Stuff Happens

Who says the AICW is boring? This afternoon we were about 3.5 miles south of the NASA Causeway Bridge (SR 405) when a 29' Island Packet sailboat looked like it was going to hit a pile beacon. I'm driving.

Larry: Lena! It looks likes this guy is going to hit the pole.

Lena: No, he's fine. He's just giving us room.

Larry: No, really! ( I grab the camera).

His standing rigging hits the pole, the light and solar box fall over on their side and the spreader on the sailboat's starboard side was tweaked low. I hail them on the radio.

Larry: Are you OK?

SB: Yup.

Larry: Your lower spreader is fuc.ed up and you just knocked over the light on that pole.

SB: Uh, the owner says, sorry. We were sleeping.

Larry: (wrong answer!) You have to report this since you took out an aid to navigation. (continuing to take pictures)

SB: Uh, thanks.

About 5 minutes later they called the USCG on VHF, reported the incident and gave their cell phone number (should have given their credit card number!)

PS: I hope the birds OK?

Sleeping?

It wasn't me.
I swear.
I think.

Greetings,
Mr. dh. "Sleeping"? My first thought exactly!

The cormorant will be just fine.

Maybe "distracted"? Once we anchored early as start boat for a sailboat race,"filling in time enjoyably" Until a sailboat came alongside and drew attention to our drift.
Another word here for a cormorant is a "shag". Seems appropriate.

That's crazy Larry. I have trouble sleeping at anchor and could never image sleeping while under way. At least you had the camera handy. Next thing you know we will be installing Dashcams on our boats in hopes of catching something to go viral.

It is an anhinga, not a cormorant, even though they are in the same family.

Just spaced out or missing in action? I can't see anyone on deck. Coulda been a lot worse.

I've been up and down the AICW many times and I must say I was never fond of that marker anyway.

BruceK said:

Maybe "distracted"? Once we anchored early as start boat for a sailboat race,"filling in time enjoyably" Until a sailboat came alongside and drew attention to our drift.
Another word here for a cormorant is a "shag". Seems appropriate.

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I think you are right. Shagging is a much more plausible (and respectable) excuse.

Elderly folks. Two asleep in cabin. One fell asleep at the wheel. 40'er at cruise speed. Good thing Tollycraft are built like a Battleship!

Brings to mind a story I heard from the most reliable source, the ex, about her hubby having to rename the boat to acknowledge T-boning an anchored freighter in English Bay.

Ya mean like this one?

It looks like the name on the back of that trawler was "Nap Time"
The perfect name in this instance.

He really did said, “Sorry, we were sleeping” and yes, it could have been a lot worse. I was a little pissed after he said that. If they had said I was distracted or that my ap screwed up, I may have been a little more understanding but to say you were sleeping?

I cannot imagine myself sleeping while underway. I mean, falling asleep and the anchor slip and you hit something is something, but starting to cruise and think “let take a nap” duh!

L

dhays said:

Sleeping?

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No chit, sleeping while underway on the ICW.
Who told him that was permitted?
Cant sleep while driving a car either.
If he was that tired, get out of the channel, close to shore, drop anchor and take a nap.

It may be an expensive lesson for him.

Like the thread title says.

With older folk falling asleep doesn't necessarily take a conscious decision.

A late friend of mine used to sail in that general area and told me that more than once, he would look up from his book and notice that he was heading straight for an ATON or other obstruction. He loved to get underway and pull out a good book. His sailboat was fairly small so wouldn't do a lot of damage to anything but himself.

koliver said:

Brings to mind a story I heard from the most reliable source, the ex, about her hubby having to rename the boat to acknowledge T-boning an anchored freighter in English Bay.

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We had an older guy with a boat he should not of been at the helm he T-Boned another local boat years ago and he will now forever be called T-Bone, now even the local bartenders call him T bone. By the way it is also rumored that he took out a marker near Longboat key.

Reminds me of another boat recently.....
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/we-sold-everything-do-lost-20-minutes-36965.html

boathealer said:

Reminds me of another boat recently.....
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/we-sold-everything-do-lost-20-minutes-36965.html

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Was thinking the same thing

we were at our condo nearby when that happened

It looks like there is someone in a dark shirt and a white ball cap at the helm in picture #1 & #2. Is it an optical illusion and the cover on teh binnacle and something on the deck under the dodger?

Art said:

Elderly folks. Two asleep in cabin. One fell asleep at the wheel. 40'er at cruise speed. Good thing Tollycraft are built like a Battleship!

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Nice round chine, lovely hull and the upper spray rail gives it away as a 43. This is what your Westcoast 46 is built on.

Note how she gracefully slid right up to the high water line on the beach without even digging a trench. A Bayliner could not do that and would have plowed a trench ready for planting.

Could someone else, maybe someone less experienced, have been operating the boat for the sleeping owners? I just can't imagine you'd get far on the ICW while asleep, even with a good autopilot.

ghost said:

Nice round chine, lovely hull and the upper spray rail gives it away as a 43. This is what your Westcoast 46 is built on.

Note how she gracefully slid right up to the high water line on the beach without even digging a trench. A Bayliner could not do that and would have plowed a trench ready for planting.

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Hi ghost

You are correct re round chines. I'd not taken good look at hull shape. Article I read years ago I believe said 40'?? 43' Tolly is rare but not unavailable. We do love our comfortable and seaworthy 34'er. She serves our current purposes very well... and economically too in the overall effect of "boat" ownership.

boathealer said:

Reminds me of another boat recently.....
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s3/we-sold-everything-do-lost-20-minutes-36965.html

Click to expand...

Well got got a free boat, anyone heard anything more of them?

OldDan1943 said:

Well got got a free boat, anyone heard anything more of them?

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Nothng since the free boat

hmason said:

I've been up and down the AICW many times and I must say I was never fond of that marker anyway.

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Hahaha... Yeah, to hell with that marker in particular.