FreeFloat
Contributor
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- # of dives
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artw, JimC, Under_Michael and I went for a dive at Rockport today. We were in good dompany - we saw many other divers there including a few we knew from elsewhere. JimC and artw travelled together and were going to do their own dive, while Under_Michael and I travelled together and were going to dive our own dive with a different profile.
However, uncharacteristically of me, since I didn't pass through Tim Horton's on the way to the dive site as per normal, I had two problems upon arriving on site - I hadn't filled my hot water bins with Wetsuit Warmin' Water, and I, um, needed the facilities as well. So naturally I went into the Boathouse restaurant to fulfill both those needs.
Under_Michael and I received a much less than warm welcome. First we went around to the restaurant's back door and found to our suprise that the door to the washrooms was locked. So, we went around to the front. When we entered the waitresses gave us odd looks so we asked one of them if we could use the bathrooms. She promptly referred us to the manager, who was engaged in a long phone call. After being ignored for a few minutes, we gave up and headed back out into the parking lot.
However I still had my main two problems to solve. So after waiting a few more minutes I headed back in alone and waited patiently until the manager was off the phone. He came over to see what I wanted and I asked to use the bathroom and to have my water bins filled with warm water. He asked why (about the bins) and I told him that since I was a wetsuit diver, having warm water down my suit was my only thermal protection. That was when he gave me the cold shoulder and said in essence that he didn't give divers the time of day. I was a little shocked at this sudden cold reception and asked why.
Well evidently the night previous, according to him, at about 11 pm, he saw divers trying to remove the sign prohibiting diving off the boat launch ramp. He went out to confront them and was "nearly run over by them" [in their vehicles]. As a result, divers were no longer welcome around his establishment.
Despite assurances from me that no diver I knew would ever attempt any such thing, the Boathouse owner remained adamant that "all divers are the same" and therefore he and his establishment would no longer be catering to divers' needs. (I suspect that he will still collect the $10 they charge to jump off the dock however.)
Anyway, I went out and told my buddies and Under_Michael went in to try his hand at diplomacy. He was gone quite a few minutes but when he returned, although he thought he had made some headway in his discussions with the owner, the owner remained adamant that all divers were the same and therefore no longer welcome around the Boathouse. U_M tried to reason with him since a lot of divers we know, following their dives, provide quite a bit of business for the Boathouse by having lunch there between and after dives, but this didn't seem to impress the owner and he said he really didn't care [if we divers took our business elsewhere].
So I believe my buddies and I intend to boycott the Boathouse restaurant at Rockport.
There was however a good ending to this story. I was able to fill my water bins (and use the bathroom) at the little Olco service station immediately East of Rockport along the 1000 Islands Parkway. Not only were they very friendly but we all went there for lunch after our dives and the food was quick, hot, HOMEMADE and served in a friendly fashion. Not to mention cheap! So we know where we're going from now on when we have post-dive munchies.
However, uncharacteristically of me, since I didn't pass through Tim Horton's on the way to the dive site as per normal, I had two problems upon arriving on site - I hadn't filled my hot water bins with Wetsuit Warmin' Water, and I, um, needed the facilities as well. So naturally I went into the Boathouse restaurant to fulfill both those needs.
Under_Michael and I received a much less than warm welcome. First we went around to the restaurant's back door and found to our suprise that the door to the washrooms was locked. So, we went around to the front. When we entered the waitresses gave us odd looks so we asked one of them if we could use the bathrooms. She promptly referred us to the manager, who was engaged in a long phone call. After being ignored for a few minutes, we gave up and headed back out into the parking lot.
However I still had my main two problems to solve. So after waiting a few more minutes I headed back in alone and waited patiently until the manager was off the phone. He came over to see what I wanted and I asked to use the bathroom and to have my water bins filled with warm water. He asked why (about the bins) and I told him that since I was a wetsuit diver, having warm water down my suit was my only thermal protection. That was when he gave me the cold shoulder and said in essence that he didn't give divers the time of day. I was a little shocked at this sudden cold reception and asked why.
Well evidently the night previous, according to him, at about 11 pm, he saw divers trying to remove the sign prohibiting diving off the boat launch ramp. He went out to confront them and was "nearly run over by them" [in their vehicles]. As a result, divers were no longer welcome around his establishment.
Despite assurances from me that no diver I knew would ever attempt any such thing, the Boathouse owner remained adamant that "all divers are the same" and therefore he and his establishment would no longer be catering to divers' needs. (I suspect that he will still collect the $10 they charge to jump off the dock however.)
Anyway, I went out and told my buddies and Under_Michael went in to try his hand at diplomacy. He was gone quite a few minutes but when he returned, although he thought he had made some headway in his discussions with the owner, the owner remained adamant that all divers were the same and therefore no longer welcome around the Boathouse. U_M tried to reason with him since a lot of divers we know, following their dives, provide quite a bit of business for the Boathouse by having lunch there between and after dives, but this didn't seem to impress the owner and he said he really didn't care [if we divers took our business elsewhere].
So I believe my buddies and I intend to boycott the Boathouse restaurant at Rockport.
There was however a good ending to this story. I was able to fill my water bins (and use the bathroom) at the little Olco service station immediately East of Rockport along the 1000 Islands Parkway. Not only were they very friendly but we all went there for lunch after our dives and the food was quick, hot, HOMEMADE and served in a friendly fashion. Not to mention cheap! So we know where we're going from now on when we have post-dive munchies.