A Lack of Situational Awareness

We had one of those “what in the world could they be thinking?” incidents on Tuesday. But before I tell you what happened, let me give you some background.

Each fall, as late as possible, our marina pulls our boat from the water and puts it up in the boatyard on eight jacks and a keel block. Before we put Pure Grace to bed for the winter, we (well, okay, Bill) spend a day or two power washing river crud from the hull, then carefully erect tents of heavy plastic over the bridge, main deck and back canopy to create a pitch that will channel snow away from the boat.  

When it starts to warm up in the spring (yes, we’re still waiting for that!), Bill puts in several weekends preparing Pure Grace for launch. He power washes the hull again, sands it and then puts two coats of an anti-fouling paint on it to minimize accumulation of algae. Next he waxes the sides that are below waterline or just impossible to reach once in the water. Finally, we take off the tarps and window coverings, install clean lines and fenders (ropes and bumpers to you landlubbers) and she’s ready for another season.

During the one sunny day we had last weekend Bill finished painting the hull. As you just read, many more steps need to be taken, right? On Tuesday afternoon during a downpour the marina called. “Hey, Bill, we have your boat in the water but you don’t have any lines or fenders on it. Better get out here and tie her up.”

So, you’re a regular marina employee, hauling boats in and out of the water every year and you don’t notice that this boat is not ready to launch? A distinct lack of situational awareness. Good thing they don’t fly airplanes for a living!

What bothers me most about this incident is the attitude of the marina staff. The marina maintenance crew had the nerve to complain about the urgent need to install the 50-amp power stanchion at our slip in order to provide power to the bilge pump.

This is a five-anchor marina and part of what makes it a desirable place to dock your boat is the quality, care and condition of the boats. For those who know Bill, you can guess that there are probably few other boats, among the more than 300 at Fox Chapel Yacht Club, that still look showroom shiny in their fourth season.

I’ve been desperately trying to put the best construction on the incident but this time I just have to conclude that some people leave their brains in bed when they get up!