Biggest doofus award

[SRT8 smoker craft]

I think I have told this one here before but a couple years ago we were fishing near the entrance to a marina on the st clair river the channel is deep enough to have large frieghters in and out and it has a sand bar that comes off the seawall we were fishing the drop off and the weed line off of that sand bar when a 36-38' sea-ray comes down river 25' from is at 30mph turns 180 degree's and goes up the channel 25-30' up the other side of us causing a 4-5' wake coming at us from both sides we were in a 21' triton bassboat and it was full to the gunnels I had to do a Tebow and hold on for dear life on the back deck to stay in the boat it washed my sciccors and some soft plastics into the river the bilge pumps took 10 mins to empty the boat out if it wasn't full of water we would have chased them into the marina I thought we were going to sink . I always have bone heads run to close on longpoint bay it doesn't even bother me anymore

[Ralph Field]

Another reason this award should be mine occurred on the opening of bass season on long point bay. We were fishing in the opening day tournament and in the distance we could see a storm coming our way. Instead of heading in when the sky turned greenish we stayed too long and got caught in a terrible storm. We thought we could hide in the rushes for cover only to discover the waves were every bit as high there as they were in the open. the waves were washing over our bow and filling my 35 year old boat with water. When my friend noticed that the water was up to my knees he panicked and flagged over a large cruiser. The water was too rough to transfer my friend to the other boat and I still had power so he left and we continued to limp in. We went to the old cut because it was the fastest way off the bay. While having coffee at the old cut marina we observed a couple of boats,which were about the size of mine being towed in overturned. We later learned that a 40 ft sailboat had been capsized in the storm. We bailed the boat out after the storm passed and headed back to the marina on the causeway where I had launched. I had to replace about 300 rivittes in the bottom of my boat as a result of our adventure ,but no one was hurt so the rest doesn't matter.

Edited July 12, 2012 by staffman

[lew]

When I was in the Navy back in the 60's we used to spend alot of time working down in the Carribean. We were in Barbados one time when we were ordered out to join a search for a fishing boat with 3 men aboard that was 3 days overdue from an island south of Trinidad. We headed south and fortunately we were the ones that found them a couple days later. They were all in pretty bad shape after all that time baking in the Carribean sun but at least they were still alive.

 

We got them aboard our ship and under the care of our medical staff and were able to lift their rickety old boat up onto the helicopter pad with our crane.

 

It was an old wooden boat with an inboard engine and they'd snapped the drive-shaft on the 1st day out and began drifting with the currents. They had enough water and food for 2 days and when we finally found them they'd been drifting for 5 days in the hot sun and were near death from lack of water. They'd caught and gutted a shark and were eating that raw.

 

They were extremely poor folks and there was no such thing as VHF either on their boat or on the island that they could use to call for help.

 

We sailed to their island and used one of our smaller boats to transport them ashore and tow their old boat in. We also took up a collection, plus gave them a ton of food, clothing, tools, books and anything else we could find that would help them. They told us the money we gave them was more than they'd earn in a year of working yet it didn't seem like very much to us.

 

It was half a century ago but is still something I think about every once in awhile and this thread brought it back to me.

 

It's something I was very proud to be a part of so long ago and I'm sure to this day folks on that tiny Carribean island are still talking about how kind a ship load of sailors from the Canadian Navy were to a group of total strangers.

 

No doofus awards for those folks as they were just 3 very poor men trying to earn a living with terrible equipment and I thought I'd pass on the story.

 

Hope my thoughts from many years ago didn't bore anyone.

Edited July 12, 2012 by lew

[misfish]

Just think....somewhere on a pleasure boater's forum, there is a thread about idiot fishermen that don't get out of the way and think they own the water....

 

 

LMAO :rofl2: :rofl2:

[misfish]

When I was in the Navy back in the 60's we used to spend alot of time working down in the Carribean. We were in Barbados one time when we were ordered out to join a search for a fishing boat with 3 men aboard that was 3 days overdue from an island south of Trinidad. We headed south and fortunately we were the ones that found them a couple days later. They were all in pretty bad shape after all that time baking in the Carribean sun but at least they were still alive.

 

We got them aboard our ship and under the care of our medical staff and were able to lift their rickety old boat up onto the helicopter pad with our crane.

 

It was an old wooden boat with an inboard engine and they'd snapped the drive-shaft on the 1st day out and began drifting with the currents. They had enough water and food for 2 days and when we finally found them they'd been drifting for 5 days in the hot sun and were near death from lack of water. They'd caught and gutted a shark and were eating that raw.

 

They were extremely poor folks and there was no such thing as VHF either on their boat or on the island that they could use to call for help.

 

We sailed to their island and used one of our smaller boats to transport them ashore and tow their old boat in. We also took up a collection, plus gave them a ton of food, clothing, tools, books and anything else we could find that would help them. They told us the money we gave them was more than they'd earn in a year of working yet it didn't seem like very much to us.

 

It was half a century ago but is still something I think about every once in awhile and this thread brought it back to me.

 

It's something I was very proud to be a part of so long ago and I'm sure to this day folks on that tiny Carribean island are still talking about how kind the Canadian Navy was to a group of total strangers.

 

No doofus awards for those folks as they were just 3 very poor men trying to earn a living with terrible equipment.

 

Hope my thoughts from many years ago didn't bore anyone.

 

 

Lew,that,s what makes memories so great. You have it and can sit back and reflect. I love reflecting.The good and the bad.

 

Thanks for sharing bud.

[mercman]

On my way home tonite, i was in the center lane, had signals on to move right and exit the highway.There was a big hairy dude on a Harley in the right lane doing about 90 K. I accelertated slightly, and so did he. So i slowed down a bit, and so did he Finally, i moved in behind him and signaled that i was getting off.

He was yelling and screaming like a fool, and followed me off at my exit,slowing me and everyone behind me down to a crawl.At the stop sign, he pulled up beside me and began curseing at me in french useing some really good words that i had not heard in along time.Something about my mother and sister, and some mention to my dog.

The wife is freaking right about now, and i rolled my window down and stared him in the eyes.He put the kick down and went to get off the bike.I said "Nice Bike man".....he froze in his tracks."Thanks" he said looking confused as to why i was not afraid of him. Then i said it......dont ask me why, i have no clue.The wife drew a gasp in so deep, i thought she was haveing an attack.I said..."Tell me, do they make them for men too?"

I dont think anyone has ever talked to him like that.I felt that tight feeling you know where, when your body senses that its going to experience trauma.

He just shook his head, and laffed so hard, all he could do was get back on the bike, and fly off in a cloud of dust and harley noise.

The wife called me a big Dufus, and i though of this thread.

[Billy Bob]

Let me guess Paul........was he a "Hells Angel" on social security....that's what I call them down here.......

[mercman]

Let me guess Paul........was he a "Hells Angel" on social security....that's what I call them down here.......

 

 

Nope.just a big hairy dude on a harley.

[HTHM]

Cohones....this guys got them! :thumbsup_anim:

[DundasSteelheader]

I think the biggest doofus award goes to all those boaters that load up their boat onto their trailer, pull it up about 10 feet and sit in the middle of the launch while they unload all their stuff (fishing gear, life jackets, coolers, waterskiis, etc.) and make everyone else wait, when they could just pull up another 20 feet and let others use the launch!

[Pikeslayer]

On my way home tonite, i was in the center lane, had signals on to move right and exit the highway.There was a big hairy dude on a Harley in the right lane doing about 90 K. I accelertated slightly, and so did he. So i slowed down a bit, and so did he Finally, i moved in behind him and signaled that i was getting off.

He was yelling and screaming like a fool, and followed me off at my exit,slowing me and everyone behind me down to a crawl.At the stop sign, he pulled up beside me and began curseing at me in french useing some really good words that i had not heard in along time.Something about my mother and sister, and some mention to my dog.

The wife is freaking right about now, and i rolled my window down and stared him in the eyes.He put the kick down and went to get off the bike.I said "Nice Bike man".....he froze in his tracks."Thanks" he said looking confused as to why i was not afraid of him. Then i said it......dont ask me why, i have no clue.The wife drew a gasp in so deep, i thought she was haveing an attack.I said..."Tell me, do they make them for men too?"

I dont think anyone has ever talked to him like that.I felt that tight feeling you know where, when your body senses that its going to experience trauma.

He just shook his head, and laffed so hard, all he could do was get back on the bike, and fly off in a cloud of dust and harley noise.

The wife called me a big Dufus, and i though of this thread.

 

OMG Paul. I think we finally met?? I'm never riding the GF's Harley again!

[mercman]

OMG Paul. I think we finally met?? I'm never riding the GF's Harley again!

 

 

That was you?? When i saw the Tartan Tattoo i shoulda known.......Nice bike BTW

[BillM]

I think the biggest doofus award goes to all those boaters that load up their boat onto their trailer, pull it up about 10 feet and sit in the middle of the launch while they unload all their stuff (fishing gear, life jackets, coolers, waterskiis, etc.) and make everyone else wait, when they could just pull up another 20 feet and let others use the launch!

 

I want to stab those people, lol.