STUMPED
Have you ever been stumped? I?m not asking if you have ever had a problem and not been able to find a solution. I mean, ?Stumped!? Like river stumped.
Years ago, on the Wakulla River just outside Tallahassee, Florida, I was stumped good. A group of friends had gathered, with their boats, at a dock next to a boat ramp on the narrow river. A man we knew and his 13-year-old son drove up and launched their 15? single-hull plywood boat. They had built the boat and had put the final coat of paint on it the previous day. They were proud of the boat and anxious for it to have its first bath. Some of us helped with the launch and were careful not scrape or mar it in any way.
They had come to ski and the son was ready. After a trial run the Dad discussed with us whether or not there was room at the bend to make a turn pulling a skier. I told him that, if the son, a novice skier, would stay behind the boat, they could ski to the first bend, slow down, let the skier sink into the water, make a gentle turn, and then pull him back up for the return trip. It was good advice. They followed it and made a number of successful trips without incident.
Eventually they returned to the dock to take a break. After a short while the son began pestering the Dad to pull him again. The Dad asked if I would pull the son and use his boat to do so. There was an audible gasp from my friends. Only their loyalty to me kept them from telling the Dad that they did not allow me to drive their boats and that, some of them, would not even allow me to ride in their boats. I like to drive different boats so pulling the son was not a hardship for me.
We got in the boat and rode a short way up the river to a starting place that would give the boy a little longer pull. On the way I pointed out to him that, when we came to the open area to turn around, I would maneuver the boat so that he could swing out a little into the open area and we would be able to make the turn without lowering him into the water. Wouldn?t that be fun?
I knew the river well and knew where each and every stump was located near the banks. Most stumps are not aggressive by nature. But they do have something in common with the snake. If you invade their territory they will attack you. Unlike snakes they rarely give you a warning. If you are just drifting along and get too close to a stump it may do nothing more than just gently push you aside. But if you approach them in a hurry and surprise them they will get you if they can. That?s what happened to me.
I pulled the boy to the turn-around point and indicated that he should swing out for the turn. I skirted the edge of the bank giving the hidden stump sufficient room to avoid attack. What happened next was not my fault ? even though it really was. As we made the turn the boy dug in his ski a bit much which jerked the lightweight boat slightly off course. ?Slightly? was enough to anger the stump and it reached out and grabbed me. I felt the strike but it didn?t feel deadly. We completed the turn and headed back up the river.
Within seconds I felt water around my feet. Very quickly the bow began to rise and the stern to lower as the boat filled with water. I assessed the situation in a heartbeat and motioned to the kid to drop off. He didn?t want to but saw the desperation on my face and let go. The banks of the river are densely wooded and there are no places to run ashore so I kept going. By the time I reached the ramp area the bow was pointing to the sky and the stern was threatening to go under. I headed for the grassy area next to the ramp.
I ran the boat up onto the grass and the Dad and several others jumped in the water to lift the stern to keep the engine from going under. Meanwhile a couple of guys jumped in a boat and ran downriver to rescue the son. The Dad was very nice about the incident and didn?t say a word to me. We drained the boat, lifted it and put it on the trailer, and they left. It was time anyway. The Dad had been in the sun too long and his face was beet red.
Have you ever been stumped? I?m not asking if you have ever had a problem and not been able to find a solution. I mean, ?Stumped!? Like river stumped.
Years ago, on the Wakulla River just outside Tallahassee, Florida, I was stumped good. A group of friends had gathered, with their boats, at a dock next to a boat ramp on the narrow river. A man we knew and his 13-year-old son drove up and launched their 15? single-hull plywood boat. They had built the boat and had put the final coat of paint on it the previous day. They were proud of the boat and anxious for it to have its first bath. Some of us helped with the launch and were careful not scrape or mar it in any way.
They had come to ski and the son was ready. After a trial run the Dad discussed with us whether or not there was room at the bend to make a turn pulling a skier. I told him that, if the son, a novice skier, would stay behind the boat, they could ski to the first bend, slow down, let the skier sink into the water, make a gentle turn, and then pull him back up for the return trip. It was good advice. They followed it and made a number of successful trips without incident.
Eventually they returned to the dock to take a break. After a short while the son began pestering the Dad to pull him again. The Dad asked if I would pull the son and use his boat to do so. There was an audible gasp from my friends. Only their loyalty to me kept them from telling the Dad that they did not allow me to drive their boats and that, some of them, would not even allow me to ride in their boats. I like to drive different boats so pulling the son was not a hardship for me.
We got in the boat and rode a short way up the river to a starting place that would give the boy a little longer pull. On the way I pointed out to him that, when we came to the open area to turn around, I would maneuver the boat so that he could swing out a little into the open area and we would be able to make the turn without lowering him into the water. Wouldn?t that be fun?
I knew the river well and knew where each and every stump was located near the banks. Most stumps are not aggressive by nature. But they do have something in common with the snake. If you invade their territory they will attack you. Unlike snakes they rarely give you a warning. If you are just drifting along and get too close to a stump it may do nothing more than just gently push you aside. But if you approach them in a hurry and surprise them they will get you if they can. That?s what happened to me.
I pulled the boy to the turn-around point and indicated that he should swing out for the turn. I skirted the edge of the bank giving the hidden stump sufficient room to avoid attack. What happened next was not my fault ? even though it really was. As we made the turn the boy dug in his ski a bit much which jerked the lightweight boat slightly off course. ?Slightly? was enough to anger the stump and it reached out and grabbed me. I felt the strike but it didn?t feel deadly. We completed the turn and headed back up the river.
Within seconds I felt water around my feet. Very quickly the bow began to rise and the stern to lower as the boat filled with water. I assessed the situation in a heartbeat and motioned to the kid to drop off. He didn?t want to but saw the desperation on my face and let go. The banks of the river are densely wooded and there are no places to run ashore so I kept going. By the time I reached the ramp area the bow was pointing to the sky and the stern was threatening to go under. I headed for the grassy area next to the ramp.
I ran the boat up onto the grass and the Dad and several others jumped in the water to lift the stern to keep the engine from going under. Meanwhile a couple of guys jumped in a boat and ran downriver to rescue the son. The Dad was very nice about the incident and didn?t say a word to me. We drained the boat, lifted it and put it on the trailer, and they left. It was time anyway. The Dad had been in the sun too long and his face was beet red.
