Launching when you're not ready.

[LittleSister]

Surprisingly engaging, well shot little documentary video (in two parts about 11 minutes each) about a boat launch in the Netherlands.

There's no clear explanation of what's going on (the video poster says it's too complicated to explain), and I initially thought this was unfortunate, but in retrospect it's quite entertaining as a 'Who dunnit?', working out who is who, and why they are doing what they are doing, and how it ends up, so I shan't spoil it by explaining what I now know.

Apparently the vid title is a pun on a common Dutch expression. The title translates, I discover, as 'In stitches over the cigarette butt', but I'm none the wiser.

 

[veshengro]

I'm wild guessing but unofficial launch off the slipway by owner. Yard owners have to crop the padlock off to get to where the owner had moved it...and it wasn't as watertight as he thought. Authorities have to try and prevent sinking and the pollution etc: Owner and friend get cuffed and nicked, boat gets salvaged and towed away. Owner will need deep pockets when the final Bill arrives...

 

[LittleSister]

Not quite. As far as I came to understand it (not far, and with little confidence), yard owner hacked off with boat owner failing to pay storage fees launches his unseaworthy boat to get it off his land. Harbour authorities hacked off with both yard owner (I suspect a pre-existing antipathy in both directions) and boat owner. Tempers frayed. Police and fire brigade called to try to defuse the situation. Boat uninsured. Harbour authority lumbered with reported €15,000 cost of wreck removal (sounds on the low side to me for the scale of the operation).

I feel sorry for the occupant (a figment of my imagination) of one of those nice harbourside houses who had been looking forward to a nice quiet lie-in that morning!

 

[fredrussell]

What’s the relevance or significance of the bit where they seem to be towing a junk food vending trailer out of the area? At one point theres a shot of water pouring out the back of it, no?
All the Dutch people I’ve met seemed very courteous and friendly. This video offers proof, if it were needed, that boats bring out the worst in people.

 

[LittleSister]

I'm not sure about the snack van.

I noticed that the entrance gate lock was cut off with bolt cutters in an obviously coordinated operation including arrival of the personnel and digger for removal of the snack van (and someone later ground something else off the gate, presumably stopping it being locked again), though I didn't see any of the usual work-issued clothing, badges, etc. that one would expect had it been a council or harbour authority operation. I suspect the yard owner/operator may have been getting it in the neck from the authorities (and residential neighbours) about the state of the place, and perhaps a deadline of formal action to address the problems is what triggered both him launching the boat and them taking the snack van away. Alternatively, perhaps the snack van was also owned by the reportedly fees-owing boat owner and was being removed by the yard owner.

The vid obviously wasn't made with YouTube hits in mind as it omitted (deliberately excluded?) the fists flying or whatever else it was that led to the two men being handcuffed, and one being floored.

 

[veshengro]

Perhaps they quickly realised that the boat was taking in water, so they needed the space for the Local Fire brigade to get a pump close to the boat. So they hauled it out of the way, draining it first before towing it somewhere that wouldn't appreciate being flooded with the gungy water from the van.

 

[AndrewB]

This happened to me at a well-known south coast marina 20 years ago. Boat out the water to have several underwater fittings renewed. Then I asked for a re-launch date, adding that under no circumstances were they to launch letting me know when so I could be there to check. I didn't hear back so went to the marina to check the date only to find, you won't be surprised to hear, that they had already gone ahead. The boat was swimming in water inside. Simple to stop: one fitting needed just a little extra tightening. Fortunately there was no significant damage - but had it been left another day it would have been VERY expensive.

Naturally I wrote to complain, and received a most wishy-washy reply denying any responsibility. Took my boat away and have never been back.