Am i a Jerk?

J

jgoedd99

Active Member
Aug 10, 2008
205
Buffalo, NY
Boat Info
1998 370 DA
Engines
7.4 Mag MPI Horizon Inboards
Yesterday at the local raft up place, a 30 or so foot newer Sea Ray open bow boat with 7 or so people on it is idling through the anchored boats looking for a place to anchor. They are about 30 feet from us, and i see two kids on a tube being towed behind the boat. They have 4 or 5 feet or so of rope out, so the tube is about 4 feet behind the boat. So you have a boat full of adults looking to anchor, boat in gear moving slowly through a crowded area. No one is really looking at the kids. Water is 4 feet deep. I can't believe what i am seeing.

NOW, wait for it, he decides to back up. So now the boat is in reverse gear, and the tube with the two kids on it is up against the swim platform and a little bit of the tube is actually under the swim platform. I can't see the rope but i know there is 4 feet or so of rope there somewhere. All i can think is that the prop will grab the rope pull the tube down and "feed" the kids to the prop. I start screaming at the operator to shut the engine off. And they start arguing with me as they continue to back up. Finally one of the women gets the kids off the tube, and they proceed to tell me how much of an ass i am. One even commented "Drink your beer asshole" implying that since i had a beer in hand (actually it was a margarita) i clearly was drunk and should mind my own business.

I was very shaken by this incident, and it took about a half hour for me to calm down and my heart stop beating like a drum. My heart is pounding as i write this.

The only thing that saved those kids was that it was a poly rope that apparently was floating. If that rope was a dock line and it sunk, it would have been a mess.
 
Instead of possibly getting shot at. Best to just call the local marine patrol with a description and what they are doing. Let them sort it out. You do your part. And they get delt with.

Any more, I just turn my head and look the other way. It's not worth an attack by someone else or the legal issues that could arise for trying to help. Or in other words, I mind my own business.
 
This is a tricky one. We are morally obligated to get involved when kids are put in imminent danger. That said, what defines imminent danger can be subject to the perspective of the observer.

When we do choose to get involved there are some things that are to be expected. Pretty much any parent is going to get defensive if they are publicly called out. I wouldn't take that personally as that is just the nature of the beast. Just revel in the victory that no-one was hurt, you did what you thought you needed to do, and the situation did not escalate further.
 
Very tricky, best to be proactive, newbies with no clue, they will get payback.
As for cops, you couldn’t call there was no crime. Cops are reactive not proactive. Really can’t do squat til a crime has been committed. Newbies could tell cops GFYS and what can they do?
It’s life man, it happens. Let it go.
And you’re not a jerk.
Now, that said, if you grabbed the fishing pole with intention of fishing the chum spot, that may have been a jerk.
 
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Calling the authorities would have served no purpose here as the accident may have already happened before they could get there.

It's a tough call. Stupid people are often prone to volatile anger and that's not my scene.

In this case though, I'm not sure if I could have just watched it unfold quietly.

I simply don't go to anchorages on the weekends anymore for this reason.

We left the local spot yesterday morning after a few nights just as everyone was piling in. Someone asked me where I was going and told me that I was going to miss the party.

I thought "Yeah, that's the whole point".
 
When the boat was still in reverse gear when the tube touched the swim platform it was a big red flag .
if he was already in neutral slowly moving backwards by just the inertia , fully aware that the rope is floatable, it was a non issue and your 'screaming' an overreaction .

If you are the jerk or not mainly depends on the question if the other boater is an idiot and really forced a dangerous situation or if he was in full awarness and in control of this all and it looked dangerous just for YOU .
 
Read the original post again, Aerobat,……the tube was going under the platform as the operator continued to back up…..
check out “bonehead boaters of the week” on YouTube to get an idea of skill levels these days…..I wouldn’t assume that the suspect operator knew what he was doing.
 
aerobat77 said:
When the boat was still in reverse gear when the tube touched the swim platform it was a big red flag .
if he was already in neutral slowly moving backwards by just the inertia , fully aware that the rope is floatable, it was a non issue and your 'screaming' an overreaction .

If you are the jerk or not mainly depends on the question if the other boater is an idiot and really forced a dangerous situation or if he was in full awarness and in control of this all and it looked dangerous just for YOU .
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Yeah, not really. The other boat could have just said thank you, we understand. And then got him a fresh beer for being concerned about their kids.
 
IMO a floating rope only slightly reduces the seriousness of this situation.
I’m definitely NOT going to bet my kids or grandkids life on wether a floating rope cane be pulled under by propellers.

The driver of that boat was a straight up idiot.

I too see shit like this and it makes my skin crawl.
 
scoflaw said:
As you can see it can get Deisy telling people what to do.
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What in the heck is Deisy?


Anyway I probably would have offered to help them anchor. We each have different ways of handling stress. Yelling from both parties never ends well. Glad the kiddies are okay. Backing down with anything behind the boat can turn into a fast disaster.
 
Over the last 3 years too many have been working or not working from home and have become keyboard warriors and since they got away with all the bullshit comments and keyboard fights they are now cocky when they go out in public and are usually Karen’s/ assholes in need of a throat punch.
You did the right thing to protect those kids.
There are so many pricks out there now that I think the karma bus can’t keep up or has ran out of fuel.
 
Good job. I am a marine patrol officer. Had I witnessed what you described, I would have boarded his boat, checked all his paperwork, safety gear, and cited him for operating his boat in unsafe manner and not posting a dedicated lookout while towing skiers, all covered under Louisiana 34:851.4. If he decided to fight the citation in court, I would justify the unsafe operation pretty easily.
Don’t doubt yourself on this one.
 
Pirate Lady said:
Now, that said, if you grabbed the fishing pole with intention of fishing the chum spot, that may have been a jerk.
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Hahahahaha!! Now that cracked me up!! Too funny!! Glad there was no "chum spot" in the end. To the OP, you are not a jerk & I would've done the same thing only for the safety of those kids.
 
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