Three of my buddies and I went for a dive at Rockport today.  We were in
good company - we saw many other divers there including a few we knew
from elsewhere.  Two of us travelled together and were going to do their
own dive, while Mike 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.

Mike 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 Mike 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.  Mike 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.

--
FreeFloat - Wreck Freediver

FreeFloat
Kingston, Ontario

You will never know what you can and cannot accomplish until you try