On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 20:09:22 -0500, "Willem deVries"
wrote:

"There's also the idea that any idiot can (and does) own a powerboat,"

I have never thrown beer cans from my moving sailboat.
I have never swamped other boats with my wake.
I have never had so many impaired people on my bow that the boat has
submarined, killing a couple of them on its way to the bottom in a
crowded channel.
I have never opened the throttle on 225 horsepower at 6 A.M. because I
was still drunk from the night before.
I have never spilled several litres of gasoline into the water because
I had to leave the pump to put out a cigarette.

This...and more...is the record of powerboaters within 400 metres of
my boat club in the last two summers alone.

Shall I go on?

Wrong idea and not a sailboat?? What makes, you, the sailor so smart?

I need to know more knots, for one thing.

A
higher IQ? Of course?(sarcastic)

That's for others, like MENSA, to say. I would point out that the
majority of powerboaters are safe, respectful and seamanlike in their
vessel's operation. They are called "trawler skippers" G. The
reality is that the choice to buy a gas-guzzling, loud and somewhat
unstable vessel for the purpose of blasting by small sloops with the
rap cranked to 11 indicates a certain mindset that I am willing to
deem "idiotic". The same people frequently roll their SUVs on the way
to the boat because "the rest of the traffic wasn't going fast enough
for me to get to the beer store". (Yes, that was a quote from a local
paper).

There are stupid sailboat owners, as well, but they tend to quietly
drown. Much preferable.


Time to vomit now ;-)
Wim

How unseamanlike.

R.