Article by Capt. Mark Sampson
How Bad Can It Get (Part 2)
This is part two of "How Bad Can it Get" or the story about "Dick and James Big Adventure" when my friend “Dick” pumped 20-gallons of gas into a rod holder on his boat and then decided to rectify the problem by trailering it down Rt. 50 with the drain plug loose enough to let the gas run out on the road between Ocean City and Salisbury. Last week I left you hanging at the public boat ramp where Dick was backing up the trailer and James had just turned on the bilge pump, creating a geyser of gas to shoot out of the boat and into the water.
Fortunately James realized the mistake quickly enough that he “only” pumped about ½ a gallon of fuel into the water. As luck would have it the Coast Guard Auxiliary guy doing boat inspections at the ramp that morning was engaged in another boat and neither he nor anyone else saw the spill. Except, that is for Dick, who realized that the now spreading slick was going to be a real problem for them if they didn’t get out of there quick! So Frank ran the boat up on the trailer, Dick latched it at the bow, they jumped in the truck and got the heck out of there as quickly as they could.
But as we all know, when rushing through things we sometimes overlook or forget to take care of minor details along the way. As they drove away Dick and James were just beginning to relax a little when one of them looked in the rear view mirror and realized that in making the escape they had neglected to lay down the 21-foot outriggers that were still standing straight up from each gunwale! Despite all their mishaps I guess God was still watching over the boys that morning because they realized their predicament in time to stop the truck a few hundred yards before towing their fiberglass bomb under a low utility line.
After lowering the riggers the guys proceeded to Rt. 50 and eventually found a secluded spot where they pulled off the road and loosened the bilge plug enough to let the gas slowly leak from inside the hull. By the time they actually got rolling again a nice little puddle of gas had formed behind the boat which they left in their dust as they steered back on the highway toward Salisbury. So eager they were to get moving, they didn’t notice the white SUV pulling off the road to the same spot they had just left. They did, however, notice the SUV when about ten miles down the road it raced up from behind them with headlights flashing, horn honking, and the driver frantically waving his arm out of the window. The guy pulled up beside them and shouted through the open window, “Hey pull over, I think your gas tank is leaking!”
Fearing the fellow might call the police if they didn't somehow put his mind to ease, Dick pulled onto the shoulder of the road and the SUV pulled up behind him. “Hey buddy, I’ve been behind you for the last ten miles and smelling gas the whole way, I think your boat might have a leaky tank.”
Dick figured that his goose was cooked, but just as he was about to fess up to the stranger he looked back at the drain plug and realized there was no longer any gas leaking from it. Apparently most of it had already dripped out of the hull and the little that was left ran forward when he stopped his truck. Looking back he could see a faint trail of gas coming down the highway and onto the shoulder of the road, but it ended about 20-feet from the back of the boat - right where the SUV was parked!
Thinking quickly, Dick did what he does so well, he stretched the truth to get out of a jam and said, “Hey man, look at the drain hole, it’s not leaking anything. But it looks like there’s a trail of gas coming down the highway that ends right under your car. “You” must have a leak somewhere and that’s what you’ve been smelling. You better get that checked out!” As Dick merged back onto the highway the last thing he saw in his rear view mirror was the guy crawling under his SUV looking for a leak he’d never find.
The guys never got fishing that day but they did at least survive to tell the story to a select few who they figured wouldn't turn them in to any of the “powers to be” who might require them to get a few bottles of Simple Green and scrub the gas stain off Rt. 50 between here and Salisbury. And I guess there's not much of moral to this story except that when you're having a bad day with your boat (and we all have them) don’t be like Dick! §
