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Posts: 186
Registered:
November 2002
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ugly "sailors"
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Sun, 02 October 2011 16:28
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I hate to bring up this subject again, because, as a cruising sailor, I have had in all but one or two instances exceptionally good interactions with working lobstermen on the water. I have received, however, an e-mail that almost defies belief about a sailboat race in Casco Bay. I asked permission to reprint it here. At the author's request, the names have been redacted for privacy.
On Sep 12, 2011, at 9:50 AM, xxx wrote:
One of my coworkers, Xxxxx, is also a lobsterman---he lives and fishes from Zzzzz Island (in Casco Bay). On Saturday, he and his son were hauling gear literally in the middle of a J Boat race off Falmouth. He says the boats were passing within just a few feet of his boat, making things difficult at best, dangerous at worst. He's a very mild mannered guy, and would likely tolerate most of what racers in their little J Boats could dish out. Most, but not all.
Xxxxx was tending a multi-trap string and trailing a buoy line almost directly off the side of his boat. One of the racers was approaching him from behind, with a crewmember leaning over the side and holding what appeared to be a gaff. Xxxxx was busy and not paying too much attention. As the racer passed by him, the crewmember with the "gaff" muttered "Sorry about that"----him thinking they were referring to the distance between their boats---less than 10 feet.
A moment later, his son said, "THEY CUT THE LINE!"
The "gaff" was apparently a pole of some sort with a blade attached. They had pre-emptively cut his buoy line---WHILE ONE END OF IT WAS IN HIS BOAT!
He occasionally shares "stupid boat tricks" he has witnessed with me---usually regarding sailors. He said that, by the time he realized what had happened, the boat had already blended into the many that were all around him. He was in complete disbelief, and ready to take no prisoners---but he had no idea which boat was the culprit. He got on the radio and shared the story with the other fishermen in the bay. The J Boat fleet continued their race.
I suggested that he contact whoever was running the race to share his story, but I doubt that he will.
I also doubt that he'll be quite as tolerant with any sailboat in the future.
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| | Subject | Poster | Date |
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ugly "sailors"
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Curtis Rindlaub | Sun, 02 October 2011 16:28 |
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Re: ugly "sailors"
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Curtis Rindlaub | Sun, 02 October 2011 16:32 |
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Re: ugly "sailors"
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MarkC | Mon, 03 October 2011 22:20 |
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Re: ugly "sailors"
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Paul Dunn | Tue, 04 October 2011 10:01 |
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Re: ugly "sailors"
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Gail | Tue, 04 October 2011 14:09 |
