A sad story with a happy ending.

[Big Cliff]

Sad that other boaters ignored someone in distress, happy that no one got hurt and in the end they were saved. I hope they find the person that rescued them and get a chance to tell us who it was because I would like to thank them just for being good people!

 

http://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/6779244-boaters-seek-the-good-samaritan-who-towed-them-after-boat-hit-a-rock/

 

What goes around comes around!

[GBW]

some just don't know that they MUST help a boat in distress. Best way to show you are in distress is a paddle in the air.

Edited July 30, 2016 by GBW

[dave524]

some just don't know that they MUST help a boat in distress. Best way to show you are in distress is a paddle in the air.

 

Depends on what you define as distress, needing a tow without taking on water putting lives in danger is not distress in my books, just like you don't call 911 if you have a flat tire or run out of gas. Pick up your cell , call the marina and pay for a bloody tow.

[Freshtrax]

I've towed a few people in , both on boat and snowmobile. I sincerely hope Dave isn't driving by when it comes time for me to need a hand.

[dave524]

I've towed a few people in , both on boat and snowmobile. I sincerely hope Dave isn't driving by when it comes time for me to need a hand.

 

I've towed a few too, my comment was about a legal requirement to help a boat in distress and what constitutes distress by law. IMHO an old guy and a dog towing a 31 foot boat with a skidoo is foolhardy and possibly dangerous .

Edited July 31, 2016 by dave524

[woodenboater]

So it sounds like they were technically illegal if they didn't have proper safety aboard their boat like sounding devices or flares. Not letting other boaters off but a 31' boat should have in date flares, an air horn etc..I'd have smoke on board if I had a craft that large. and at least a marine vhf.

 

sorry but they don't sound like responsible boaters to me.

[SuperDave]

If its illegal to not help a boater in distress... I witnessed the worst case scenario. Upper Niagara river. A boater waving his arms for help while everyone was soaring around in their boats ignoring him including the Police boat. That's right... saw it with my own 2 eyes. So I helped him. Towed him back to US side. Gave me $40 American for helping him out.

Obviously these people were new to Pigeon Lake and have very little idea how to run their big boat. Typical. Good on the jetski guy and his pup for helping those weekend warriors out.

[landry]

I towed someone for over an hour on Erie this summer who ran out of gas. It was annoying and there was a tiny part of me inside that wanted to pretend I didn't see them but it was the right thing to do. I have never needed a tow and have towed a few people. Hopefully people don't just drive by me some day.

[NAW]

When I was 12, my dad spotted 3 beautiful girls in a 12' aluminum that ran out of gas about 1km off our dock. My Dad being the proud father he was at the time, sent me out to offer them a tow.!

 

I was nervous as hell. My dad told me to tell the girls they needed climb aboard with me, as it wasn't safe for me to tow them in their boat. Even gave me some cold water bottles to give them.

 

The old man had quite the sense of humor.

 

All that being said. Ya, the guy who hit the rock should have thrown out an anchor, and called his marina where his boat was stored... Instead of blowing the guys engine in the sea doo.... Is there cell coverage on Pigeon lake?

[davey buoy]

I have helped a few over the years.As many have said,hope when I need it ,someone will show up. It should work both ways? .

[DaveRoach]

Last week was on balsam, towed a boat with motor problems, last month buckhorn same deal, just common courtesy as far as I'm concerned.

 

Dave

[dave524]

 

 

All that being said. Ya, the guy who hit the rock should have thrown out an anchor, and called his marina where his boat was stored... Instead of blowing the guys engine in the sea doo.... Is there cell coverage on Pigeon lake?

 

Thanks, guess I'm not the only grumpy old man on this forum. In my defense, I did pull a large, fixed keel sailboat off the reef at Cassady's Point, Port Colborne, that ran too close. Took quite a while, they all had to climb to one side to lean the boat to get the keel off the rocks while I pulled them off. I had my 18 footer with a 85 horse V4 not a jetski , that would be like trying to pull a motorhome with a motorcycle, the guy on the jetski could have quickly been in more "Distress" than the boaters, foolhardy good samaritan, glad it worked out OK , but I wouldn't want to buy that ski used.

Edited July 31, 2016 by dave524

[DaveRoach]

 

Thanks, guess I'm not the only grumpy old man on this forum. In my defense, I did pull a large, fixed keel sailboat off the reef at Cassady's Point, Port Colborne, that ran too close. Took quite a while, they all had to climb to one side to lean the boat to get the keel off the rocks while I pulled them off. I had my 18 footer with a 85 horse V4 not a jetski , that would be like trying to pull a motorhome with a motorcycle, the guy on the jetski could have quickly been in more "Distress" than the boaters, foolhardy good samaritan, glad it worked out OK , but I wouldn't want to buy that ski used.

second that

[Terry]

as someone passing by on a boat, you have to make sure they are safe and take them to shore if needed for safety reasons but you do not have to tow them

you can call 911 for them, see there is no medical emergency make sure the boat is not sinking and leave

if the boat is not in danger you could run one of them to shore so they can get help or a tow

 

but in most cases a cell phone call is all you need to do

[DaveRoach]

as someone passing by on a boat, you have to make sure they are safe and take them to shore if needed for safety reasons but you do not have to tow them

you can call 911 for them, see there is no medical emergency make sure the boat is not sinking and leave

if the boat is not in danger you could run one of them to shore so they can get help or a tow

 

but in most cases a cell phone call is all you need to do

Most of these people try to row themselves back, I just can't watch that without helping after all I am human

[misfish]

Most of these people try to row themselves back, I just can't watch that without helping after all I am human

 

Always have my cell with me. I will call for help. I cant see me towing them with my oars and flippers.

[DaveRoach]

 

Always have my cell with me. I will call for help. I cant see me towing them with my oars and flippers.

[John Bacon]

 

Always have my cell with me. I will call for help. I cant see me towing them with my oars and flippers.

 

Hey, if a SeaDoo can tow a 30 footer, you could at least tow a 14 footer...

[DaveRoach]

FisherPete in action helping out a fellow angler while we were out last year

he was paddling with a broken oar against the wind

Edited August 1, 2016 by DaveRoach

[Fisherpete]

Yup it's the right thing to do. Pigeon was pretty calm yesterday, not sure how pulling a boat along even with a jetski could be dangerous? And Dave remember we saw a jetski with a guy and black dog on it? Wonder if that was him...

[Big Cliff]

Who here has never made a mistake? Me, I make them all the time, the only people that don't are the ones that don't do anything!

 

Fortunately I have never had to be towed but I have towed plenty, it's called "paying it forward". Now did these guys have all the right gear? Should they have called a marina? Were they inexperienced boaters? We just don't have all those answers but I do know that to leave ANYONE in distress on the water, the road, or the trail just isn't being a good person.

 

In this case the man and his dog that took the time to make sure they were safe is the kind of person I would be proud to call a friend and I wish him (and his dog) all the good karma that I can muster!

[John Bacon]

Who here has never made a mistake?

 

I thought that I had made one once... but I was wrong.

[SirCranksalot]

As I see it, the other boaters had a legal obligation to at least get close enough to determine if it was a real emergency. Once they determined that it was 'just' stuck they were free to leave. It doesn't sound like the other boaters made that determination.

 

(We paddled up Byng Inlet on Sun and saw enough boaters go flying by w/o slowing down to know that there are some real picks out there---no to tar all with the same brush)

[woodenboater]

We all make mistakes and would help this and other boaters out all day everyday, but what I find disturbing was their lack of preparedness. I mean, do they even know what they need to legally have on board ? That they resorted to waving their arms in the air shows a lack of boater smarts imo.

[Big Cliff]

As I see it, the other boaters had a legal obligation to at least get close enough to determine if it was a real emergency. Once they determined that it was 'just' stuck they were free to leave. It doesn't sound like the other boaters made that determination.

 

(We paddled up Byng Inlet on Sun and saw enough boaters go flying by w/o slowing down to know that there are some real picks out there---no to tar all with the same brush)

When you say "paddled" were you in a canoe or in a power boat and in trouble? If in a canoe then had those boats slowed down they'd have thrown a much bigger wake than staying up on plane. I had a couple of guys in the river here a few years ago in a canoe right in the channel, I went past them they screamed at me so I stopped and came back and slowed down. They almost upset from the wake. I explained why I had passed them and kept the boat up on plane and when they understood they were fine. If you were in a power boat and having problems did you try to signal any of the boats that passed you or did you just expect that they should understand because you were paddling?

We all make mistakes and would help this and other boaters out all day everyday, but what I find disturbing was their lack of preparedness. I mean, do they even know what they need to legally have on board ? That they resorted to waving their arms in the air shows a lack of boater smarts imo.

While I tend to agree that they could/should have done things differently, I still wouldn't leave them hanging out to dry. I have towed lots of people that ran out of gas, they should have been better prepared too but sometimes things just happen. We are all human after all! Sue and I had a close call on Scugog a couple of years ago. We took a day trip from our place up to Port Perry, I knew we had plenty of gas to make it without any problems. We got to Gorskies had lunch and went to fill up for our return trip; They were out of gas (and I wasn't sure we had enough to make it back home). Fortunately there was a marina on the other side of the lake that did still have fuel and we were fine but I was starting to run out of options.

Edited August 2, 2016 by Big Cliff