GL: Are We a Bigoted Group of Boaters?

[captmimi at provide.net]

AMEN.....CaptMimi



On Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:01:07 -0500
 "Kevin Redden" <kfredden at verizon.net> wrote:
> Are the list members a bigoted group of boaters? Do we
> believe that anyone
> who doesn't own a boat like ours, or drive it the way we
> do doesn't belong
> on the water? Do we not want to share our beautiful
> waterways with people
> who have different views of what constitutes boating?
> 
> The recent thread on the "Sunken yacht in ICW" brought
> forth a chorus of
> condemnation deploring the simple fact that the boat
> involved was doing 22
> knots, with some implying the drivers of any large yacht
> were irresponsible.
> Damning statements included:
> 
>    . any large yacht going 22 knots in the ICW deserves
> what they got 
> 
>    . Any SOB that runs WOT down the ICW --- I look at
>      this as "a balance of nature".
> 
>    . It shouldn't be anybody's "right" to go as fast as
> they 
>      want, anywhere on the waterway
> 
> This chorus of condemnation rang out on the list even
> though the area of the
> Pungo River involved was a wide open area where 20 - 30
> knots speeds are
> perfectly normal. That leads me to realize that some
> members were just
> riling against the simple fact that some boats cruise a
> speeds far higher
> than the speeds that most list member's boats run at.
> Just because our own
> boat may have a cruising speed of 8 knots does not mean
> that the owner of a
> boat with a cruising speed of 22 knots is irresponsible
> if he runs faster
> than our 8. Taking that type of illogical position is
> just showing a
> prejudice against a boat owner who has different
> priorities in what
> constitutes a boat.
> 
> There are all type of boaters out there, not just us. A
> kayak or a jet ski
> is just as valid a personal choice in watercraft as is a
> trawler, fast motor
> yacht or a go-fast. While the non-trawler varieties are
> not my personal cup
> of tea, those who choose to buy these other boats have
> just as much right to
> the waters as a trawler driver does, with the
> accompanying right to operate
> at his normal cruising speed (in the appropriate areas of
> course - like the
> Pungo River).
> 
> There are also different attitudes for the drivers - some
> have to get the
> boat to a destination ASAP, while others want to slow
> down and experience
> the trip. To say one is good and the other bad is a
> bigoted point of view.
> 
> Let's realize that the waters belong to everyone, not
> just to those with a
> boat like ours, and who drives are trawler speeds.
> Condemning others for
> making different choices does not make sense.
> 
> Kevin
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