Thread: Thrusters
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Old 08-04-2014, 02:49 PM   #62
psneeld
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City: Ft Pierce
Vessel Name: Sold
Vessel Model: Was an Albin/PSN 40
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 28,154
Actually...if I need to color code, call them ropes and all but put a large arrow on a boathook to show them where to put it...no thanks...I'll do it myself or go someplace else.

If I need a hand docking it's already to the point where things have to be done quickly and accurately...no time to "explain" or "train". If not that bad...then it really doesn't matter what the 'nice person" does...it can be fixed.

Had a guy in Wilmington last year...came over to help...grabbed a line from my crew...asked him to just please "drop the loop over the cleat"...well after 5-8 attempts at trying to get it through or around the cleat (tough because of his tangled mess of dockline over the cleat) he was frustrated. Especially with me slowly and calmly asking him to please just drop it over the cleat...the time he wasted allowed my boat to drift with the tide to where the dockline wouldn't reach the cleat anymore.

He got real pissy about me not running back to the helm and backing down....so I said very calmly but sternly "if you had done like I asked, we wouldn't have this problem now"...he muttered something unflattering and stormed off. Luckily the wind held me against the dock and I just used the next cleat and readjusted later...

With my last boat and last marina...a now good friend of mine almost severely damaged my boat and hurt both my sons and wife. Backing into a slip he tied off my breast line without telling me and with the speed I needed to get into the slip, it stopped the boat short and people almost went overboard into the props and off the flying bridge. I had never met the guy but I let him know sternly you "NEVER" tie off without the captain telling you to....and he knew he screwed up big time. Even though I sorta barked at him, by the end of the week we started a long and good friendship.

There's just too many "old timers" and "experienced" boaters who really don't know as much as they think... While that may be true of all of us...you are lea least most of the way there when you know NOT to do certain things more than anything.

So if it ain't so bad...as long as they catch and tie something, I let them do whatever they want and fix it at my leisure...but if I REALLY need a hand...I just hope they are up to it or when I abort because they didn't do it right...I hope they let go before I pull away quickly...
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