I closed both stores early Saturday to take my wife out for a little river run. We have been so busy selling boats and doing sea trails and training we never get time to enjoy the main thing that we moved here for in the first place. So after launching in Cat Tail and a fun run up the river we opted to take a trip through the channel and watch the crazies. Typical Havasu that we know and love. Super fasts boats beached on the sidlines like they need a breather from a fast run, sunworshoping 20 and 30 somethings dancing and playing in wast deep water, Court TV Whoring around with camera's trying to exploit the worst of our city, but overall everyone was having good quasi clean fun that we all venture out into the 110 deg heat for. We past under the bridge with radio playing and as usual I was sober as a judge drinking Gatorade and water.
As the channel narrows on the north end of the bridge I settled in to the port of another boat. We where well to the East of centerline and the boats coming towards us where all in a straight line. I see the Casino boat in the busy channel and ecide side buy side to the starboard boat is a tighter squeeze that I would like so I put the boat in nuetral and wait for the boat to starboard to pass. As soon as I go into nuetral the Casino boat alters its course to pass the slow moving line of boats it is fallowing and heads directly at myself and my wife. She begins screaming "Hit the gas, floor it were F%$ked" and I slam our boat into forward and wind it up to around 4000RPM. The casino boat clears us by three feet if not less. This is three feet off a 45 degree angle (Not side to side). I hade to slam the baot back into reverse to not hit the people wading in the water.
I turned back and called the Captain out on deck. He acknowladged that he did see me and when I asked his name he laughed and gave me a waive off.
I explained that the boat to my port was a hazard to my course diviation and that he had clear passage at his heading and speed. I was in a nuetral position awaiting clear passage at the time he altered his coarse and put my and my passanger life at risk with his actions. He in turn caused me to break the law by excessive speed and causing a wake while putting the lives of those wading in the water and those in the boat to my starboard at risk by his actions to deviate coarse and accelerate. Realizing I was sober and possibly knew what I was talking about he staop action like a smart a$$ and gave me his name for my formal complaint to the USCG.
Those who travel the channel without schedual and treat it as an enjoyable journey are being put at risk if the commercial opperators are not being put in check. I am all about Havasu going back to the fun loving Marti Gras atmosphere where tourists self police and take responsibuility for our own actions. But this was the action of a "I am bigger than you and you will move" Bulley that could have ended badly.
So BEWARE of the lawlessness of the Casino boat as it makes it way past your family and friends... or maybe right over them!