As I have said many times since we tied to the dock at Delaware City Marina, this marina crew is one of the best, most professional, and helpful we have run across. Sadly, the same can not be said for a few of the boaters that have tied up while we have been working our way though a list of mechanical problems.
For the fourth time since we have been here, First Light narrowly escaped being seriously damaged by a wayward boat. The fun started when Deb looked out over our foredeck and noticed that there was no one at the helm of the boat off our bow even though the engines were running. Not that unusual until she noticed that the Captain was standing on the dock and that he had already tossed both his bow and spring lines. They had been the lines holding his bow to the dock against the current. With them gone the boat was swinging out into the channel even as he freed the stern line. The swing continued until the swim platform was jammed against dock, pulling the stern line tight, which was all that was preventing his bow from swinging 180 degrees with the current and crashing into ours. And, let me say again, THERE WAS NO ONE AT THE HELM. Our intrepid captain, having already undone the cleat knot, was in a tug of war with the current over the future of his boat, and ours.
Deb and I jumped off our boat. Deb grabbed the stern line and ordered the Captain on the dock to get to the helm. He actually looked like he was going to argue with her, but I suspect the look in her eyes changed his mind and he got aboard. Once he got to the throttles she threw the line which was fortunately not knotted to the cleat and under too much pressure to untie. (Unlike one of the other near accidents.) But, since it was the wrong line in the wrong place, there still seemed to be little hope that he was going to clear either First Light or the bridge lying in wait maybe 100 feet away. I called for him to power forward. He hit the throttles hard, launching himself across the canal and shoving his bow into the trees on the far side. That turned out to be a good thing since the branches held his bow while the current pushed his stern enough that, when he hit reverse just as hard, he barely missed launching himself stern first into our boat. Then he powered forward (yep, near full power again) swinging wildly toward the dock. As he got power and helm under control we noticed the spring line trailing in the water on his port side. Apparently he had untied it without actually tossing it onto his boat.
At first it seemed impossible that it would not foul his port engine. Fortunately, the dock crew here has a habit of chain stitching excess line and laying it along the edge of the dock rather than coiling it and leaving it as a tripping hazard. It was pure good fortune that our wayward Captain had not undone the chain stitch when he untied his boat. The trailing line wasn't long enough to get into his shaft or prop. Another bit of good luck was that the water flow didn't undo the chain stitch either. With both engines still running, he managed to get speed and heading under control and, just like that, was no longer a danger to us. As for himself and anyone else on the water anywhere near him? No longer my problem.
It has been a couple of hours since that scare, and the jitters have mostly worn off. I am still baffled at the total lack of situational awareness. In the first place, I know he was at the Captain's briefing yesterday. A part of that briefing is the proper procedure to use when getting off this dock when the current is running with the ebb tide: i.e. on your bow but TOWARD THE BRIDGE. It is easy and painless. Run a forward midship spring boat-to-cleat-to-boat. Start the engine(s) and have SOMEONE ON THE HELM. Pull the stern line as it isn't doing anything useful. Pull in the bow line and let the current ease the bow out into the channel pivoting on the spring. Ease the spring line if necessary to get the bow pointed past the boat ahead. Motor gently away and slowly retrieve the spring line. It is a simple maneuver.
But even without the instructions, how could he not have noticed the current and realized what would happen if he left just the stern line attached? How did he not notice that his boat started moving the moment he freed the first of the two lines that were under pressure? How could he not be at or have someone at the helm? Just standing on the dock, looking at the current and the lines, how could he not see what was about to happen?
Human beings. I are one and I still don't get it.
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