Every year in Panama an award is given out for the craziest stunt in boating . I received that award in 2004 .
It happened as I was taking my old boat to town . Its a 3000 pound dug out canoe called a Cayuco ! 31 feet long .Its like driving a telephone pole with a motor attached . They are the work truck of boats ! I rowed it out of the boat house and got ready to start the 40 HP Yamaha . I did not know that the caretaker had warmed up the motor for me already .I did not clip on the safety shut off key . I usually do this after the motor is running . I turned the throttle to full advance . As I bent over the motor and yanked the starter rope ,it roared to life . I was not expecting this and my hand slipped and knocked it into gear .
It shot off and pitched me right over the stern . Then the motor turned to the side and it went into a hard left turn right back at me . As it tried to run me down , I dove and pushed off the bottom of the boat . I think the prop missed me by inches . The boat ended up 40 feet into the Mangrove trees . I had 10 workmen running toward me and the boat, knowing that I was probably dead and they had just loss their paycheck .Everybody was pulling me in a different direction .
I was cussing like a true sailor and my poor caretaker thought he was fired !
I now have my other worker guy, Genaro , take me to town as I do not trust myself to run the boat .
Its just another great memory of life on a island !
It happened as I was taking my old boat to town . Its a 3000 pound dug out canoe called a Cayuco ! 31 feet long .Its like driving a telephone pole with a motor attached . They are the work truck of boats ! I rowed it out of the boat house and got ready to start the 40 HP Yamaha . I did not know that the caretaker had warmed up the motor for me already .I did not clip on the safety shut off key . I usually do this after the motor is running . I turned the throttle to full advance . As I bent over the motor and yanked the starter rope ,it roared to life . I was not expecting this and my hand slipped and knocked it into gear .
It shot off and pitched me right over the stern . Then the motor turned to the side and it went into a hard left turn right back at me . As it tried to run me down , I dove and pushed off the bottom of the boat . I think the prop missed me by inches . The boat ended up 40 feet into the Mangrove trees . I had 10 workmen running toward me and the boat, knowing that I was probably dead and they had just loss their paycheck .Everybody was pulling me in a different direction .
I was cussing like a true sailor and my poor caretaker thought he was fired !
I now have my other worker guy, Genaro , take me to town as I do not trust myself to run the boat .
Its just another great memory of life on a island !