Boz

Hi, Bob - The .de is for Germany, or as it's known there DEutschland. Nice boat, and plenty fast, but not nearly enough rod holders.

Friggin' TSA couldn't find their butt with both hands. Kinda like Homeland Security. TSA had nothing to do with it. The flight was on a Canadian airline and was never in an American airport. Totally a Canadian investigation.

I always had good luck soaking them overnight in a large bucket of warm water with a generous amount of OxyClean, followed by another overnight soaking in cold water with fabric softener. Slosh them around in both buckets often to work out the dirt and work in the softener. Then hang them outside to dry. Don't even think about running them through the washer and dryer; you'll end up with a useless tangle of nylon. Don't ask me how I know.

Just a slave to fashion, ain't ya ? Seriously, very cool! Bound to draw some traffic to the site. Have fun !

The Geico racing team has posted this video on their Facebook page ~~ Sad thing to happen to such a great boat and dedicated crew.

Love it !!

Question, Wiley - - Under the column labeled "Last Post Info" column, it used to show the Date/Time of the last post. Now it's showing some kind of funky number where the date/time used to be, like so ~~ 1281814652 In: OK, ya'll can post to t... By: Guitar Picker Whassup with that ??

Somebody has got wayyyyyyyyyyyy too much time on his hands.

Wiley's being sarcastic ? Say it ain't so ! I follow you. Perhaps the VHF was dead. As for the flares, even in my puny little 18 footer, I carry 18 12-ga flares, 6 hand-held, and 6 orange smokes. Oh well. Like I said - - maybe next time they'll be better prepared.

2,717 feet. By contrast, One World Trade Center was 1,776 feet. Burj Dubai's name was changed to Burj Khalifa in honor of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, when the building was completed.

80 miles off the coast, and all they had was a hand-held VHF ? Glad they're all okay, but hopefully the next time they venture offshore (if ever), they are better equipped for emergency situations.

I couldn't tell you what the regulations are elsewhere, but in Maryland the State Department of Natural Resources requires the license number, printed in letters at least 2" high.

Curious - where's "over here" ? Up in my old stomping grounds on the Chesapeake Bay, they were most often marked with relatively-small floats, some round, some cylindrical, some "bullet" shaped. The commercial crabbers most often painted theirs in a color(s) and pattern unique to them, and they normally had their license number on them. Up there, the crab pots are not very large, and are tethered to the float by smaller diameter rope - 1/4" to 3/8". My worst experience with them was the day I was trading in my first boat. Enroute to the dealership, I caught a poorly-marked crab pot (extremely dirty float) around the prop. Having taken nearly everything off the old boat and not having a bathing suit aboard, I ended up having to go in the river in my skivvies and cut the line off with a very dull pocketknife. I completed the transfer to the new boat "commando style".

Low 90's, huh ? Well, that should be adequate for a little leisurely trolling. Now, the big question is ~~~ at those speeds, how long would it take you to get from Naples to Port Fourchon ?

We stopped at a very nice restaurant on the ICW in Hollywood, FL for lunch one day, and a totally stereotypical "go-fast idiot" (very overweight, white Oakley sunglasses, Speedo about four sizes too small, and a four pound gold necklace hanging over his ape-hair-covered chest) docked his 38 Fountain (yes, it was covered in a ridiculous looking multi-neon-colored graphic wrap) at the seawall. He and his four clones clambered ashore, leaving the stereo blaring at ear-splitting volume, and plopped their drunken oversized butts at the table next to us. They proceeded to carry on a very loud conversation (necessary to be heard over the stereo), dropping the F-bomb every third word. When they started pawing over the waitress, the manager finally asked them to leave. They pulled away from the seawall at about 20 knots. And were promptly pulled over by a USCG patrol boat about a half-mile away. Once in a great while, justice triumphs.

Man passes out at Fla. beach on pool float, drifts a mile from shore in Gulf of Mexico By Associated Press 7:43 AM EDT, June 24, 2010 BELLEAIR BEACH, Fla. (AP) A man who apparently passed out on a pool float at a Tampa area beach ended up drifting about a mile from Florida's shore in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued the man, identified as Jerry Whipple, on Wednesday afternoon. Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Mariana O'Leary says they suspect the man was very drunk. {Imagine that! } The Coast Guard says a boater reported seeing an unconscious man floating well offshore. The Coast Guard and a Clearwater Fire Rescue unit responded and found the man, still unconscious and wearing a life jacket. He eventually woke up and was checked by paramedics at a Coast Guard station. O'Leary said the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will investigate the incident.

The ten scariest words in the English language ~~ "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you."

63 sounds about right. Closest guess gets a RB shirt, right ?

I know, I know.... "It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it."

Geek. Didja get the new one? How's things going out in the Gulf?

Oh, rub it in, why don't ya ? Hope you have a great time today!

That's a real once-in-a-lifetime shot! Coincidentally, the insignia that Navy submariners wear is referred to as their "dolphins".

Well, I can't help you with the choices you listed because I've never used any of them. I just replaced the OEM BF Goodrich tires on my Dodge 2500 with a full set of Michelins. Like you, most of my driving is city/suburban, with perhaps 5% towing a 12K pound fifth-wheel and an 18' CC. The BFG's had about 54,000 miles on them, and still had a fair amount of tread but the sidewalls were beginning to show some deterioration, and I had taken out a chunk of one sidewall when I introduced myself to a curb while making a tight U-turn. Over the years, I've been very partial to Michelin. We put them on my wife's former minivan to replace the OEMs at about 50K miles, and they still looked like new and still had plenty of tread when she recently got rid of the van at almost 119K miles. Yes, they are more expensive than most other brands, but I don't believe in cutting corners when it comes to tires and other safety equipment. I know that doesn't directly answer your question, but just thought I'd throw in a little food for thought.

Awesome job, Tom! It's always great to see your detailed descriptions and captioned pictures. You done good.

Father, pregnant daughter killed in Volusia boating accident Passengers in both boats knew each other By Gary Taylor, Orlando Sentinel 11:25 PM EDT, May 31, 2010 PONCE INLET – A busy Memorial Day holiday at the beach along Volusia County turned tragic when two boats collided in Ponce Inlet, killing a DeLand-area man, his adult daughter and the woman's unborn baby. The crash occurred when a 25-foot boat ran over the top of a smaller boat about 4 p.m., said Joy Hill, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which is investigating the crash. All of those killed were aboard the smaller boat, a 17-foot 2006 Sundance, Hill said. She identified the three victims as Cyril J. Holley Jr., 46, his daughter, Madison Holley, 19, and her unborn child. Both lived at the same address on Hontoon Road near DeLand. Hill did not know the sex of the unborn baby, but said the child was "just weeks away from being born." Three people told officers they were injured. Two of them were admitted to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, she said. Neither their names nor the extent of their injuries was released. The third person who was hurt refused treatment, Hill said. It was not known which of the boats the injured where aboard. There were seven people aboard the smaller boat and six on the other vessel, a 25-foot 1989 Chaparral, Hill said. All of them were either related or knew each other, Hill said. "It's very, very tragic," she said. Investigators are looking into the possibility that the wake from another boat might have contributed to the crash, said Hill, adding that fatal boating accident investigations "often take months to complete." The crash occurred in the Intracoastal Waterway, "right across from the Coast Guard station," Hill said. It was just south of Disappearing Island, she said. Disappearing Island is an area that forms from sandbars when the tide goes out, said Capt. Scott Petersohn of the Volusia County Beach Patrol. People like to go there "because there are no real rules about drinking," he said. Some of the victims were taken to Disappearing Island before rescue workers arrived, said Petersohn, whose agency used its boats to transport some of the occupants of the two boats to shore. The beaches were packed Monday as locals and tourists alike celebrated the holiday that signals the beginning of summer. "It was a crazy day today," Petersohn said. "We had a huge crowd."