LETTERS BOATYARD CHARGES UNEXPLAINED I promised myself that when my sailboat turned 40 that I would have the boat painted and the bottom stripped of 20 years of paint and all running gear and standing rigging thoroughly gone over. I chose the yard, located in west Florida, where I had the work done, because the painter there had done a sister boat whose owner is a friend. Based on his recommendation, I chose this painter and the yard came by default. I visited the yard’s office and thoroughly went over all the charges I might incur. I agreed and signed the contract. The plan called for the boat to have the bottom stripped first and then the hull to be painted. As an option I would be charged $150 to have the boat moved undercover if requested by the painter. As it turned out, it was not necessary to move the boat. When I checked out before launching, I was charged a $150 fee for not moving my boat because it had inconvenienced the yard owner! Never did the management ask me to move the boat or mentioned to me that he had a problem in the two months the boat was there. At this point he had the upper hand, and if I wanted my boat launched, I had to pay in cash, which the yard demanded, and I did. I wondered why a nearby boatyard is so crowded and why so few boats stop here. I think I know why. As one of the reviewers stated about the owner, “It is his way or the highway." And if you want your boat, it is his way. Norman Meissner Punta Gorda, FL
AN ALMOST ENCOUNTER WITH A BRIDGE I thought you may like to hear of our almost encounter with a bridge. In the March 2010 edition of Sailing World magazine, there was an article titled, “Bridge Encounter.” The article described the encounter of a 35-foot sloop, name Lokahi, and a bridge. I read with great interest of the events, because my wife and I, while sailing our 36-foot Heritage West Indies sloop, Prelude, had a similar encounter with a bridge. As with Lokahi, we were circling in front of a bridge waiting for the bridge to open. Our bridge was also on the ICW in Fort Lauderdale. As with Lokahi, when we put the engine into forward gear, it did not respond. And again, as with Lokahi, we were pushed toward the bridge by the wind and current. Here, however, is where our story departs from the events that found Lokahi against the bridge where it sustained damage and required a tow. We considered dropping the anchor for a few seconds, as Lokahi did, but decided to unfurl the 140 Genoa and sail out of the impending crash with the bridge. In retrospect, this was a good decision. As the sail filled, we had control of Prelude, and according to the dock master at the Fort Lauderdale Marina, became the first boat to sail up to and pick up one of the mooring buoys put out by the city marina at Los Olas Blvd. We called a mechanic who found the problem, and repaired it. The next day, we were on our way home to our slip at Waterline Marina in Melbourne, FL Richard A. Bruning Melbourne, FL 8
August 2015
SOUTHWINDS
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