Ross J
Lieutenant Junior Grade
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2001
- Messages
- 1,119
After all these years boating, I learn't an old but expensive lesson yesterday.<br />Coming into the jetty at Okahu Bay through the breakwater I could see they were very busy so was prepared to wait my turn and politely slip in with no fuss and get out of the way quickly.<br /><br />That was the plan, first problem was that some folk at the jetty didn't know and most likely didn't care what the general protocol was.<br />Boats going out and coming in were all on the same side of the dock and no-one appeared to be moving! Another boat was in front of me and we were doing a slow dance waiting for a space to come available.<br />There it was and I moved back to let the first comer get in when "vvrroomm", in comes Mr I'm Important to steal the space! Waiting again I saw this bloke had no intention of quickly taking his boat out of the water as he started a prolonged discussion with another boater, thus two of them were wasting time.<br />The other boat eventually got in and then it was my turn, the space opened up in front of Mr I'm Important and he had no intention of moving forward as the discussion was now very animated.<br />Thus my error, I took the oppurtunity to slip in and stop just out of reach of the dock and the idea was to put it into reverse and let the "prop walk" sidle it into the dock (after all it's worked many times before). No! The !@#$^% motor cut out! Then the gentle breeze gently blew me out a little further and I lost my chance as another snot rag came in and disgorged its passengers.<br />Lesson learnt I came in 30min later. Guess what? Mr I'm Important was still yackety yackety with the other boater at the dock.<br /><br />Oh, did I tell you at low tide there's only space for three aside at Okahu Bay dock!<br />Where's the authotities when you want them?<br /><br />Gee, that feels much better, thanks folks, most thearaputic I must say........<br />Ross
<br />Perfection 
