Re: i upset a guy on the weekend
Come on Jim . . . your "bias" is so evident here...... Totally agree with that, but the rest of your post assumes very few others do . . . Just not true.
Guys, I focused on this as it is the type of post that ends up getting threads closed. Let's treat each other here as we expect the operator of a 32 footer to treat a 14 ft. Tinny's skipper. K?
I will apologize profusely ahead of time if anything I ever say gets a thread closed. I have owned a 30 footer in the past, so I've been on both sides of the fence. I got twofootitis before as well, but in the reverse direction. The 30 didn't meet my requirements all of the time, and it didn't fit into our lifestyle. If it ever did again in the future, I could well afford it so I have no bias against those that do.
My only bias is against people on the water that think they own the place. And that covers cruisers that disrepect tinnys, as well as tinny fishermen that take up the entire channel on busy days.
I travel on business to CA monthly, and the way people drive on the freeways amazes me. I don't boat there, but I can imagine that CA boaters share some of the same traits.
Fact is that I live in NY. Not only are the waterways crowded, but too many of the boat operators are mindless. My comments about getting run over by a 30 footer in my tinny are a sad reality. As an example, last summer I was trolling at about 2 mph and approached the stbd side of a 30 something and at the last minute I had to cut the engine (and tangle the lines) or I would have been dangerously close as he passed by. From HIM I received the finger and a number of deleted expletives and he shouted "get out of my way"!
The channel I boat in is 1/2 mile wide. When I go upriver I stay on the right side within 100 feet of the the edge of the dredged portion. I realize that passing with a 300' margin is a real hassle and very problematic if you are trying to get to the beer party in a hurry, but on a Saturday I can count on the fact that at least one or 2 gofasts will pass me within 100 feet at speed.
Obviously, there are differnt experiences in different parts of the country. But, I stick to the theme of my original post: If somebody gives you the finger, you probably did something that wasn't respectful to the other guy.
I don't know that I would say that "Very few others do", but the percentage is wayyyy to high!
(PS - when I said "run over", I meant "go too close", "pass within a safe distance", or "pass within the legal requirements". I wasn't implying physical contact)