Big Cliff Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GBW Posted July 30, 2016 Report Share Posted July 30, 2016 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freshtrax Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenboater Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landry Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAW Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey buoy Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveRoach Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveRoach Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveRoach Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misfish Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveRoach Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 Always have my cell with me. I will call for help. I cant see me towing them with my oars and flippers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted July 31, 2016 Report Share Posted July 31, 2016 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveRoach Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fisherpete Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 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... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Cliff Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bacon Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 Who here has never made a mistake? I thought that I had made one once... but I was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirCranksalot Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenboater Posted August 2, 2016 Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Cliff Posted August 2, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2016 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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