Boating with an S4 (Minimal Audi Content)

[Greg Johnson <gregsj@iea.com>]

While years have passed since Darwin first floated his "survival
of the fittest" postulate, it remains viable to this day.

I lived in Seattle from 1983 to 1993.  Every August, Seattle does
SeaFair (kind of Seattle's Mardi Gras).  One of SeaFair's
highlights is the Hydro Races on Lake Washington.  Seemingly
thousands of boaters tie-up in the "in field", soak up the sun
and fry their brains with various "beverages."  There are two
places to watch the results of this frivolity.  The first is
Hiram Locks -- lots of folks banging into each other and folks
who tie ropes to the lock cleats, before the water goes down.
The second place it the Shilshole boat launch.  The last few
years I was there, a handful of Huskies (UofW) had set up their
version of the diving judges to score the winners (7, 8, 7, 9, 7
and so forth).  Water logged vehicles are numerous.  One of the
highest scorers (I still haven't figured out how no one was
severally injured) was the fellow who missed his trailer about
three times, got really pissed at his boat (its the boat's
fault?) and his wife (who was directing him), gunned it with the
engine turned, the bow reared up, the boat went over one side the
trailer, careened off of his pickup's bed and flipped over.  He
was thrown clear (into shallow water) but his boat ended up
semi-flipped sideways in the water with the outboard roaring.
Someone finally got the motor turned off, so we could hear the
"driver" and his wife further discuss the situation.  Even the
"judges" had to retreat and then regroup.  Charlie Darwin will be
around for a long time....

Greg J