robgunther87
Cadet
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2015
- Messages
- 15
So me and the gf are anchored out on the Hudson River last week fishing the channel for catfish, when I noticed some pretty bad lookin clouds coming our way. After watching sky-to-ground lightning occur several times I figured it would be a good idea to take the boat out and take cover. Got the boat out just in time before the storm hit. As I'm getting the transom straps on my boat I turn around and see a boat, still running, floating away from the dock with someone hanging onto the transom IN THE WATER. As I watched, I saw him slip off the boat and go under. We ran to the dock; I grabbed his hand and pulled him on the dock and rolled him on his side, and my gf grabbed the boat and tied it off. He was an older, bigger guy and had to catch his breath for a bit before he could walk up and get his truck. In the meantime the storm is hitting the launch in full force, lighting is hitting everything around us and the rain coming so hard I couldn't see the other side of the river. I watched a bolt of lightning hit a nav buoy 50 yards out from the docks. Helped the poor guy get his boat on the trailer and we waited out the storm in our trucks before we left. He lost his phone and wallet in the water. Said he fell off the dock when he was trying to tie his boat off. We couldn't believe that it had happened. If we weren't there, the boat would've been out of reach within another few seconds and he probably wouldn't have lasted in the water for too much longer. Pretty crazy story, I guess it never hurts to have a second set of hands when docking!