Am I getting too old for boating?!?!?!?

[eddiemorales]

Don't get me wrong, I love boating and all the countless hours of fun it brings. Saturday, I took out our new boat for the second time. We stayed out for the night went to Key Largo the next day and had a wonderful time! :grin:

The bad part was coming back on Sunday at 4:00 PM. Our local marina (Blackpoint for Miami CSR's) was jammed almost half a mile from the ramps!! I decided to motor through the line and go spend a couple of hours at the restaurant beyond the ramps. Had a great time there and spent about an hour and a half there. I was monitoring the line most of this time and saw a break in the line so we went to the ramps. We waited maybe 10 minutes before a ramp was available. We docked behind 2 boats and waited until the first one was trailered out of the water. As I was walking towards my truck, I saw that the second boat in front of us was being taken out, so that would put my boat next in line to be pulled out. Some nice fellow boaters helped the wife move the boat forward.

This is where it gets funky, I had to wait in the line of rigs for about 15 minutes. When I got to the front of the line I saw, puzzled, that my boat was no longer next at the spot. There was some other boat with 3 girls putting lipsticks, makeup etc. This boat, my wife said later, had pulled in between 6 other boats and cut in through the middle and pulled in front of us almost hitting my boat. There were 3 guys around this boat and finally got around to pulling the boat, then putting it back, then pulling it, then back in, finally pulling it! Then he stops right after going forward 5 feet, and NOW, starts taking the girls, coolers, towels, water toys, BBQ, and God knows what else off the boat, then he starts putting straps on the boat. At this point, about 15 more minutes of me patiently waiting in line for this guy (I was blocking the whole marina access to other ramps) I walked out of my truck and nicely asked the guy if he could just move the boat to the staging area so that we may pull our boat out. He came at me as if I had pi..ed on his mother! Wanted to fight me, etc (24 year old that thinks he can stop bullets!) He was obviously drunk, so I just downplayed it and just told him that we all want to get home and we have been blocking access due to him staying at that spot. He finally gets in the truck and drives away!!! I now start going to my spot and the rig behind me drives on while I'm turning back and blocks the way behind me!!! I now ask him to move back so that I can back up the truck, he does.....I back up and crank up the boat...While being out there I see the guy that had blocked me the 2nd time yelling at people in front of his boat to "take out that piece of s..t out", honking his train horn, scaring people half to death.
This whole experience left me feeling sorry for these, 21-29 year olds that behave like they own the world....
It's sad that a great boating weekend ends with a bad flavor due to this. Boating is a very friendly sport, I just wish we could all get that friendly at the docks as well......Sorry for the long post, but I had to vent a little this morning.

 

[cr0ck1]

YOU know what.. ITS ALL ABOUT THE BEER! these people are so drunk.. for instance i was at one fo the keys yesterday and there was alot of shallow water and i had walked up to a guy and asked "hey sory to bother you but do you know a direct way out of here to avoid all the shallows so i dont bottom our:? and he says... "HAHA.. well first.. go buy a gps, then go buy a depth finder, then if you got time go buy a map" and I didnt want to stoop to his level so i said. "yea i already have all that just wanted to know if you could make it easier for me" and walked away.

He was drinking also.

 

[Nehalennia II]

Eddie,
I don't think it's so much that you're are too old, but the drunken "tools" that shift the late evening launch experience into a idiot contest which recoils your enthusiasm to head out next time. Luckily I have launches that are predominantly well organized, courteous and fast. Only on the typical drinking holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, SeaFair, etc) that boating’s necessity at the launch quickly turn’s into a ugly display of machismo, inebriation, too much sun soaked slurring fools…..with little or no regard for the rest of the humans attempting to enjoy the rest of the day.
Hang in there,

 

[jg300da]

Consider a slip for your boat. It takes the ramp idiots out of the equation and lets you hang out and enjoy your boat even on those days when you don't take her out.

 

[Larry&Leisa]

Eddie take heart bud. If it wasn't for guys like you (and most everyone on here I.m sure) that have a little patience and understanding where would the good examples be set? Maybe someone saw the calm manner in which you handled the stiuation and will do so in the future themselves.

Fortunately, like Todd, we don't have to deal with that very often at all or I think I'd go back to golfing... nahhh... I'd find another lake!

 

[comsnark]

Yup.

This is the biggest reason to get a slip.

 

[cr0ck1]

Yup.

This is the biggest reason to get a slip.

By me someone was selling a slip for 500 bucks is that good? or did i misread it and it meant 500 bucks a month? lol

 

[Morpheus]

Yup.

This is the biggest reason to get a slip.

By me someone was selling a slip for 500 bucks is that good? or did i misread it and it meant 500 bucks a month? lol

If you found a slip for $500 with deep enough water and decent docks I'll take 2.

I'm gonna guess that was $500 a month. I pay about 400 every 3 months just to park my boat on it's trailer in a gated storage area (HOA doesn't allow boats in the neighborhood and it won't fit in the garage truck barely does).

 

[chazaroo]

Don't get me wrong, I love boating and all the countless hours of fun it brings. Saturday, I took out our new boat for the second time. We stayed out for the night went to Key Largo the next day and had a wonderful time! :grin:

Concentrate on the above part of your story and ignore the morons at the ramp. Key Largo by boat. It doesn't get much better than that. BTW, next time you do it check out Fish House Encore for dinner. Best Oysters Rockefeller in the hemisphere.

Chazaroo

 

[eddiemorales]

Thanks guys for the words of encouragement! I would love to have a slip, but down here in South Florida, the wait is approximately 2 years for a slip!! And then it's about $20.00/Foot/Month....I would love to have a slip, but I'll have to wait a bit for that.....Next time, I'll stay out until 8:00PM at least!!!!! Thanks again....

P.S. Chaz, thanks for the tip.....You're right, to be able to go to Key Largo by boat in the morning and be back home with your boat that same night is pretty special!!!!

 

[chazaroo]

Next time, I'll stay out until 8:00PM at least!!!!! Thanks again....

Yeah, by then all the drunks will have either fallen overboard or been arrested. :smt043 :smt043

 

[First Born]

Eddie,

Not sure if this is an option for you in Fl, but we ran into the same problem at our local ramp access on the weekends. It made it where I would worry the whole time we were on the lake about getting the boat out (and I am one of those 29 year olds). We talked to a couple of people and found out there were other ramps that you join and can have access too. Most of the trouble makers you are talking about would not be willing to pay to put their boat in when there is a free ramp available. We pay $60 for the season and have never had to worry about waiting to put the boat in or take the boat out. They have better facilities and could not be happier. It may be worth looking into, if not you did the right thing and hopefully it was just a one-time deal that you ran into.

Wesley

 

[ylwjacket]

has happened to me during kingfish tournament season a couple of times. most locals are cool, but these yahoos in big triple outboard go-fast boats will nail the gas and cut you off.

one guy told me "i don't bout round here, but where i'm from, first guy to the hole gets out first". in his case, i told him he was an a*&^*(#) and to go back where he came from, because here on the west coast, people had respect for each other. luckily, he aced enough other people, that everyone was mad at him. they actually blocked in his buddy's truck, and made him wait his turn, until after the people he aced go to go.

after a couple times of that, we got a dry slip.

 

[Sea Ray 300]

I would love to have a slip, but down here in South Florida, the wait is approximately 2 years for a slip!! And then it's about $20.00/Foot/Month....I would love to have a slip, but I'll have to wait a bit for that.....

I won't take away from your story by sharing one of my own, but I think we've all seen idiots :smt101 at the ramps.
Get in line for a slip, and take one as soon as you can. We did, about 12 years ago, and never looked back. The rates you quoted are not out of line.
We pay almost the same annually, and we only get 5 months.

 

[papogator24]

Hey Eddie,

I know how you feel...I went out to Elliott Key this past Sunday but I came back around 7 or 8 pm. Yes, there are alot of drunk 21-29 years old idiots that are coming back to Black Point from Elliott Key. I did have a couple people block me,however, having a badge for the county, I told them they had 2 choices, to move or to speak with police, needless to say they moved. Usually BP has employees working the ramps to ensure things go smoothly but I guess they left home early.

I believe you can get a slip in Black Point but dont tell me how I know. ( I had one for 3 months but you didnt hear that from me.) Since you have the same boat as I do, it will cost 465 a month.

 

[STIHLBOLTS]

Take a cooler and a chair and go to the boat ramp on a Saturday and just enjoy the show. :lol:

 

[AndersonAcres]

Eddie, the solution to your problem is a boat so big you can't trailer it. :thumbsup:

From your bad experience, which we all have shared from time to time, comes a persuasive argument that's sure fire to work with the Admiral.

 

[my dash]

Eddie,
Maybe you should borrow pappo' badge and get the slip,once your done lemme know so that I could borrow it as well.
You did the right thing by walking away from those punks,the mental visualization of stomping on their heads may provide relief but I have learned that walking away is the best way, you never know what those punks may be carrying; I always refer back to " it is better losing a second in life than your life in a second", something like that , it sounds better in spanish :lol:
To all have a safe summer.
Chris