Friday, July 13, 2007
It's Still Better
Have I told you lately that I do not miss corporate America?
Did some more training on the boat today. I guess I failed to mention one major thing yesterday that would have illustrated, much better, just why the driving of the boat was so tricky. The area we drive the boats are called canals. Those canals are probably as wide as the boat is long. Imagine trying to turn a boat from one direction a complete 180 to be facing the opposite direction in a water way the width of the boat and with only about two boat lengths in distance.
Now, throw in some trees all along the edge that like to overhang, branches sticking out, a huge propeller on the back of your boat that will go off like a bomb if you hit those branches and you have the training course.
This is like trying to maneuver a semi truck down a twisty, turning sidewalk and not hit any buildings or come off the sidewalk. Not exactly the same as learning to drive a boat out on the open waters.
The actual tour isn’t like this. Granted, we go down a narrow canal for the first part but it’s straight. We then hang a right and get out in to the open glades where we pick up speed and haul ass. The only thing to watch out for out there are stumps or rocks in the mud. On the return, we hang a left back in to the canal but again, it’s pretty much straight.
The reason they have us start out doing all the crazy ass maneuvering in the beginning is because we have to be able to dock the boat safely. So that’s what we do, over and over and over again. We untie and push off from the dock, pull away, (with other boats in front of and behind the boat so ya don’t get to just go straight---the boats are parallel parked just like cars to a curb), go down the canal a bit, turn to the right towards a pond area, go down another canal to the pond and turn the boat around in the pond to come back to the dock.
Let me try to describe it like this: You are driving on the right hand side of the canal. The boats are all docked up, parallel parked, on the left hand side. You have about two boat lengths to get the boat you are driving completely turned around in the opposite direction with the canal being about the width of the boat. That? Is fucking hard. You bang up against the dock, (as I did today..repeatedly), jump down, tie up.
Then you untie, push off and pull the boat out to repeat the process. Again and again and again. Remember, no reverse, no brakes you have only the stick that controls the rudders and the gas pedal. You also have your on/off switch. But turning the boat off doesn’t make it stop moving.
Oh and did I mention the wind? Yah, that plays a factor in how you will turn each day. Every day is different and even people who have been there 10 years still crash their boats in to the trees sometimes.
This is WAY different than your average pleasure boat. Those? Are fucking easy. I’ve driven them before. The airboats? Fun as shit but man....it’s not the easiest thing in the world.
I did ok today. There was no wind at all so I did not have a repeat of yesterday’s stellar performance. I crashed in to some trees a couple of times and I banged in to the other boats a couple of times and I hit the dock a little harder than I wanted to twice....but overall, I did pretty damn good considering this was the second day of me driving an airboat that I’ve never driven before ever.
And again, this is so much better than some stupid, ugly cube selling cruises to people who don’t appreciate the fact that they can even afford to go on a cruise.
SO. Much better.
