Ebola Outbreak....

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Richard Shead

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Or so I thought.....It goes like this...

Went out on the boat for probably the last time today, took my daughter, my mum and her parents, both in their 80s and not in the best of shape to climb aboard a 28 foot sports cruiser at the end of a wobbly pontoon...

Anyhow mission accomplished they did it but it left them happy to be sat down and not having to move for a few hours...until of course we needed fuel..

No problem sir, close all the windows, turn of all the power, shut the cabin door and ALL get off the boat and walk to the end of the pontoon (which is up the steep, very steep ramp)....Could she blow at any minute or is there a case of Ebola on board I thought...

This time we had no steps or anything to help my grandparents off the boat...so it was either they climb off or we dont get any fuel and dont have this important day....to cut a long story short we just about managed it but they were in no shape to enjoy the rest of the day, physically or mentally.

I must admit I lost my rag with the fuel chap, I understand his predicament but this is a well maintained boat, that will be turned off and on approx 16 times in and out of locks and all manor of electronic goodies on and around the boat....we did not need to evacuate it just to pop 50 squids worth of fuel in.

Health and safety gone mad on this occasion I am afraid Petrol boats dont go bang EVERYTIME you fill up..

Anyhow mild rant over..

Still good day in the end, up to Windsor and back with the lock Gods with us..Nice to see the river so busy.
 
re-fueling

A few years back, I remember taking a friends Chris Craft, complete with massive V8 block to the fuel dock at Johns Pass , Florida. Dolphins were playing just a few yards away, pelicans diving about the place, people everywhere. The fuel guy, for that is what they are known as in the colonies, said he was busy, but if I cared to go ahead and refuel myself, he would sort out paying when we came back. So I carefully dragged 50ft of petrol hose along the bouncing pontoon, pumped about 100 gallons of Texas finest into the boat, paid at least £2.75 for it all, and headed out into the Gulf.
A couple of days later , I met the local sheriff on his quad bike , heading up the beach towards Reddington Shores, only to be told it is illegal to get within 100 yards of any wild animal, especially dolphins.
Apparently , its fine to let copious amounts of fuel spillage into their waters and to try to blow oneself up, but not to swim near a wild animal.........that could lead to a fine !!
ELFIN SAFETY Ehh !

Brian
 
Not defending the overzealous application of health and safety , but have you ever seen a boat blow up ?

Your florida story is great , but you'd be telling a different one if there had been a slightly different set of circumstances. Or maybe you wouldn't if it had all gone boom.

Filling a petrol boat is a little bit different to filling a car , as i'm sure you're aware , cars tend to not have had 'home made' electrics added at some point in their life , neither do many have a cooking gas supply and a cooker , or perhaps people sitting in them smoking to name but a couple of sources of ignition.

Overkill this time , but caution is needed.
 
I never have any problem filling mine up. Never had any fueling assistant do it for me, always had to drag the filler pipe across to the boat myself and fill it up.

No Health and Safety people at any of the locations I have filled up, come to think of it I have never seen any of the Asda people venture onto the forecourt.:D:D
 
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