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

I'm talking about boats and water.

It's one thing to have a memorable day of good fishing but ...

There have been days when catching fish became a moot point. I was happy to just get back to the dock.

Beating back uphill from an early summer tuna trip, way out, and the boat needed to be back fast to make the next charter.

It was a bit of a rollercoaster.

Rock fishing two years ago. From Vandenberg back to San Louis, cutting about 45 degrees to the trough. Water coming through the gunnels on both sides, bow slapping down and splashing people on the stern. Lots of upchucking all around me. ALMOST joined them!

when I was in the Navy. we had some fun times at sea

Rode the USS Barbour County (LST 1195) for three days or so in a typhoon near the Philippines. It's a flat-bottom, and the worse ride ever, plowing the seas, rolling, everything strapped down.

Then there was once aboard the USS Ogden (LPD 5) refuleing off ther coast of Korea, we collided with the refueler, tore a 20 ft hole in the skin of the hull, thankfully above the waterline.

Way back aboard the USS Okinawa (LPH 3), seeemed there was a fire every couple days. It was an old ship.

Rode an LCAC (hovercraft) from Pendleton out to San Clemente Island and back in pretty good seas, 70 miles each way, that was a hell of a rollercoaster going out, but a nice ride coming home, traveling with the seas.

Those LCACs are awesome! No beach out of reach..

Went out on a 90' party fishing boat for a Gulf Stream trip from Little River, SC. 60 miles out to drop lines. By the time we got there winds blew up 10' seas.

By the time we dropped lines the 3rd time we had 16' seas. Almost everyone was green and puking.

Captain cut the trip short and headed back in. Shortly after we had 25' following seas.

We were over 3 hours late getting back to the docks, and that after cutting the trip over 2 hours short.

Me and a buddy had, thankfully, taken dramamean and stayed topsides since the cabin reeked of puke.

The best part was when we got to the docks and were getting our 1/4 basket of fish cleaned everyone else gave us their catch because they were too sick to care about food. We left with at least 50 lbs of fresh fish and ate like kings for days.

I have a 16 foot canue I took down the bitterroot river. The are lost a paddle and we went the rest of the way with a stick. Should had died that day.

Not a bad seas/weather deal or equipment breakdown, and might seem tame for some experienced folks, but the most "nautical" for us.

One August, I took USCG pilot refresher course, we chartered a nice 40 ft. twin screw cruiser, did the family crew prep routine and, with wife and 4 daughters (HS and college ages), set off for two weeks up between BC and Vancouver Is., over to Victoria, through the San Juans and then down the Puget Sound. 1st week went great - fab weather, beautiful sights/places to stop, peaceful nights in coves, great fishing and some nice swimming as well. 2nd week we started down the Sound looking forward to picking up some of the girls' friends for a day or two, then adult friends for a hop, then my Mom and Dad, etc.

Very early AM a bit south of Lopez, as we got out into the big boat lane, THICK fog rolled up - felt like ZERO vis. The radar, now really attended to for the first time on the trip, seemed balky/errant, and it probably would have done little good if we were in the line of one of those horn-blowing giants. We could hear Navy aircraft overhead coming and going from Whidbey - but could not see from the stern to the bow.

Fortunately, we were in slack tide and had passed a marker just before the fog developed - so got slow, set ourselves on all four corners and on top as lookouts and simply used the charts/compass to try to find each next marker - all the while listening for the sound of something big that we would need to avoid. Pucker time for at least a couple of hours - but think that we actually sighted/heard every expected marker in some way (what a relief that can be). Best, we didn't hit anything or get hit.

Seemed like things cleared in some instant - and there we were in a beautiful PNW location looking at one another with those "we did it, but never want to do it again" looks on our faces - and probably some wet drawers. Luncheon in a cove was luxurious, and the remainder went as planned. The photos are fun, the memories better.

We were amateurs. I have great respect for those who know, and do, that stuff well under truly tough conditions.

The time the fishing was so good, we had to hide in the cabin to get the bait on the hook.

Out fishing in the bay one day, decades ago, alone on my own boat, a whale surfaced within spitting distance. Looking into his eye, I felt like I was in the presence of God--we were God. But, at the same time, I felt such a strong family connection, like reuniting with a lost brother who I had always loved but never known. The moment seemed to last forever, leaving me with such a complete sense of peace, love and fulfillment.

Navy repair ship out out Newport, RI. Heavy swells about three days from home broached and took four rolls to 48 degrees back to back. The only reason we did not roll over is the swells were so close they slammed us back up. Twenty some hours fixing all the damage including a three cornered tear in the hull a couple of feet above the water line. Lots of broken bones and black eyes but nobody died.

Was not a fun time.

That's a good one.

I've had torpedo porpoises and killer whales that made me pucker.

Lake Michigan salmon fishing as a young 19 year old the spring of 83. 17' aluminum hull Starcraft with an old 75h Evinrude. Not a cloud in the sky, had 6 downriggers out and the fishing was great! We were 10-12 miles out in 2-3' chop. We had 13 in the boat and only needed 2 more to limit. We didn't pay attention to the wind freshening from the west. By time we pulled gear it was 4-8's and building.

No GPS or cell phones in those days. We headed easterly hoping to hit the pier arms. By time we saw land seas were 8-12'. On the Great Lakes waves don't get huge, but they come at a rapid pace. And beware of the 3 sisters; a set of 3 big ones back-to-back-to-back. That's when things got a bit sporty. My buddy would motor up the backside of the wave and gun it down the front side to make it back up again. More than once we took water over the stern. We couldn't bail because we had to hang on. We put on those cheap orange life vests and held on for dear life. The black cloud line had overtook us and following winds were very strong. Much to our dismay we were off the pier arms about a 1/2 mile north. We had to quarter over the waves the remaining mile or so.

We made the dock drenched with 3" of freeboard on the stern and our feet in 6-8" of water. The bilge pump burned out. We lost of bunch of his dad's gear. Our legs were rubber and our hands were cramped from hanging on. No one said a word, but we knew we got away with one.

Dumb kids.

Was underway for 44 days before I stepped foot on dry land. I so miss being in the Navy sometimes.... NOT!!!!!

10-12 ft swells in a 42ft fishing seiner.
it was real fun when the auto pilot went out and we had to steer by hand. It had also gotten dark and the fog had rolled in.

I was 14, working Summer on one of Dad's Company vessels, 313 foot German Built freighter, Wheel / Deckhouse Midships, Engine room and crew's quarters aft. We were hauling the components for the Bridge of the Americas outta' N.O. La.and Houston... (structural steel) Machinery (Cats and P&H Crane) in the lower hold and tween decks,.....with an Atco camp lashed on deck in between Hatches and gunwales. Read alla' that as HEAVILY laden, down to "Summer N. Atlantic" on the Plimsoll marks.

Good ship, buts she wasn't a speed demon, 12-13 knots on a good day. Power was two slow speed turbocharged MAK 5 cylinder engines assembled in line on a common bed. IIRC Full ahead was a scorching 120 RPM.

Things got hairy South of Cabo San Antonio,....HURRICANE hairy. as we pushed towards Colon Christobal, one of the German engineers wasn't fast enough throttling down, and she lifted her screw clean out and shook like a wet dog,.....when she came down ther was a horrible knocking and BAD vibration at anything over Slow Ahead. No longer able to drive towards shelter, we turned and ran before the storm, and for the next 3 days slept not at all, ate nothing much, and were just kinda' blown all over the damn place. on one really bad roll the engineer below, and Mate on the bridge both swore to a 45* roll, and I believe they were correct,......when things moderated, and we limped into Colon, and after some sleep, we tore off the sideplates and found that the 3" coupler bolts that married up the two 5 cylinder crankshafts were broken, and the only thing that had held things together was their jagged ends and end thrust against the flanges. If we'd lost that engine it would have been all over. all that was left of the Atco camp on deck were their clean chassis, still secured by chains and load binders.

New oversized bolts were machined up in N.O.La., and a custom reamer ground, as well. Being of pretty small stature, I got to spend a lot of time in that not so roomy crank pit for the following weeks. A WW2 era British Freighter (Banks Line) was tied at the repair dock adjacent, loaded with Copra. A bazillion little beetle like insects ("Copra Flies") descended on us, and infested the entire lash-up. Chief Engineer went ashore one night and got rolled, returned to the ship barefoot, in his underwear.

GTC

The worse was running through 35 footers going across the GOA in a 180 foot buoy tender, 45 degree rolls are as much fun as a man can take.

Having helm watch and having the OOD tell you 'Nothing to the left of 270' was also a hoot on the trip. The friggin rose was already swinging 20 degrees in those seas.


Most interesting was above the Arctic circle on the same ship, going through the ice flows and watching countless walruses drift by, along with all the whales. It was surreal.

Heavy seas on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay in 10 foot aluminum pie plate. Sky is blacker 'n' a bankers heart @ 1400hrs. Dead in the water with an oil tanker bearing down on us while my buddy is "rebuilding" an ancient outboard out of a tackle box full of rusty parts.

The truck was covered in tickets when we got back as he had parked in a restricted area while I waited at the ramp and he wanted me to pay half the fines.

Eglin AFB Fla...1968

Got to ride along on a tug/barge combo for an EOD Gulf sea dump of old munitions,leaking WP,WW2 frag bombs and a ton of 30 M1 small arms.Forget exactly how many miles out the dump site was but funny to see USAF on the port/starboard sides of the tug..

Not 100% nautical but, bellying out a failing turbo prop off the coast [swamp] of FL, when the plane hull and wings started cracking the cypress knees it was just starting to suck, the real suckage started on the 3/4 mile wade in chest deep water to the shore in the dark without the luxury of being able to use any light.

We made it of course, just wondering how many gators, snakes and turtles we roused. lmao

Gunner