August 2009
Job Disaster Averted
I work on a yacht and we were on cruise; I had only been working there 3 weeks. I had been sent by my bosses to pick up the guests. Snapping to it I cast off the boat (a bit too quickly) as the stern line fell into the water securing round the propeller of the boat. I could only watch in desperation as the rope tightened round the prop not wanting to find out if the engine would burst into flames before the cleat was ripped out of the boat I remembered my Leatherman Wave and cut the rope... so off I went pleased that no one had noticed my amateur and almost costly blunder,
Then 3 minutes offshore the engines stalled, I could see the guests walking down I had lost steering and no one would be happy at all if the guests weren't. The engines wouldn't start I quickly flipped the covers off and had to reach for the actuator to reset it.... there was no way I could reach and reset it without the pliers on my wave. Just in the nick of time I got it back in and running. The guests didn't notice a thing and the rest of the cruise went smoothly and everyone got tipped.
I had only owned the wave for a week at the time and to think I nearly didn't buy it. Since that occasion I have used it countless times and despite the marine environment it remains in very good condition.
Joe M.
Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
OK, you voyeur, you. Enough of reading other people's stories. It's time you told your own tale of gripping heroism or even just neat DIY'ism. We know there's a Shakespeare in you somewhere. Don't make us use the Steens to find it.