Best Boat Buzz

I run the risk of losing my Captain status and becoming known as Gilligan after this tale. Although I feel pretty stupid….a valuable lesson was learned by this Captain and this blunder. I am sharing it in the hopes it never happens to anyone else.

It happened on Saturday. I was 4th in line to fuel my boat. It was a beautiful, hot summer day. There were six of us on the boat. After about 25 minutes of hovering, my passengers were getting cranky and so was I. Finally, I pulled the boat up to the gas dock where the attendants tied me off. I shut the power off, removed the gas cap and set it aside. The girl attendant ordered the kids off the boat and instructed anyone under 12 to wear a PFD. Makes perfect sense, it should be done and this is where the chaos ensued. The male attendant handed me the nozzle. I felt rushed, other boats were waiting. The kids were being kids and in no hurry. No-one wanted to wear the jacket, words were exchanged, the attendants were impatient and stress mounted.

Now there are 7 people standing in my way. I just wanted to get the gas and get the hell out of there. I began pumping…..after a minute or so Josh- the 13 year old said “Do you fill all three holes?” Perplexed at the question, I looked down and went into total shock and disbelief. I was pumping into the rod holder, which drains into the bilge!! There are two rod holders, one on either side of the gas fill. They all look the same. No excuses, I was simply distracted which is how most mistakes happen.

Two gallons of gas was now in my bilge. I was beyond stunned and feeling very stupid. I asked the attendants what the next step was. I obviously wasn’t going to start the engines. But to my surprise, the attendant instructed me to start pumping again. They really wanted the other boats in. They were losing revenue and I was losing patience. I wanted answers and information. I put the nozzle in the correct fill and started fueling. This didn’t seem or feel right. However, I did what I was told in my state of stunned disbelief.

This could have been us......

The earlier chaos was minor compared to what transpired next. The owner was finally called down after I repeatedly asked what my next step was. I wasn’t sure how to resolve the problem. He looked at me and repeatedly yelled “stop pumping”. I was pissed now. I told him his “guy” said to continue. He said, “You need to get this boat out of here.” There were now 9 people standing in a confined area with a real threat of an explosion. I told my friend and her three nephews to leave the area and wait for a phone call.

Words were exchanged, my stress level peaked and finally the owner of the station took control. Within 10 minutes I was towed to a mooring a few hundred feet away. Phil (lucky he was with me, I owe him big time) and I went into action. We pulled up the floor boards and opened all the hatches and vents. Phil got down in the bilge and laid out absorbent pads to soak up the gas. We filled a couple of garbage bags with the soaked pads and set them aside. Once all the gas was gone we flushed out the bilge with a detergent and sea water several times. We now had the fumes to contend with. Fumes and potential spark is the real danger as that equals an explosion. We waited, and waited and waited.

After a few hours, the fumes had dissipated and we felt (relatively?) comfortable firing her up (whew!). We made it safely back to the marina. I left everything open for the night to air it out. I went to the boat the next day and there was not a hint of gas or fumes present.

I got out of the situation cheaply and safely. A fellow boater was not so lucky. He pumped 50 gallons into his bilge via the rod holder at the same station. Luckily for him his automatic bilge pump was broke. The EPA and fire department had to be called. His fines and labor to remove the gas cost him $4,000.00. What a costly mistake.

I take full responsibility for the incident. It is the Captain’s job to ensure safety and order in and around the vessel. So the moral of the story is; stay focused and don’t get distracted! I sure am glad to be here…. and able to tell you to keep checking back for the best boat buzz or (blunder!).