Don't want your name here?!!

[salty_dog_68]

What is DH? designated hitter, dog hater, dead/dear husband??? anyone?

Since it is the Fourth of July I thought I would share my best boating/fireworks story with you. enjoy.

Setting up camp - It was New Years Eve 2000. A bunch of my boating buddies were camping out on Shell Island for the night and I could not think of a better place to spend Y2K. We figured we would have one hell of a party and if all the computers exploded and the world came to an end; at least we would have a good view, from offshore, while it happened. We each arrived at different parts of the day and set up camp as we got there. We had about seventeen people in twelve tents in a big circle. The plan for the evening was to eat dinner at sunset, hang out around the campfire for a few hours, light "the bonfire" at midnight and then light our own fireworks until the wee hours of the morning.

Dinner and the sunset - Dinner and the sunset were great and then we settled in around the campfire to tell stories. We added "play a few games of volleyball" to our list of things to do when another group of people set up camp next to us on the island. They were really doing it up right. They had a generator(yes, they were considerate and turned it off later so everyone could sleep), a huge tent with a big screen tv, and a night time volleyball court. It was a pretty cool idea. The net and ball were painted with fluorescent paint and at each corner of the court there was a four foot long black light on a post, powered by the generator. Viola', nightime volleyball. We played "us against them" volleyball until just about midnight when it was time to light "the bonfire."

The Bonfire - It was the holiday season so all of us in attendence were told to save our trees for the "Christmas Tree Bonfire." This is something that only a true pyromaniac could come up with(Dan). We had about six or seven trees stacked in a pyramid. When the 30 second countdown to midnight started Dan lit a roman candle and pointed it at the stack of trees. It only took one spark from the candle to ignite "the bonfire." I am not sure but I was told it could be seen from Tampa because dry evergreen trees, aparently, are the equivalent of logs soaked in gasoline. The flames shot at least thirty feet into the night sky, seeming to singe the bottom of the clouds. The hair of my eyebrows has not been the same since.

The Y2Rocco Fiasco - I don't know why we picked the drunkest and most incompetent person to light all the fireworks for us. I guess we knew that if anyone but Rocco lit the fireworks we wouldn't have any stories to tell about out Y2K. My buddy Joe had purchased about $350 - $400 worth of the good stuff, mortars, rockets, cakes, candles, etc. It was all in a handy leather duffel bag with a couple cans of grill gas(of course you put the highly flammable cans of gas in with all the fireworks). Rocco was doing a great job with the fireworks for the first thirty minutes or so. It was a good show. Then...it happened. The moment we all knew would happen. It was that train wreck about to happen that you just can't look away from. It even happened in slow motion just like how people describe their near death experiences. Rocco picks a mortar out of the bag. Pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and lights the fuse. He steps toward the mortar tube to drop it in but stumbles just a little. Plop, plunk. The, now lit, mortar falls into the leather bag full of fireworks. It seemed like a long time but it could have only been a second or two before the bag was glowing. The next thing I remember is feeling like I was in the sceen from Apocalypse Now when the river boat was under an ambush attack and all you see is tracer rounds flying in every direction. Those who could get away scattered as fast as they could. Those of us that were much closer were not so lucky. Our dinner table was close by and it was my only hope to escape unharmed. In one fluid move I kicked it over and jumpped behind it to use as a shield. I was quickly joined by two others looking to escape the onslaught. The rest of the fireworks lasted about ten minutes and just as things started to settle down somewhere in the distance you hear Joe "oh ****! the gas bottles." As if on cue the safety valves blow on the two gas bottles. BA-BOOM. Thankfully the safety valves worked as they should. Instead of the bottles exploding outward spraying us with white hot shrapnel there was a four foot flame that shot out of the top of the bottles for about eight to ten minutes. When the gas bottles were finally done and things cooled down a few brave souls came out of hiding to check out the scene. There was nothing left of the leather duffel bag but two blackened handles. There were a few holes in a few tents and the dinner leftovers were now seagull food. But, no one was hurt at all. Not even Rocco(how, I don't know). Now the Y2Rocco Fiasco is just a funny story to tell every Fourth of July and New Years Eve and I would not want it any other way.

*Side note...this is why we always light our fireworks on the barrier islands rather than at our homes.

[Ruby V]

Originally Posted by salty_dog_68

What is DH? designated hitter, dog hater, dead/dear husband??? anyone?

*Side note...this is why we always light our fireworks on the barrier islands rather than at our homes.

"DH" is "Dear Hubby" or "Dick Head", depending upon whether he's been yelling and screaming or not.

Great story -- I think it's wise for you to ight your fireworks away from your homes!

Ruby

[EngNate]

Add one more, though limited to a few popular places: I got mooring lines and/or pennant fouled in my prop getting on/off a mooring (usually off). I quote the harbormaster at Avalon, Catalina Island: "There's two kinds, those that have and those that will."

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Ruby V,
The last time in Seattle (2yrs ago) my wife and I stopped to watch the Ballard locks and see the salmon go up the ladder. It was Christie's first time there. I can just imagine what you were talking about. Lots of tourists and I even got to hear a boat owner getting yelled at by a linehandler. I can imagine in your case they were a bit upset. I'm glad it ended as well as it did.
Congratulations!!
JohnL

[Ruby V]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Aloha Ruby V,
The last time in Seattle (2yrs ago) my wife and I stopped to watch the Ballard locks and see the salmon go up the ladder. It was Christie's first time there. I can just imagine what you were talking about. Lots of tourists and I even got to hear a boat owner getting yelled at by a linehandler. I can imagine in your case they were a bit upset. I'm glad it ended as well as it did.
Congratulations!!
JohnL

Oh, yeah, there was yelling. And laughing and finger pointing and video-taping . . . I'm sure we were the talk of the linehandlers for months!

[David M]

Going 18 knots using the electronic chart in an area with plenty of shoals and no channel markers. Got distracted for about 30 seconds and went aground...that simple! Got back off by backing. Was very embarrassed.

OK, I'll give this one up. From the boat building confessional I was ready to paint the deck of the trimaran. Had one final piece of deck hardware to install. The windless. Set it on deck, measured very carefully. Measured again. Drew the pattern. Measured again. Got out the hole say and cut the two, 2 and a half inch holes. Drilled the four monting bolt holes. Dropped it in, and it fit perfect. Stood back to admire my work and realized, I mounted it backwards
Pulled it out, epoxied my plugs back in place. Glassed the fordeck (again). Started all over again.
The good news is, I discovered it BEFORE I painted.

[Jesse Holden]

Thought I smelled hot paint, but dismissed it as the the rebuilt engines had new paint on the exhaust manifolds. It's enirely posible thats what it was but it's dificult to determine after the boat burned and sank in 300 feet of Puget Sound. Jesse

Awwww man! That sucks!

[Inkwell]

We just put up sails. I was busy talking with a pretty young girl about an up coming trip she and her husband were planning for New Orleans. Managed to sail right on pass the channel marker and upon the muddy low bottom. After a lot of forward and reverse, plus a strong breeze. I was able to turn the boat towards deeper water and motor off. I have learned a good lesson. Keep my eyes on the water and off the guests.

[Ex-Calif]

Inkwell - Good post. Although I don't get distracted I have had crew get distracted by guests. I don't take anything for granted in regards to "helpers' on the boat. It helps to keep a running dialog up with the crew as well to test how well they are paying attention.

[Boracay]

I try to get the crew to keep a lookout as well.

That way I don't get all the blame...

[teejayevans]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Free diving, in nice brisk 55F-ish water.

If you did that without a wet suit, I'm impressed, but then I think 70
degree water is cold.
TJ

[bonnelaine]

BAY OF QUINTE CANADA
WEEK LONG TRIP FROM POINT BREEZE US
MADE AN UNEVENTFUL TRIP INTO BRIGHTON BAY CANADA
EXITING THE canal from brighton bay into the bay of quinte system from the west to east ,motoring at 3-4 knots came into the area where there is an appproach into trenton ontario from the east ,my sailing partner says "hey arent we suppossed to be on the left side of the green buoys ?"
iam thinking that i should be looking for a mid channel bouy for a westerly approach to the city of trenton and just about then bump HARD BUMP alittle skip and then another HARD BUMP AND COME TO REST, ACOMPLETE STOP.
FIRST THU IT IN REVERSE AND TRIED TO MOTOR OFF ,LUCKILY ENGINE QUIT,WENT DOWN BELOW CHECKED THE BILGE NO APPARANT WATER COMMING ON BOARD WE WERE ABLE TO GET OFF ON OUR OWN .

THINGS WE DID WRONG
1,DID NOT STAY ON THE CHARTS AND PRESENT POSITION
2,BELIEVED THINGS WERE NOT AS THEY WERE "MID CHANNEL BOUY TO TRENTON"
3, SHOULD HAVE BEEN GOING SLOWER IN UNFAMILIAR WATERS

THINGS WE DID RIGHT AND GOT LUCKEY
1, KEPT OUR COOL
2,MADE SURE WE WERE NOT TAKING ON WATER BEFORE PROCEEDING
3, VERIFIED OUR POSITION TO FIND WHERE THE GOOD WATER LIES
4.REVERSED AND GOT OFF THE ROCKS

I WILL BE MAKING REPAIRS ON THE BOTTOM OF THE KEEL THIS SPRING ,NOTHING STRUCTURAL

THAT MY STOREY AND IM STICKING TO IT.



THINGS WE DID RIGHT AND GOT LUCKEY

[MarkJ]

This is a fun poll! Why? Because the ding-a-ling who made it up didn't ask how many times I've run aground! I don't have to do the embarrassed dance
(If the truth be know there is no rock, beach, mud bar, sand bank, point, bluff, head, promontory within cooee of Sydney that hasnt had me up on it at some stage)

About the only thing I haven't done more than once is a fire. only had one of them

As for weather reports: are you kidding? We raced a whole season of saturday afternoons where the only weather report is the number of reefs in some clowns sails at the 10 minute gun. "Is that a No3 Jib? Geez we must be in for a blow...".

Anchor didn't hold: The Water Police only started getting heavy on Drunk in Charge of a Vessel about 10 years ago. Before that you'd drink till you couldn't sail anymore then drop the pick and wake up in some other part of the harbour. Or, notoriously, in StoreBeach, SydneyHarbour there's so many anchored boats you'd be up half the night bumping into other boats till everyone takes up so much rode that when the tide comes in 30 boats are adrift!

And what was that question about bumping into other boats.... can I go back to racing? Rules therof: "STAR-BLOODY-BOARD!!!!!!!" "Ah don't worry about him, we'll cross well in front....". or "Windward Boat Gives Way" "Hang on mate, we're becalmed! You can't protest a drifting boat!". or "Buoy wat... ***Bang*** Opps!