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Larry

wrote in :

I actually use it in fairly calm conditions when I just feel like
taking a pause for a bit. Sometimes even the noise and activity of the
autopilot is more than I want.

I had some teenagers aboard my 16', 175hp Sea Rayder little yellow
jetboat, headed out to Bird Key speeding down the Stono River with all
teen bikinis flapping in the breeze.

We rounded the bend just to seaward of the James Island boatramp where
there is a shallow, but hidden, sandbar clearly marked by two big day
markers to starboard warning them to stay away, but there sat this huge
sloop tilted over to starboard on the dropping tide trying, in vain, to
power his fixed keel through the mud to the channel. He did manage to
get it pointed in the right general direction, but go it wouldn't.

Seeing he's in trouble, miles from Towboat/US, I drove the jetboat
alongside to see if I could help. At first he was amused until I asked
for his biggest...and longest....line from the top of the 60+ mast. A
questioning look came across his face and I simply said, "I'm going to
pull your boat over on it handrail, popping the bulb free of the mud,
then YOU power it off dragging me with you into that nice deep channel
over there!"

We added a heavy line to the line so I could keep the pump intake in the
water for jet power and I went abeam of him and started tugging him
over...after suggesting to Wife 1.5 she might want to check below to see
that lunch wasn't going to end up on the floor and to make sure the
fridge was locked closed and all that great booze was in a safe
lockdown!...(c;

She re-emerged after some stowage and gave me a thumbs up. I started
the mast over and by the time I had her almost laying on her side,
impressing the hell out of the owner as well as my teenaged crew, I
yelled back to gun her ahead. I do think by this time the tide had gone
out enough to drag the hull once the keel was loose, but slide she did
into the channel, with me blowing a zillion gallons per second out the
back.

Returning his lines to him and refusing to take money, as I always do,
the kids and I continued downriver at a "brisk pace". Bikinis were MADE
to be WET, you know....(c;

A few weekends later, I was up the Folly River behind Folly Island just
to see if I knew any of the boaters at the public ramp as I boated from
there a lot, too, and saw the big yacht dominating the face dock at the
big marina by a condo community. These people were sitting on deck
enjoying the sun and as soon as they saw us they waved us over to tie up
and come aboard. What a beautiful boat Beneteau makes when they put
their minds to it. We hung around for snacks and some libation and set
off again after swapping some information about yacht electronics on
other boats I fool around with. I've sailed on her, now, offshore
several times but not recently as I sold the jetboat dumping my Sea Ray
problems in the process....

I was amazed I could actually make those lines creak with the 175 Sport
Jet pump. She had more power than I imagined....