So, about 12:30 p.m. Dec. 10, the USS Nimitz came to town escorted by two U.S. Navy gunboats.

We’d just docked our very nice 55-foot sailboat at the Port Orchard fuel dock with another smaller, approximately 20-foot power boat in front of us. Apparently, the two Navy escort boats required fuel, too, because they were suddenly approaching the fuel dock at such a speed as to create an incredible wake — so incredible that our vessel weighing 40,000 pounds was violently slamming and pitching against the dock.

The poor fellow in the small powerboat in front of us was slamming into the dock so badly that I’m surprised it and he didn’t sustain serious damage. It was all that he, my wife and I, and the fuel dock attendant could do to keep both vessels fended off the dock.

According to the fuel dock attendant, this is a fairly common occurrence. The manager of the Port Orchard marina has had words with these Navy hotdogs before. What a fine example these U.S. sailors are — obnoxious gun-toters who seem to think that because they’re in the military and carry guns, they have free license to behave any way they want and without even the most rudimentary principles of seamanship.

Not even an apology to any of us, either. Pathetic.

Roy Wilkowski
Port Orchard