Tom
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- Jan 13, 2005
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Anyone who attempts to board our boat with bare feet gets to listen to this (true) story and they usually put deck shoes on in a hurry.
It was circa 1980 and we had an overseas visitor (let's call him Alan) and had gone to Lake Camanche with two other couples. Each couple drove a motorhome and were towing their respective boats. We launched the boats and camped lakeside.
One of the guys (let's call him Tim), who weighed 280 lbs, had been drinking beer all day and, in the evening, decided he wanted to go out on the lake. His wife looked at me and said "you've not had a drink all day, will you take Tim out?" So, with Tim and Alan aboard, we headed out onto the lake. Roughly in the center of the lake, Tim asked to stop the boat because he wanted to go in the water. After I insisted, against his protestations, that he wear a PFD (aka life vest), Tim hopped up on the gunnels (aka gunwales) and proceeded to slip overboard.
The gunnels on this particular boat were curved and had no non-skid and, since we'd been running, they were wet. So Tim, with bare feet, had slipped off the gunnels and made a premature entry into the water. After what seemed like an eternity Alan, a non-boater, said "He's not coming up!". I replied "He's wearing a life vest, so he'll come up sooner or later".
When Tim finally surfaced he was cussing and complaining. Getting this 280 lbs guy back in the boat was a challenge, but we finally got him on board. Tim started complaining that "This toe hurts" and I replied "Don't worry about that toe, the one next to it is hanging off".
When Tim had slipped off the gunnel, his toes got stuck behind a cleat while 280 lbs kept going forward into the water. After returning to shore, we made an unexpected visit to the hospital.
Deck shoes perform several functions, one of which is to prevent slipping on wet (or dry) fiberglass. They're also good for protecting your toes from cleats and other on-board obstacles. Next time you're tempted to go barefooted on board, please remember this (true) story. Also, don't forget to wear a PFD; Unexpected entry into the water can be fatal.
It was circa 1980 and we had an overseas visitor (let's call him Alan) and had gone to Lake Camanche with two other couples. Each couple drove a motorhome and were towing their respective boats. We launched the boats and camped lakeside.
One of the guys (let's call him Tim), who weighed 280 lbs, had been drinking beer all day and, in the evening, decided he wanted to go out on the lake. His wife looked at me and said "you've not had a drink all day, will you take Tim out?" So, with Tim and Alan aboard, we headed out onto the lake. Roughly in the center of the lake, Tim asked to stop the boat because he wanted to go in the water. After I insisted, against his protestations, that he wear a PFD (aka life vest), Tim hopped up on the gunnels (aka gunwales) and proceeded to slip overboard.
The gunnels on this particular boat were curved and had no non-skid and, since we'd been running, they were wet. So Tim, with bare feet, had slipped off the gunnels and made a premature entry into the water. After what seemed like an eternity Alan, a non-boater, said "He's not coming up!". I replied "He's wearing a life vest, so he'll come up sooner or later".
When Tim finally surfaced he was cussing and complaining. Getting this 280 lbs guy back in the boat was a challenge, but we finally got him on board. Tim started complaining that "This toe hurts" and I replied "Don't worry about that toe, the one next to it is hanging off".
When Tim had slipped off the gunnel, his toes got stuck behind a cleat while 280 lbs kept going forward into the water. After returning to shore, we made an unexpected visit to the hospital.
Deck shoes perform several functions, one of which is to prevent slipping on wet (or dry) fiberglass. They're also good for protecting your toes from cleats and other on-board obstacles. Next time you're tempted to go barefooted on board, please remember this (true) story. Also, don't forget to wear a PFD; Unexpected entry into the water can be fatal.