LOTW boat ramp story
mikie
Posted 7/8/2003 1:02 PM (#75313)
Subject: LOTW boat ramp story





Location: Athens, Ohio
this is from www.iboats.com's "stupid human tricks" page, thought you'd like it:
This happened at the fish camp on LOTW last week. Angle Outpost is a musky/walleye/smallmouth fishing camp populated by dedicated fisherpersons. The marina is full of walleye boats and guide boats, plus my Montauk.

One evening about 9:00 I see a gathering at the ramp and walk down to see what's up.

There is a big deckboat on a tandem trailer cattywampus off the side of the ramp with two wheels buried in mud and one axle off the end of the concrete. It is hooked to an Expidition which is spinning all four wheels, unable to move it for'd or aft. Three launching guide posts are broken off and floating about in the narrow channel.

There are two gatherings. In one a glassy-eyed, nubile young woman is explaining that her "honey" has bought an island and they are going there to celebrate the 4th. The deck is piled with party supplies. No PFDs are in sight. The only electronics on the boat are a stereo and a cell phone.

In the other gathering a glassy-eyed young man is getting advice. They decide to push the boat off the trailer, then see about getting the trailer out. Somebody asks him where his bow line is. He says, "Huh? Whazzat?". There is no rope on the boat. A search fails to produce a rope, so I hook my anchor rope to the bow eye and we push her off.

I then hook my truck to his front tow hook and with that help he gets the trailer out.

I tell the young man that he needs rope and PFDs before he goes anywhere. He says he will buy my anchor rope. I say it is not for sale and detatch it from his boat.

Now the fish camp operator asks him if he has a map and knows where he is going. He produces a real estate map. His island is on the southern edge of the maze of about 10,000 islands in the NW section of the lake. It is on the US side of the border.

Several older gentlemen are urgently advising zombie-eyes to get PFDs, rope, GPS and even a guide befored venturing on the lake.

The boat is too large to maneuver in the marina so we turn it around by hand for him and he takes off, sideswiping my Sunshine III on the way out (no damage).

Yes. They got lost. Yelled for help on the cell phone. They were found, pulled off a rock bar and towed in (to a different fish camp) the next day.

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Red sky at night. . .
JohnMD
Posted 7/18/2003 8:05 AM (#76192 - in reply to #75313)
Subject: RE: LOTW boat ramp story





Posts: 1769


Location: Algonquin, ILL
Money can't buy brains or common sense




Edited by JohnMD 7/18/2003 8:06 AM
ghoti
Posted 7/18/2003 8:49 AM (#76198 - in reply to #75313)
Subject: RE: LOTW boat ramp story




Posts: 1265


Location: Stevens Point, Wi.
Is it just me, or does it seem that money and common sense are inversly proportional to each other?