his father had literally just bought. (I suppose that it was the kids.)

The guy got his bike (with the ruined frame) and left. He told my friend that he considered it even. He said that there was no point in calling the police about the wreck, as there were several kids in the car. I would love to have seen the kid explain the half a dozen or more big holes in the hood, and maybe into some of the stuff on the top of the engine.

This story, and some of the ones above, make me think that some of the time the malicious idiots get what they deserve.

Regards,

Gandolf

[Lotech]

Last year on Williams Lake just outside of Spokane, I was fishing from my jon boat with electric trolling motor. Someone who was water skiing came very close at high speed and then turned sharp to go back and pick up a fallen skier. The resulting wake was rushing at my boat fast and quite frankly scarred me pretty good. I WAS wearing a life preserver, but the fear was still there. I didn't have time to turn the bow into the oncoming wake but did have time to turn the stern to it by quartering away. The wake came within less than one inch of swamping my boat. That's when I decided to leave the lake. When I pulled out of the water, I did so along side of the Game Warden's boat so I told them what had happened and described the boat. They're response was something like "Some People." That kind of surprised me. I suppose I have to take some of the blame here; it was the 4th of July weekend. That won't happen again!

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

I was fishing out on Okanagan lake a marked navigable waterway. I was fishing close to a sailboat course. As a group of five 21 foot sailboats approached me from behind and parallel to my course. Then suddenly they all turned and crossed behind me less than 10 feet off my stern. Taking out my lines and even one outrigger. One boat avoided this by sailing 100 feet farther past me before turning. I was flying a Delta flag which signifies that my vessel should be given a wide berth. ( fishermen use the delta to signal they have gear in the water ) Sailboats usually have the right of way but not always. In this case the right of way was mine. The boat that snagged the out-rigger actually lurched and he lost way. My boat also lurched till the outrigger was torn off the boat. I was madder than a wet hen. I motored over to the yacht club and looked up the race commitee. At my complaint four of the boats were disqualified. the Yacht club made good on the damage. All boat captains of every class were summoned to a Captains meeting and had the rules of the road explained to them. A race course does not give a sailboat the right to abandon the rules of the road. The only boat in the race to avoid me was declared the winner. The yacht club decided that a boat obviously fishing whether or not it is flying a delta has to be avoided according to good maritine practices . I got an apology from 3 of the 4 but one guy said I had better stay out of his way in the future. I had a 30ft boat at the time with a 225 hp motor at the time . I said " Do you really think you could handle a 30footer heading your way in your little sailboat? He said what could you do run me down. I said no but it might be interesting to see how you put out a 5500 degree magnesium flare in the bottom of your boat. That shut him up.