Well, one ski rope eaten by the prop in eight years of boating ain't bad, is it?
It's funny how I so often get my inspiration to write my weekly features from incidents that happened the weekend prior on the water. One Sunday afternoon gave me just the inspiration I was looking for.
The day started out innocent. It was a beautiful day, the boat cranked, the tide was high, schools of porpoises swarmed the waters around the boat, and I introduced two kids to the joy of tubing. But when it came time for me to have my turn behind the boat things took a turn.
I was waiting in the water for my pull and the driver tells me the boat had cut off and he could not get it cranked. The current began to carry the boat close to a dock so I scrambled back into the boat to try to get it started. In the meantime everyone's attention was diverted to getting the boat cranked and trying to help it avoid hitting the dock. The diversion allowed my rope to sneak under the boat and get hooked around the prop. So, naturally when I finally got the boat cranked the prop only spun a few rotations before it jammed. What gives? Uh, where's the rope? Nobody knows. I ran to the back of the boat to view the inboard/outboard. Sure enough, pretty as can be. Tangle city.
During this whole scuffle the boat drifted on top of a fishing line some intoxicated river rat gentlemen had left hanging off the dock. The prop caught it and began to take the line with it. Zzzzz Zzzzz, out the fishing line went. The line finally broke in two and thank goodness the guys were too drunk to realize we even had their line. I did not have the heart to wake them from their slumber and tell them the news.
Boat is still drifting, but this time into marsh grass and the tide is falling. If I got stuck, it would be a long time before the tide came back up. I jumped into the water and yelled for someone to throw me a line. I started tugging and swimming the boat back into deeper water. We were in water so shallow that I could touch bottom, and I managed to allow my feet to find an oyster bed to step on. I've now got two nice long slices on my left foot. I was not gaining much ground so I called for another swimmer. Between the two of us we swam the boat back into deeper water.
We threw the anchor and I went to retrieve a knife out of the toolbox. Surgery awaited me at the prop. As much as I hated to cut my rope, because we both know good ropes aren't cheap, I saw no other way around it. A few slices and my kneeboard rope was now a handy extra marine line. Ironically, just days prior to this incident, I began to seriously consider buying a new rope and handle. My rope was beginning to fray and the grip on the handle was on its way to deteriation. So, this just gives me an excuse to buy a new one. I hear those new wakeboard handles are ultra light.
I happen to work with the person that was in charge of rope watching and as a jokingly punishment I made her take the rope to work for show and tell. She was a good sport. Our story was not that it was attacked by a prop, but rather attacked by a barracuda as it jumped out of the water and bit the rope in two as I skied. Makes the story much more dramatic, don't you think?
As bum as the day may sound, it really was not so bad at all. My crew and I actually had a great time. Two kids were able to experience tube rides for the first time. The expressions on their faces made the whole day worth while.
Now for the morals of the story:
- Make sure the person you put in charge of the rope knows how important their job is.
- Always keep a toolbox on board with a knife to cut lines / ropes. You may want to start shopping at ToolSource.
- When in salty water swimming a boat out of shallow water wear shoes in case you come across an oyster bed.
- Keep a marine first aid kit on board to patch feet cut on oyster beds.
- When your kneeboard/wakeboard rope is cut or broken you can use a regular ski rope and just shorten it. It works like a charm.
- Bottom line...the boat owner is ultimately responsible for what goes wrong on the boat. Thoroughly inform your crew and alternate drivers of things to watch for. Do not assume they hold the same boating / marine knowledge as you, the boat owner. Most often, blame will go to the boat owner for not doing their own job, so suck it up and be happy you have friends that enjoy being on your boat and slip you gas money at the end of the day.
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Forever In Your Wake,
- Julie Bostian
- Waterskiing Guide
- Waterskiing Guide