by arthurg » Fri Aug 26, 2005 11:44 am
On a serious note here folks, there really has to be something done about the pontoon at Rathmullen pier - it is extremely dangerous.
For a start it is right beside the water - now is that not asking for trouble! It should be relocated up in the car park so that if you fall off then at least you are not in danger of drowning!
......................... I'm laughing away at myself here again just thinking about it. I wish someone had videod it as it was quite possibly the single most stupid episode that I have witnessed ...................... and I had a close-up view of the whole thing!
OK, here's the full story for anyone who doesn't yet know ............... and if you are that one person, where have you been?
Last Sunday we (me & Hugo) were due to fish the Bundoran competition. In case Mackerel were in short supply, I had asked Angela (aka Roger, the Enterprise cabin boy) if she would stop on the way home on Saturday and pick me up some fresh ones. She readily agreed.
On Saturday morning Hugo, a non-fishing friend Jimmy and I went into Letterkenny to watch the football which started early. I got plastered. Following the debacle ................. sorry, game, we headed off to Rathmullen to await the Enterprise ............... or was it the Explorer - I was that bad I cannot even remember, coming in with our Mackerel. We were over an hour early, so needless-to-say we went into the Beachcomber for a few more. There was absolutely no point to these as I was full already, but being the glutton I am, I kept going.
At about 5:30p.m. the boat came round the pier and I decided to meander (well, 'stagger' actually) down to get the bait. I arrived at the pontoon just as the boat was coming alongside. Usually there is a guy who works at the pontoon and helps the boats mooring, takes the fees from visiting boats, etc. Last Saturday there was a particularly good looking young girl who I imagined was about 20 doing the job. She stood there ready to catch the ropes from the boat. Being chivalrous (or maybe 'chauvanistic') as ever I said "Move over there a bit young girl, this is no job for a wimmin!" She somewhat grudgingly moved aside and left me to catch the ropes and pull the boat in.
Drunk and all as I was, I certainly did catch the rope, but as the boat moved away a bit I forgot to let some go and got pulled unceremoniously into the sea.
I was shamed.
Fortunately, I simply swam back to the pontoon and waited for You Jean to pull me out. Now it is times like that when you wonder if someone who you wind up week in week out will actually save you, but fair play to You Jean and Roger, they did indeed pull me out to write another day.
I was, quite obviously, wringin'. Like a drookit dug. I took my top off and wandered up towards the crowd assembled outside the White Harte where Hugo had parked his car. I remembered that he had been close to being flung out the week before by his good wife who doesn't understand him (or indeed I) and looked in his boot. Sure enough, his bags had indeed been packed. Quite shamelessly, I stripped off and changed into his clothes at the side of the car right in front of Mary's. What a bollocking she'll give me the next time I'm down! (She worries about me you know!)
Anyway - there it is in all its glory. My shame in full. Laugh away - Jimmy reckons he'll get a good 30 years worth out of the story! But as I say, it wasn't really my fault - there's no way yon pontoon would pass a risk assessment. It is far too close to the water!