Having just returned from a wonderful long weekend on the water, I was amazed
at the number of posts regarding "Idiots on the Water".  The subject does not
surprise me and the number of folks frustrated with this behavior is
indicative of the seriousness of the problem.  I find myself now running on
any day but a weekend and often avoid Friday.  Last Thursday and today
(Monday) I had delightful runs between Venice, FL and St. Petersburg.  The
weekend warriors in this area certainly seem to be the worse as they often run
in packs.  Other than picking my days, I do think about what answer one can
find to contol this arrogant, senseless and dangerous behavior.  I actually
went from a 7 knot trawler to a 40' Mainship that has a little more power and
cruises at 13 knots to minimize the impact of the "idiots".  I had several
white knuckled experiences with the trawler with being passed in rapid
succession by packs of Sea-Rays flying past stem to stern in narrow stretches
of the ICW on the West coast of Florida.  If the first one stopped they would
all pile up on top of one another!  Pass me if you wish but give me some space
and give me the ability to recover from one wake before hitting me with
another.  Don't these folks ever look behind them to see what they have done?
I guess they're too busy trying to see over the 25' of bow that is sticking up
in the air at about a 30 degree angle in front of them!  I am looking to do at
least part of the loop next summer and feel that the boat I have will manage
the trip well but reading these stories does disappoint and concerns me.  I
love the water and boating has been my life but I also go out there to cruise,
relax and enjoy the scenery - not to look behind me constantly and wonder
what's coming to get me!  What do we do to take back the waterways fellow
"boaters"?  The water is out there for everyone to enjoy but it must be done
with responsibility!  Those of us with trawlers or similar type boats are
sometimes a little prejudice but regardless of the type of boat you own one
must be considerate of everyone - how do we get that word out there???

Steve Lattmann
Nokomis, FL

Don't let the jerks on the water deter you from doing the "Great American Loop".
It is a beautiful thing to experience. You will run into the "idiots on the water"
no matter where you are. Weekends and holidays are the worse. You will see
them on the water in between those times, but not as often.

Since I made the original post about  the "Idiots on the Water" I can see
there are many that are fed up with being exposed to these selfish individuals.
I aliken them to a disease we have not found a cure for yet.We have to keep trying though. If they keep multiplying at the rate they are going it won't be long before one of them causes a loss to someone with enough power to do something about it. It's a terrible thing to say but it is a fact of life, nothing gets done until someone in power gets hurt.
Stephen Lattmann slattmann@comcast.net wrote:
Having just returned from a wonderful long weekend on the water, I was amazed
at the number of posts regarding "Idiots on the Water". The subject does not
surprise me and the number of folks frustrated with this behavior is
indicative of the seriousness of the problem. I find myself now running on
any day but a weekend and often avoid Friday. Last Thursday and today
(Monday) I had delightful runs between Venice, FL and St. Petersburg. The
weekend warriors in this area certainly seem to be the worse as they often run
in packs. Other than picking my days, I do think about what answer one can
find to contol this arrogant, senseless and dangerous behavior. I actually
went from a 7 knot trawler to a 40' Mainship that has a little more power and
cruises at 13 knots to minimize the impact of the "idiots". I had several
white knuckled experiences with the trawler with being passed in rapid
succession by packs of Sea-Rays flying past stem to stern in narrow stretches
of the ICW on the West coast of Florida. If the first one stopped they would
all pile up on top of one another! Pass me if you wish but give me some space
and give me the ability to recover from one wake before hitting me with
another. Don't these folks ever look behind them to see what they have done?
I guess they're too busy trying to see over the 25' of bow that is sticking up
in the air at about a 30 degree angle in front of them! I am looking to do at
least part of the loop next summer and feel that the boat I have will manage
the trip well but reading these stories does disappoint and concerns me. I
love the water and boating has been my life but I also go out there to cruise,
relax and enjoy the scenery - not to look behind me constantly and wonder
what's coming to get me! What do we do to take back the waterways fellow
"boaters"? The water is out there for everyone to enjoy but it must be done
with responsibility! Those of us with trawlers or similar type boats are
sometimes a little prejudice but regardless of the type of boat you own one
must be considerate of everyone - how do we get that word out there???

Steve Lattmann
Nokomis, FL

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