Weekend update - "A-ROCK"

The past weekend hit a pretty fast pace with most of the action falling on Saturday.  The morning began with a 25 ft "Four Winns" "A-Rock" on the north shore @ the 2 mile mark.  This little cruiser had decided to take a trip on its own, drifted away and was wind blown against the north shore rocks, main channel, starboard side to.  The Water Patrolman couldn't reach it for fear of "bottoming" his patrol boat and called us in to retrieve it.  It was still early enough that none of the BIG cruisers had been by to place it on shore, we slipped in and extracted it quickly from the rocks.  It sustained some "thumbnail" size nicks and dings on the bottom from the rocks, but had not been stranded long enough to damage the lower unit or puncture the hull - - - we impounded it, and put it on lift to inspect the bottom for damage and it was returned to its owner on Sunday afternoon.  Lesson  - When your boat is on lift, still tie it off - - 

Editor note: It never ceases to amaze me in some situations like this, the water patrol makes every effort to locate and notify the owner of a drift away, if they can't find the owner, (phone # not available, no longer in service & so forth) they call us to take custody of the vessel - - in some cases we risk a rather expensive piece of equipment to prevent further harm from coming to someone's property (the same person who neglected to care for or tie it off) after their property is returned to them - - we and the "patrol" or chastised by the "owner" for NOT notifying them, and why are they "charged" for un-grounding, towing, hauling, inspecting, storing and sending certified letter to tell them their boat has been recovered - - -??

I guess the taxpayers of the state must also provide "baby sitting" for idiot boaters - - just a thought - - :) 

PHOTOS:  Top - Approaching  the strand, (starboard side to rocks) Note the water patrolman, who "hadn't" notified the owner their boat was banging against the shoreline - - - maybe he should have waited until it was "parked" smartly on the above property owner's seawall and they could have made a large decorative "planter" out of it - - - -  how difficult can it be -  look in phone book under "Owner of Four Winns on beach" - -

Bottom - Under tow after having inspected bilges and making sure vessel was not taking on water - -- I keep a phone book on the towboat - but the yellow pages listing for "stupid boat owner" is missing -