!@#$!!!*$# Our Boat Got Hit *AGAIN*!

[SEMIJim]

Just received a call from one of my best friends, who lives right across the canal from where our boat is berthed. Seems this years next-door-neighbour, trying to come in under strong wind, hit our boat. This is the second time in the two seasons we've been in that slip our boat has been damaged by our slip neighbour to the north . (Different captain, different boat, this time.)

MY buddy thinks it may only be the guy snapped-off the VHF antenna. He's headed over to talk to the offending boats captain, to give him our phone number and ask him to call.

We just got the prop problem resolved a week and a half ago, and were able to go sailing for only the second time this season last weekend. Weather tomorrow is forcasted to be perfect sailing weather and we were really looking forward to it, too. Grrrrr.

Jim

[sailingdog]

Have you considered getting your boat on a mooring???

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Have you considered getting your boat on a mooring???

Right! So some other boat can break loose from its mooring and t-bone us! Hah! No way! I ain't fallin' for that!



(There are no moorings here-abouts, that I know of, btw.)

Ok, the good news is it sounds like the only damage is to the antenna itself. The other boats captain called just a few minutes ago. He was coming into his slip, a big puff came straight out of the north, caught his bow and started swinging it toward our boat. He quickly threw his boat into reverse, certain he was going to whack our boat but good, and almost cleared her. His anchor just caught our antenna and snapped the fiberglass. It sounds like there's no damage to the mount, the hull, the cable or anything else.

We're going to meet tomorrow morning, get the wreckage loose, head on over to WM, and he's going to buy us a new antenna.

I've met this captain. We've talked a few times. Had a beer on his boat. I figured him for a stand-up guy. That he'd take care of it was never in doubt. But to get hit again?!?! Gah!

So we'll get started sailing a bit later than we otherwise would have tomorrow morning. Oh well--it could have been worse. Last time it was a pretty seriously trashed pushpit rail, as some of you may recall.

If this keeps up, in a few years we'll have a new boat

Jim

[erps]

Doh! Embarassing for the other skipper and bad for you. Maybe he'll install the antenna for you too to make it right?

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by erps

Doh! Embarassing for the other skipper and bad for you.

Yup.

Originally Posted by erps

Maybe he'll install the antenna for you too to make it right?

Nah, I'll do that. It's easy enough to do, and radio's what I used to do .

Jim

[RickQuann]

Jim,

Twice? ... maybe you should hang a bunch of heavy fenders on the northern side of your boat as a precaution. Luckily the damage sounds minor

[Iflyka200s]

And a big sign that says, "PLEASE be careful!"

[SEMIJim]

Yeah, Rick, twice. Fenders wouldn't have mattered, in either case. It was the anchor off the bow, with each of the other two boats, that did it each time. To the credit of each captain: They took care of it straight-away.

Ifylka200s, I don't think it was carelessness in either case. Inexperience, perhaps, with a dash of bad luck/timing, but not carelessness. We're come damn close, the Admiral and I, a couple times, ourselves.

Anyway, it's all fixed. The replacement antenna is actually a notch or so better than the one that was trashed.

So all's well that ends well. Got the new antenna installed, did a radio check (not on channel 16!), and went out and had a great four-hour sail .

Boy, it's been a long day. I'm dead-beat tired, but it's the happy kind of dead-beat tired .

Jim