Even a jetski is a multi thousand dollar investment. That's what brings most boaters together.
You might think that, but in certain jurisdictions you'd be wrong.
We took the knockabout boat (1968 Chris Craft Commander 42) out for the Trump boat parade on the Potomac in DC last Sunday. I've never been flipped off so many times in a few short hours as I was while waving and smiling at people on land and in generally smaller boats. The kayakers especially were a dour, sour, rude bunch.
A buddy who's a big Trump fan let me borrow his Maryland for Trump flag. I'm guessing that's what triggered so many of people not participating in the parade.
Before we cast off, we got an email blast indicating that Antifa was organizing to throw objects on the boats as we passed under the bridges in DC. We did hear some yelling about antifa protesters on 16 from the front eschelon as they passed the Memorial Bridge, but by the time we got there the only people we could see were waving Trump signs and waving at the boats.
But before that, as the lead boats were about to enter the Washington Channel at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, all hell broke loose when the organizers in the lead boats announced over the radio that the DC harbor patrol prohibited the parade from entering the channel. The new Wharf development is on the Washington Channel, and it's busy every weekend. So to suddenly have that leg of the parade lopped off by the cops was unfortunate. The whole line of ~200 boats got all jammed up. Then, as the lead boats started diverting north on the Potomac, word went out that we weren't blocked from using the Washington Channel...there were just a ton of paddle boarders and rental kayaks on the water and they might not mix well with a big boat parade. The organizers could have done a better job coordinating with the local cops.
Some bigger boats peeled off to do the Channel leg, anyway. We stayed on the Potomac and ended up passing through Georgetown (more bird flipping there) on the way to the anchorage at 3 Sisters. It was funny, the reaction of boaters up there to a relatively minor Trumptilla...like they couldn't believe THOSE people would dare show themselves in public in DC.
On the way back to our marina, a woman on the one boat with a Biden flag hollered "VIRGINIA FOR BIDEN!" as I went by. It was ironic that she had to plagiarize my buddy's Maryland sign. lol