On Thu, 13 Jan 2005 08:25:50 -0500, Harry Krause
wrote:

Dave Hall wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 18:07:49 -0500, DSK wrote:


Paul Schilter wrote:

Is it more prudent for you to give your line over to a boat you're going
to tow or take his line?


An expert answer: it depends.

It's often said that accepting a line from a tower makes your vessel
salvage. OTOH it's often the case that the towee has no suitable lines
aboard.

When I've towed people in, I've always used my own line because
1- my crew had it ready
2- it was both long & stout enough, to my certain knowledge
3- that gives me more control over how it's paid out and the strain taken up



Another factor to keep in mind in this increasingly litigious and
responsibility deflecting society, is that if you use your line and
it breaks and results in further damage, there may be some urge to
hold you responsible. If you use his line and it breaks, then it's on
him.

Dave


Not necessarily. HE could sue you for tying a bad knot.

Gee, are we devolving to the point where no one is willing to help out
someone in distress? Next time I see some boater on the bay needing
help, should I consider whether he'll sue me before I go to his aid?


Well, that's what happens when you live with liberal standards of
deflecting responsibility. When someone crashes their car, they want
to sue the car maker. When someone spills hot coffee in their lap,
they want to sue the server. When someone gets shot by another person,
they want to sue the gun dealer and the gun manufacturer. It would
seem that people just want to sue anyone they can to turn their pain
into a windfall. The heck with personal responsibility and with it,
the idea of being a good samaritan.

It's a shame that it's come down to this, as I am the type of person
who will lend a helping hand at the drop of a hat. But lately I have
to keep the possibility of a lawsuit in the back of my mind when these
situations arise. Fortunately there are some good samaritan laws
written to address this problem, but I believe they apply mostly to
health related issues. Property damage may not be covered.

You can blame your left wing democratic buddies for this
"de-evolution".

Dave