The boat ramp winner...
- Thread starter Josh
- Start date
Smokey Bear
El Duderino, if you’re not into the whole brevity
I’ve thought about doing this when I was bored. Sometimes it sounds fun to go and watch the shitshow.
Having lived and guided in Florida for a number of years both in Homosassa and the Keys and launching and retrieving my skiff on a nearly daily basis I was the observer of numerous proud displays of marine stewardship. Perhaps the best was at McRae's ramp on the Homosassa River. On a falling tide the current there can be quite deceptive. One day as I waited to launch, a new Escalade backed a wrapped go fast Cigarette type vessel, probably about a 30 footer, down the ramp and into the water. Unfortunately the boats captain had neglected to remove the tie down straps and when he backed in and the boat became buoyant it lifted the trailer off the ramp. The current caught the boat and trailer and jack knifed it down stream. The amount of water it caught pulled the Escalade in after it. I wish I had been able to film the operator of the mostly submerged vehicle crawling out of the drivers side window. Needless to say the ramp was unavailable for a few hours. It was a somewhat expensive oversight and most likely put a damper on the guys day but a memorable exclamation point on mine.
when on harbormaster crew at Pillar Point harbor in the early 70's, I was the 'traffic cop' managing AM launch control on the weekends. During peak salmon season we'd routinely launch 100+ trailer boats in the early morning, rigs often backed up in a line all the way to Hwy#1, waiting for their turn on the narrow two lane concrete ramp.
It was a friggin circus...so to keep things moving, everyone got one shot at it, and the moment they proved incapable of backing down without a series of jackknifes, they had to either let me back their rig down or they had to pull out and go around to the end of the line.. .my fave...the cigar chewer who told me through his open window, after blowing his first attempt, 'the fuk you're driving my new caddy, badge or no badge'...and then promptly backed down again, jackknifing so badly his boat trailer slammed outdrive first into the side of the truck backing down in the other lane...at which point the the driver of that rig boils out from the passenger side, runs over to the drivers side of the caddy, that driver now cowering behind locked door and rolled up window, and starts kicking in the side of the caddy from one end to the other
conversely, an older gal showed up one day, her even older husband the passenger, and backed their boat down the ramp like a pro...when I complimented her skills, she said "son, you're either born being able to back up a trailer, or you're never gonna learn"
and that be the truth...
It was a friggin circus...so to keep things moving, everyone got one shot at it, and the moment they proved incapable of backing down without a series of jackknifes, they had to either let me back their rig down or they had to pull out and go around to the end of the line.. .my fave...the cigar chewer who told me through his open window, after blowing his first attempt, 'the fuk you're driving my new caddy, badge or no badge'...and then promptly backed down again, jackknifing so badly his boat trailer slammed outdrive first into the side of the truck backing down in the other lane...at which point the the driver of that rig boils out from the passenger side, runs over to the drivers side of the caddy, that driver now cowering behind locked door and rolled up window, and starts kicking in the side of the caddy from one end to the other
conversely, an older gal showed up one day, her even older husband the passenger, and backed their boat down the ramp like a pro...when I complimented her skills, she said "son, you're either born being able to back up a trailer, or you're never gonna learn"
and that be the truth...
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Dustin Chromers
Legend
Florida Man vs. Alabama man. Who wins? Why?
Florida is a state of hell.
Corrected it for you.
My oldest brother is a Florida attorney. Must be easy pickin’s there.
DanielOcean
Fart! : )
For what it's worth, I could have held onto that boat. Crisis would have been averted with my iron will.
Yeah...but he's got iron balls!
JimTravers¤£a!!Travers
Steelhead
Used to see this down at desert shores in the mid '00's, man. There was a guy who built in a hold bar on his RIG. got the job done a few times.
HauntedByWaters
Life of the Party
It’s really simple except we live in a time when people won’t let themselves experience humility as if it’s a bad thing.
1. Don’t get drunk when on the water or trailering ever.
2. Be aware of your surroundings and be respectful of others needs. Communicate if you aren’t sure.
3. If you are having issues acknowledge and apologize.
4. Ask for help.
5. Don’t get drunk when on the water or trailering ever.
Boat launches are a shared resource with complexities beyond typical societal interactions. It’s not like driving on shared roads or anything else I can think of. They reveal the best and the worst of us. I have had strangers tell me my motor was down while taking out and I thanked them graciously. I have seen people with their motors down pulling out and told them and they didn’t even respond or acknowledge me. I’ve seen people spend 20 minutes trying to launch a boat and told the guy who offered to help to “fuck off! It’s sad that people are so opposed to humility and acknowledging they need help. None of us are perfect. Plus, my list for launching my big boat has like 15 items on it. It’s hard to get it all right every time.
Skagittarius
Steelhead
My first take out here in FL with my new boat was at the Fort Island Trail Boat Ramp in Crystal River 2 years ago just after the start of scallop season. I was just breaking in the motor on a Friday afternoon when there was a huge afternoon T-storm and everyone ran for the ramps. I wasn't able to open up the motor so got caught in the traffic at the take out and it was...interesting. Lots of bumper boats with one dude jumping the queue and barreling into one of the docks to drop off his kid that was having a panic attack due to the lightning. It almost caused a fist fight. I've since learned to pretty much take the first few months of scallop season off. Major cluster here for sure. It reminded me of the one (and only) time I launched at the Langus Park boat ramp on a weekend during Pink season.
One thing I've always tried to be is unafraid to ask for help in life. I'd like to think I know a lot about some stuff. But the things I know are absolutely dwarfed by the other things I don't know. If others do know, then I am overjoyed to have them as a resource for advice and education.
Of course, you already know this because of all my stupid gear fishing questions. Which reminds me, I'm still hoping you'll show me how you tie salmon jigs.
HauntedByWaters
Life of the Party
What I see as a real issue in our society, is that stupid questions do exist but so what? I’m not afraid to look stupid. Hell I am very stupid about many things. I’m not smart I know that much. The anxiety from not knowing something or not being able to do something well is so much worse than just working through it. People are behaving badly and acting a fool because of their own anxieties. People can’t even ask for help at a boat launch…
I listen to and read Chris Hitchens a lot, compared to him I am a certified retarded person, I’m okay with that. Being stupid or dumb is contextual. I’d rather face failure and improve than look like these idiots at the boat launch. It’s so much worse to deny your limitations than to embrace them and improve.
Perhaps, after seeking advice, he was implementing the collective nautical wisdom of the folks at the boat ramp, or has successfully performed this task several times in the past.
HauntedByWaters
Life of the Party
I highly doubt that but then again it is Florida…