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#1
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OT-- Slightly-- Saftey Lesson Learned
I took the wife and kids fishing, we went sal****er fishing because the
catch rate is good when I am soley focusing on the kids. Things started off well enough, they were catching catfish as fast as I could get a shrimp on thier hook. Then things went south. I noticed a bigger boat off on the flats and a guy out in waste deep water pushing the boat. No flags or flares going and even though several boats passed he made no attempt to flag them down. About an hour later this guy soaking wet comes up and asks us for help. His boat is about 500 yards off the bank across a canal that has very swift tidal currents in it. He has apparently gotten his boat stuck and his kids need to be gotten off quickly, because a storm is coming, the tide is going out and the waves are building rapidly. He wants me to find a 500-600 yard rope to string across and pull him off with my truck. I quickly explain the dangers of stringing a rope 6 foot high across a boating canal. We sent a truck over to the nearest ramp to get a boat to pull them off but they return empty handed. So me and my buddy decide to swim the canal and help push the boat off. All I can say is if that canal were 20 more yards wider, name was in the paper the next day. I completeley overestimated my swimming ability. 8 years ago when I was in the military this would have been a breeze. WIth the 1 foot chop and swift currents, I nearly didn't make it, plus it was pitch black and I hate pitch black ocean water. We finally get across the canal and nearly have to pull my buddy across. We examine the situation and if the boat doesn't come off in the next 30 minutes, he is spending the night there. I tell him to trim the engine up and his reply frightened me. "What is trim?" uhhhhohhh big trouble this guy is an amateur. I ask New boat? he says yeah how did you know? it's my second time out on it. Ever had a boat before, no this is my first! We finally rock the boat and get a trough big enough we can move the boat forward, and eventually slide it off the big sand flat. Driving in with them was no pleasure either, for some reason headed out to sea they tried to stay left of the Red bouys, Red, Right ,Return I tell them. They are clueless as expected. I explain when you Return from sea the Red is on your Right, so it needs to be to our left and green to our right. Wow 10 feet of water instead of 1.8 they are amazed. 26 feet Prolines dont like 1.8 feet of water for some reason. They had no clue on how to drive and it is pitch black in a storm, and my buddy starts coaching them. I quickly tell him to shut up, because he (A boat owner as well) is obviously just as clueless. The whole shining the spotlight through the glass windows was quickly extiguished so we could drive by the outlines of the bouys and shore lights. I explained what plane was, since they like to drive with the Bow at it's maximum height. We finally get to the ramp a short mile from where they were stuck, and they had about 20 miles to where their truck and trailer was. They decided to catch a ride and drive the truck over. I told them not to set foot in a boat until they understood basic boating, saftey and navigation and gave them the name of a nearby course. They were already signed up for next week and I said dont get inthe boat until your done, because you are a hazard to yourself and everyone on the water. Lesson I am not the swimmer I use to be, so I am buying a set of SOSuspenders to fish in. If I fell out of the boat in a swift river away from bank, there is a chance of not catching the boat or the bank. Made me think twice about a lot of thing I do on a boat. I remember hoping that when Alabama passed their mandatory Boater Saftey course that my age group had been grandfathered. No I wish it was required for all new boat owners. These people didnt have enough supplies to 2 hours on the water much less an overnight stay. I am glad I helped, but I dont think I will risk my saftey in this manner again, in retrospect it was about the dumbest thing I have done in the last 10 years, and I have a long list of dumb things. |
#2
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OT-- Slightly-- Saftey Lesson Learned
Thanks for the story Chuck,and reminding me that you can never,ever be too
safe on the water.I am glad you made it OK and hopefully that guy will be a lot safer in the future. |
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