Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What's the most "Nautical" moment you've ever had?

Know what you mean. It led me to a life living aboard and working on boats, for half my 70 years. Guess 1/2 my life has been my most nautical "moment".

please adopt me! I don't eat much and I love 99's

beautiful place.

1985 - while I was in college.

Crossing from Florida toward Bimini with four of my friends in a rented 41 foot Morgan sailboat. Hit a squall in the Gulf Stream about 3 AM. 10 to 12 foot seas were reported the next day. Who ever stayed up top had to be lashed in at the helm to keep from coming out of the boat.

All we had to begin with was an RFD. No Loran and GPS was not even around yet. Tried to keep the bow into the head sea was all we could try do and that did not work out at all. When we could keep it straight the bow dipped below the surface then rose straight up only to slam on the back side as we came back down. The trough was the worst by far. Only thing good about that sailboat is the keel kept us from completely rolling.

Lasted about 3 hours till daybreak then things settled down.

Missed Bimini by 20 miles to the south when we finally figured out where we were.

Been through some pretty ugly seas and lightning storms since while sport fishing but the sailboat deal tops them all.

twofish

I can't even begin to remember all the "nautical" moments, but I can tell you without a doubt that most of the really bad ones involved lightning.

My experience is pretty tame compared to the people on real ships, in real oceans. A couple come to mind though as interesting:

A good day on a salmon party boat out of Berkeley, CA - great weather, and the captain put us in the fish right outside the Golden Gate, off Pacifica. Along the way we saw a giant ocean sunfish. Later we saw two guys in a bass buggy - yes one of those 8' long injection molded pond prowlers. They were about two miles offshore, and had about 6 inches of rail above the water. It was a really calm day. After the boat (and crew) limited we went back in through the Golden Gate, and noticed a submarine surface about a half mile behind us, and follow us into the bay She was met by a tug, and a CG small boat to escort them.

The San Joaquin River Delta flows into SF Bay. I was aware of that fact, but it was still startling for a Texas boy, to be having a pleasant day bass fishing ~30 miles from the ocean, and have a sea lion swim past you. I guess it's easy pickings for the seals, and no Great Whites to worry about in the Delta.

My boat was a 19 foot Champion with a 200 hp Optimax, and it could easily make over 60 mph. I was going much slower one day when I approached a spot when 2 or 3 sloughs ran together, and the trivial waves became very significant with the current. The boat suddenly launched about 3-4 feet out of the water, and landed hard. I looked around pretty dumbfounded wondering how the heck it happened. I look over at the bank and a dozen or so people are standing up applauding me

There was good striper fishing in the Delta. In the main channels I was working the bank casting. But didn't notice the barge that had passed me was throwing a five foot or so wake. I nearly got pitched out of the boat, which taught me to keep an eye out for the big boats.

I fished around this sunken barge quite often; it was interesting how the timbers were assembled.



Reminds me (again) I need to get a boat

Barges never had to look good, they just hadda' FLOAT.

how THICK were those timbers pictured, anyway ?

GTC

Looking at the original photo, I think about 6 inches thick, and cross-laminated in 3 layers. Lots of rivets

That barge is over 100 years old. According to old-timers I asked, it was worn out in the early days, and then was made into the levee to re-inforce it. The spot is called Big Break, FWIW, as the levee broke at some point.

My most nautical moment?

August, 1987. I'm on my honeymoon with Satan. We're up North in Ontario fishing and camping. There is a camp at the Mazenhazing River, and we canoed over there one day and rented a motor boat to do some sightseeing-- nothing fancy, just a 20 HP outboard. Our camp was along Cullins Inlet, and I wanted to see Georgian Bay. Cullins Inlet opens out into something wider, and we were out in the middle of that when pea-soup fog settled in.

Rather than turn around, I pulled out my compass, laid it on the seat, next to the map and steered for the closest navigational buoy and then from there, I went from buoy to buoy until I got out into Georgian Bay-- went out about 50 yards, turned around and went back.

I've been in the boat business for almost 30 years, (right out of high school), raced 1/4 mile dragboats professionally for over 20 years, I've had my fair share of "Nautical Moments" to say the least, here's a little sample of my current occupation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoW-vW-HvY0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoW-vW-HvY0

Well, this dates back to about '68, but we were a couple days from arriving in Guam when we ran into one helluva storm. Seas were running thirty-forty foot waves and howling winds. Being an old diesel sub - we hadda stay on the surface. We were taking, at times, 4-5 feet of solid green over the bridge - and the OOD ordered us lookouts to be strapped to the bridge to prevent being washed overboard.

Had Lots

But

Force 10 Gail off Ireland

Never forget

Snake