Good Deeds

Yesterday, while Dawg and I were fishing, we came upon a boat anchored not far from Don Pedro beach.  It was a new, large center console with a 250 hp Yamaha, and I thought since the beach docks were full, he had dropped his family off at the beach, and was waiting in the boat for them to call for a pick up.  So as we passed him, I said "Wouldn't they let you go to the beach?" 
His reply was..........."Do you have an extra battery on board?  Or maybe a jump box?" 
Of course we were in my dinghy, so I told him sorry, but we don't have (or need) a battery. 
He went on to explain that he had three batteries on the boat, but since he kept it in dry storage, there wasn't a way to charge them while in the rack, and all three were dead.  (A problem I've heard before.)
The boat owner happened to have a mechanic friend on the boat with him, and he said when the mechanic wiped his hands off, and closed his tool box, the owner knew they were in trouble.  They had been there over 4 hours.
I asked which way they were going, and when he told me he kept his boat in Palm Island marina, I offered to tow him back.  The idea of us in my little dinghy towing his new expensive boat back into the marina didn't seem to appeal to him.  I said we were going to fish in the general area for a while, and we would check back with him before we left in case he changed his mind.
So as I promised, we went back by his boat, and asked again if we could tow him in. 
He had been on the phone with the service department at the marina, and found that they had a jump box, but no one was free to run it out to him.  (There are companies that provide this kind of service SeaTow, and TowBoatUS but I guess he didn't join up.)  I thought it was asking a lot of a stranger to go pick up a jump box for him and bring it back.  But we were in too deep, and I wouldn't refuse helping anyone stranded in a boat.  So off we went on a rescue mission.  All this was started by a simple friendly comment I made to him about the beach.
By the time we got back to him with the jumper box, his attitude about getting towed in had changed.  He asked us to please wait around to see if the engine was going to start, and if it didn't would we please tow him home.  It started.  We figured we save two souls from certain demise. 

Today, Pam went out in the dinghy with me while I was fishing.  On the way to my secret spot, we saw this.

I may be from Indiana, but I'm pretty sure that's now how that thing should be.  I didn't really want to do it, but Pam convinced me to call the Coast Guard and report it.  So I dug my little hand held VHF out of the water-tight box in the dinghy, and called................"Coast Guard, Coast Guard,  this is Tonic."  I got an immediate response............."Tonic, this is US Coast Guard, St. Petersburg district."
I reported that mark number 13 at the South end of Lemon Bay had been hit, and was not only missing, but also floating, and a hazard to navigation.They said they would issue a notice to mariners and send a crew out to fix it.


Two good deeds in two days.  Not like me at all.  Surely something bad will happen to me soon.  "No good deed goes unpunished."

As for fishing...............I can find the redfish--I just can't make them bite.  I saw about 50 reds today, but only caught 2 small ones.  (Even with my "Big Red" shirt on.)  Here's a good shot of the fish cam in position.