By: Scott Way
Well, there's a lot to digest here. Let's just get it out of the way upfront -- we do not condone anything in the video you're about to see. That being said, there's a few things we can learn from it.
We've covered the story surrounding several of the clips you're about to see. Like the old chap cruising with his trailer attached (4:04 mark), who turned out to be doing it intentionally to transport his trailer to an island. Then there was the Welland Canal mishap, which was actually no one's fault (2:16 mark) as an electronic failure sent one of the ships into the other's path. Then there was the famous St. Maarten's crash (3:00 mark), which was also due to an electronic error, that sent a really nice turquoise yacht barreling into the St. Maarten's yacht club. Twice. It wasn't human error. In fact, the captain did an amazing job preventing the yacht from taking out an entire bridge.
Here's the video:
Now, we carry a moral responsibility as protectors of the boating realm to encourage safe boating. Despite what you just watched, not all of those mishaps were the captain's fault (but several definitely were, so we're not giving carte blanche here). Despite some good chuckles I had to take pity with a couple, especially the last clip. Have you ever tried backing up a single axle PWC trailer at a boat launch? It's one of the universe's strange cruelties -- a task that seems so simple is actually harder than mastering chess.
To prevent you from ending up in a viral #FailArmy video of your own, here are a couple helpful links to refresh your skills:
That should keep you out of the viral videos and in everyone's good graces at the marina. If you choose to press your luck at infamous spots like Haulover Inlet, don't say we didn't warn you.
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