Some People Are Just Idiots

We’re anchored here in the main harbor at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. As the season ramps up, more and more cruise ships are arriving in the morning to disgorge their guests, before sailing off into the sunset with them in the evening. These ships are truly enormous, and could run down a sailboat without blinking an eye (or the ship equivalent).

So…why would you ever put yourself in the spot that this boat did?

Ship #1 preparing to maneuver around the stubborn boater.

Ship #2, and this guys is still anchored where he shouldn't be.

Yesterday before dawn the pilot boat came around, tooted its horn, and apparently asked this boat, which was anchored just to the south of us, nearer to the ship channel, to move. We saw why a little while later. With three cruise ships on the dock, the fourth anchored inside the mouth of the harbor. It slowly inched into position, putting it right where this boat had been (and too close to Mr Mac for my comfort - see photo at bottom) before dropping its anchors and falling back to a more reasonable distance. As always, it left in the late afternoon. So what do we see this morning? The boat once again anchored to our south, but this time even CLOSER to where the cruise ships turn around to put in on the dock. All we could figure is that he anchored there out of spite (“Make me move, will you? Well, I’ll come right back!”). So today I watched as two cruise ships had to maneuver around this boat to make the dock, one after twice giving five horn blasts, the signal for danger. The guy stood on his deck with his back to the ship, apparently to show that he was ignoring it. I don’t know if the pilot boat came by again, but soon after, the boat moved and re-anchored in a safer spot. We’ll check in the morning and see if he’s moved back. If he has, then he deserves to be run over by a ship. There’s plenty of room for anchoring, and absolutely no reason for him to endanger not just himself, but the ships that have to maneuver in tight quarters. People like this give cruisers a bad name.

See where this ship's bow is? That's where the boat was anchored before they asked him to move the first time.