In Houston, this is boat show season. It's the time of year that you see novice sailors with their new or new-old boat launching in bad locations and bad weather because they just can't wait any longer.

For example:

It's Feb about 4pm
Wind is 15 with gusts to 25 and there is a front coming in
It's paved parking lot with concrete ramps designed for power boats.
There is no beach, just rocks and seawalls.
Two guys in shorts and life jackets have rigged an old H16 (badly) on the trailer with jib and main up.
The boat is about stern to the wind, so they can back the trailer down the ramp.
The two guys are trying untie the boat from the trailer but it keeps trying to fly.
You figure, if they can get the boat into the water and turned around, they are going right into a bridge or the rocks


I have often wondered if we have an obligation to tell people like this, "This is really not a good idea"

If it's a family with little kids, I at least drive by and ask, "have you done this before" and if they don't argue you can mention it would be better if they went down to the Dike when there are other Cat Sailors around, they might have a fighting chance to get the boat back in one piece.

This time I tried something different. I wandered up with my camera and asked "can I take your picture, I always wanted a picture of a cat flipping onto a car".

They stopped and listened a minute and then there was an act of God, it started to rain, hard, and they started talking about how they were going to take the boat down

I think next time I will just ask "Can I take your picture. I am collecting pictures for a book and I think this belongs in the chapter on things not to do, you know, the chapter on really stupid things I have seen people do"