This week’s topic will be the only time I’m going to write about this subject and please don’t judge me on the following post, but being this weekend is fishing opener, I’m already seeing this happening. I know it’s spring and people haven’t put their boat in or taken their boats out of the water for 7 or 8 months and it might take a few tries. There are people who know what to do, how to it and where to do it. Then you have people who don’t. To me, there are four types of people who DON’T. 1) owners of a new boat, who have never launched a boat before 2) people that only use their boats a few times a year but get nervous if the ramp is busy 3) the family that goes on a fishing trip once a year, AND 4) SORRY, but then there’s arrogant assholes, but keep reading and I believe you will understand.  For the new boat owners, the few times a season people, and the folks that only do this once a year on vacation, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. But the arrogant people that DO know and DON’T care if they are holding up a line of boaters pisses me off. Last fall, I wasn’t putting in or taking my boat out, I was just trying to leave a resort and sat in my truck over 5 minutes (yep, kind of timed it) as a couple loading their pleasure boat were blocking the road and ramp, while 20 yards off the boat ramp two anglers were sitting in their boats waiting to be pull out of the water. Now let’s add the fishermen’s friends sitting in two trucks with empty trailers waiting to load those two boats. Did this couple see these people? YES. Did they care that they were holding everyone up? THEY DID NOT.

After pulling their pleasure boat out of the water, but still on the ramp, the husband walked behind the boat and pulled the drain plug (I’m good with that) then plugged in his trailer lights and proceeded to look for and apply his tie downs. Thinking he was ready to move, his wife handed him a towel and he preceded to wipe the boat down while this arrogant asshole’s wife was cleaning and arranging items inside the boat. Again, I apologize, but I said arrogant asshole, because a couple of us suggested (IN A NICE WAY) he move the boat away from the ramp to finish whatever he had left to do. If this was done, I could have passed and the others that were waiting could load their boats and be on their way. This is when we were told, “JUST RELAX”. The two men with the trailers and their friends in the water waiting to load their boats, shared the same opinion, but that did not stop this couple from finishing their removal by applying their boat cover. The best part was this person, flipping us off as they drove away. When I was finally passing the two trucks with empty trailers, they both had a few choice words about this couples’ loading etiquette, but I won’t repeat what was said during our short conversation.

How about this. If there is a parking area out of the way (there was and usually are) remove your cover, engine support, put in your drain plug, take off the transom tie downs, drive to the ramp (trust me, the boat won’t come off the trailer) unplug the lights, if you do so, unhook the winch strap, trim up the motor, back into the water, start the engine and back off the trailer and move to the side of the dock. Then when loading the boat, reverse this procedure. It’s that simple. There are times you have to have patients at a boat ramp, and I truly understand, because the people putting in or taking out might be novice and or nervous for one reason or the other. There is NOTHING WRONG with offering assistance or friendly advice instead of getting pissed off, but it happens. I have backed trailers in for people and even winched their boats on the trailer for them because they were having a little trouble. I remember my first few times backing down a ramp and holding people up because I was being careful and I’m sure others have ramp stories too, but we weren’t assholes about it.