To answer the question for how his
boat broke free from the mooring.
Well, we can definately
rule out a mistake on BlackOak's part, he and I went to the
marine hardware store a couple weeks before he left for his
vacation and bought 2 premium mooring lines, with newly spliced thimbles and new shackles and he had chaffing guard at the bow to the
cleats. As I mentioned before, he left his boat in a responsible way.
Now...when I boarded his drifting palace I pulled the new mooring lines out of the
water, the fellow with the
catamaran, Mike, said to me "these lines look deliberately cut". Momentarily I tried to think otherwise but I couldn't dissagree with the bloke.
When BlackOak was on his way down from Marco Island there was a squatter on my mooring. He was there for about 3 weeks. I went over to him after he was there for about 3 days and asked him "why are you on my mooring, are you broke down or something?". He replied he had
steering problems and drug his anchor and was lucky enough to grab ahold of my mooring. I was relieved and gratioussly welcomed him use of my mooring while making
repairs to which he said would only take a few days. I asked him if I could assist him in town finding
parts or whatever as he was from Fort Meyers. It was a small run down tiller steered boat and the guy was still drunk from the night before. During the 3 weeks he was there my wife and I could hear him vomiting vicioussly off the side of his boat during early morning hours.
At about 3 weeks I left a note on his boat starting that he should be on his way and that I had a friend that needed the mooring. I didn't mention that a 62 year old lady friend of ours that has a 26 foot sailboat and that her boat was over there on someones front lawn and she could have really used my mooring the other day while he sits up all night drinking. So anyhow a few days later I see him
anchoring elsewhere with no thank yous to yours truely.
BO gets on my mooring a few days later and makes a comment to me that he sees this yellow
hull boat dragging all over the cove. I dont think I mentioned to BO that the yellow boat was the guy so BO wouldnt feel awkward.
Well, I had a chance yesterday to go over to my mooring, there are 2 lines shackled to my mooring ball that are about 2 feet long each.
Yes....with 90% clean cuts to both of them. They weren't tangled, there isn't any sharp edges to my mooring
hardware, besides the mooring never chaffed my lines on my Westsail. I hope they chaffed or got cut by a swordfish, I'm assuming they weren't deliberately cut and that there is an explanation.
And the last little bit.....
The dirty little yellow hulled boat isn't anchored in it's spot or anywhere in the anchorage.
Dunno?
endoftheroad