12/10/14
Beaufort SC
Posted by Bill

Yesterday I neglected to tell you about a power boat that pulled up on the other side of the dock from us. Normally, when you are coming in to a marina you get on the marine radio and tell them you are coming in. The marina staff will usually come and take your dock lines and help you get in to the dock and secure your boat, especially when there is a nasty current like there is at this marina. They obviously did not radio ahead because no one was there to help them. I saw them coming in and stepped off of our boat to help them. It is a boaters code to help fellow boaters, especially when approaching or leaving a dock, as it is the most stressful and difficult part of handling a boat.

There were 3 guys on board this Hinkley power boat (very nice and expensive) and they were dressed in khakis and golf pull overs. I could tell that none of them besides the captain knew anything about boating because they weren’t prepared to hand me dock lines. They had no clue what was going to happen as they approached the dock. I grabbed the spring line off of the boat and asked the captain if he wanted a fore or aft spring. He replied “just tie it off right there”, which didn’t answer my question. I then proceeded to grab the bow line and the one guy jumped off of the boat near the stern. He didn’t grab the stern line, but tried to wrestle the boat to the dock by hand (not at all what you should do in a docking situation). There was a decent chop on the river and the boat was bucking pretty good. The guy who jumped off was trying to keep the stern from slamming the dock and still hadn’t grabbed the stern dock line…idiot. Then all of the sudden his feet were on the dock, his hands were on the boat, and the distance between the two was increasing rapidly. No question about it….this guy was going in the drink.

The guys feet and legs go into the water about the same time that Tricia is jumping off of our boat to help, and he is hanging off the side of the boat between the dock and the boat. I am trying to maneuver the boat with the bow and spring lines and Tricia is trying to grab the stern line and help the guy in the water. My first thought is “wow…with the wind and waves in the state they are in, the boat is going to crush this guys legs and torso against the dock”, and sure enough the boat started to slam him. The second guy on the boat has no idea what to do, and the captain is running the boat into the boat in front of him on the dock. At the last minute Tricia pulls the man overboard onto the dock and the momentum knocks her on her ass, but the guy is safe. We get the lines secured and the boat is safely docked.

I ask the wet guy if he needs some dry cloths that he can use while they use the dryer at the marina to dry his. They reply that they are golfing nearby and he will just buy some new cloths at the club. They are both laughing at their buddy, and nobody even thanks Tricia for saving this guy who would have been crushed by the boat without her help. They waltz off with their golf bags without any comprehension of what just happened.

We were both totally shocked at the complete lack of boating knowledge and seamanship, and especially that the pretentious assholes didn’t even have the decency to thank us…especially Tricia…for keeping their buddy from bodily harm and their boat from slamming the dock. This is not normal boater behavior as the boater community is very close knit.

Today we moved the boat to the end of the dock in preparation for leaving tomorrow morning. This will make a much easier departure in the tidal current. We also borrowed the courtesy car at the marina and got groceries, liquor and propane. We added water to the tanks and pumped out the holding tank again, and we are ready to go! We are anxious to be on the move again, but at the same time, we really enjoyed our stay here.