-and the good part is it wasn't me (or any of my friends) that were stupid (this time)!<br /><br />September 2004, Lake George, NY.<br />---------------------<br />(background info)<br />My friends parents have been running this annual trip for years, they are now retired. The trip is now 3 weeks long, to accomodate everyone's schedules. I'm not retired, but I am on Setup/Breakdown crew, so I go up for a long weekend, come back home, then go up again. This happened on my return for the second part of my vacation.<br />----------------------<br /><br />I arrive Norowal Marina, Bolton Landing, at about 9:30PM, within the pre-arranged window. I call on the FRS radio, but get nothing. It rained all the way up, when it wasn't pouring, but now it is just a light mist with about 1 mile visibility. No answer on the radio after about 1/2 hour, so I figure everyone is rained out & bunk myself in the car until morning BUT- I leave on the radio, just in case.<br /><br />About 10:30 PM, radio comes to life - Pickup in 15 minutes. Grab gear & head to the dock. 20 minutes later, we cast off, 5 minutes later, as we clear no wake zone the rain returns, viz back down to about 75 yards, waves about 2-3 feet. SO it's slow boat to China. Out comes the gazillion candlepower search light. About 25 minutes later (normally 10 minute ride in clear conditions) we're about 1/4 mile from the island we're camping on (Turtle) when I notice something in the side glare of the searchlight that doesn't look right. I tell my friend to stop.<br /><br />Off about 100yds is a canoe, and with the motor idling we can hear a faint, plaintive-<br /><br />help...<br /><br />You could hear the lack of exclamation points!<br /><br />(Time check - now about 11:20)<br /><br />Carefully pull up to the canoe and there is this drowned rat in an old Grumman with a couple chunks of firewood, a couple of "Budget Baja Bags" (a.k.a. trashbags) with clothing & sleeping bags, a cooler, a tent, and a case of Sam Adams. No foul weather gear.<br /><br />At least he had on a PFD...<br /><br />THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU etc<br /><br />Drag him aboard, drag his gear aboard, ask him where he was heading - he was heading out ESE to an island on the east shore (Huckleberry)- the wind & waves drove him almost 2 miles NNW of where he wanted to be.<br /><br /> NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED: <br /><br />Call in to our fellow campers on FRS & apprise them of situation, then I tell Horatio Hornblower he's coming with us & bunking in one of our spare tents until morning when he says<br /><br />"I CAN'T - MY GIRLFRIEND IS ON THE ISLAND"<br /><br />What was in his canoe? Tent... Sleeping bags...<br /><br />According to Vasco Da Gama, he & his girlfriend paddled out to the island without any gear at about 2PM. He leaves her there about 3PM to get the gear & beer. It's about 1 1/2 miles total paddle under good conditions, and the weather during the afternoon there was not really bad, according to my friends - it started getting bad about4-ish. <br />Oh - and it is his first time to Lake George. <br />Oh - and it is the first time they'd ever gone canoeing.<br />SO---<br />By time Magellan starts heading back, it's about 5PM, so he's been out on the lake in weather for over 6 hours, & his girlfriend is on the island by herself with just the clothes on her back.<br /><br />SO now it's RESCUE MISSION - PART DEUX<br />Call in again on radio to the island & let them know what's up.<br /><br />Slow boat to China for about 2 1/2 miles trying to find a small (maybe 30X30 yard) island in the dark in the rain towing a canoe.<br /><br />40 Minutes later...<br />-Get to the island without running aground on other islands (barely) or fouling the prop in the towrope (which slacked off while avoiding other islands)<br />-Girlfriend is happy to see us (and I do mean US, not necessarily Philip The Navigator)<br />Smart girl - she hid out in one of the outhouses during the worst of the rain.<br /><br />THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU etc etc<br /><br />SO Lord Nelson offers to pay for gas.<br />Offers to give us the Sam Adams.<br /><br />My friend looks at me-<br />I look back-<br />She declines the gas money...<br />I decline the beer...<br /><br />We both figured that it was snakebit & wanted nothing further to do with him!<br /><br />Another 40 minutes before I finally get to my campsite - luckily I have good friends and they had suitable beverages prepared for our arrival.<br /><br />Dopey SOB was very lucky that night...<br /><br /><br />====================================<br />How I prevent forgetting to put the plug in:<br /><br />I have a tether on the plug that is attached to the tilt lever on the outboard...<br />After I lift the engine, I wrap the plug around the steering arm so that I can't lower the tilt lever without undoing the plug from the arm. Works every time!
