Got away with a stupid decision

[airdvr1227]

Wanted one more trip to the Erie Islands before layup. Bad case of 'get-there-itis'.

Tuesday was a lousy day. Cold, rain, wind. We left for Sandusky in the early afternoon (2 hour drive). Weather promised to let up around 6pm. Never mind that small craft advisary :redface:

Decided to go further out onto Catawba and launch from there because it's closer. We get to the launch and there is one guy coming in off the lake in a smaller Lund. His words...'it's not too bad'. We decided to make a run for it. Hell, we could see where we were going from shore.

Long story short...bad idea. Not so much in what happened but in what could have happened. My rig handled the occasional 6 foot wave sets in between the steady 4 footers. Had my engine quit I would have been in big trouble. Rox is not a good swimmer and I'm surprised she didn't toss her cookies. I even felt a little queasy for awhile. What normally takes 30 minutes took an hour and a half. We finally pulled into PIB in the dark and to my surprise, we were the only boat. I interpreted that too be we were the only people stupid enough to try that crossing in those conditions.

We found an open bar and toasted our stupidity. What did we learn? Simple. A small craft advisory should be enough of a warning on Lake Erie.

BTW..yesterday was beautiful. 70 and sunny...waves 2 feet or less.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Glad you got away with it. Our motto is "if in doubt, don't go out"

 

[robert graham]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

You learned a lot that day! Try not to get killed! Good Luck...

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Glad you made it with out incident. Look at it this way, besides learning that it might be better next time to wait it out - I'll bet you also learned some other valuable information about how you, your wife, and your vessel handled under adverse circumstances. That's priceless knowledge in my book.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Two words...Edmund Fitzgerald.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Lake Erie taught me that lesson when i was young.I used to go out fishing with the old neighbor man.He had about a 21 footer.
We were at least 10 miles off shore one day when the waves picked up to 6 footers.
He acted like it was not that big of deal.He had fished Erie all his life.
I was hanging on for dear life on the ride back!
Back in those days all he had was a compass.....Got to give him credit.He got us back to port still alive.

Glad you made it....

 

[jmarty10]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

I give you credit for tackling one of the great lakes with your size boat! I have an 18 footer and would love to go out on Lake Michigan but the fear of what could happen keeps me off. I passed up a great day when kids and family were up in Zion state park and I didnt bring my boat. Mid 80's, calm "seas" and I could only watch the other boats cruise by. Maybe next year

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Two words...Edmund Fitzgerald.

Along with thousands of other boats.....Erie can get wicked very fast.

 

[jserb]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Ohhhhhh Put In Bay....the things it makes us go through to get to her.....Yeah iv been in this predicament more than once (dangerous and not).. 2 years ago coming home from PIB to Michigan we hit 8ft swells with a constant 6 chop, I spoke to a few local captains who were out there that day and they too agreed it matched the worst lake conditions they've ever seen on Erie over the years. We were in the Scarab and although we had 2 motors it was an unsettling feeling seeing the horizon and then staring at a wall of water...what usually takes me 50 mins took 2 hrs to cross!! If we would have lost both motors we would have been in a world of hurt....those waves were huge and close together......the low free board of a scarab would have been swamped...thankfully i have Evinrudes to keep me alive ;-)

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Two words...Edmund Fitzgerald.

Lake Superior...................... still nuff said.

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

There is an old saying by pilots when making that go/no go decision when the weather is getting bad.

"It is better being on the ground and wishing you were up there rather than being up there and wishing you were on the ground"

I have made the wrong choice a couple of times both on the water and in the air and sombody up there must look out for a person like me who sometimes thinks I am smarter than I really am:redface:

 

[tcgobucks]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Two words...Edmund Fitzgerald.

...except that the Fitzgerald sunk in Lake Superior....not really comparable to a 10 mile run from Catawba to PIB....lol

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Thanks all. This was one of those life experiences I've gotten away with and had the good fortune to be able to reflect upon what a poor choice I had made. In skydiving we call them 'bonus days'.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

It was a Friday afternoon at work and there was not a cloud in the sky. The forecast said calm and warm. My buddy said let's blow this popstand and go fishing. We got out off Sturgeon Point in Lake Erie to our favorite spot at about 3PM. The fishing was good, as evidenced by a half dozen 14' rental boats all anchored in the same acre of water. The Lake was like a sheet of glass and there was not a breath of wind. The two tinnies closest to us had 2 guys in each one fishing, with their bikini-clad girlfriends layinng across the seats.

About 7PM the wind started to come up. I told my buddy we better head for shore because on Erie you never know. By the time we got the poles stowed and the anchor up, the waves were up to 3 feet. By the time we got running they were 5 footers. It took us 2 hours to get in when it should have taken 15 minutes. We could hear those girls screaming the whole time but could'nt see them. It started to get dark so I put my running lights on so the others could see me and follow if necessary. I didn't think the rentals had lights.

We could'nt head directly in because the waves were breaking over the bow no matter what speed I took them. So, we had to run the troughs every few hundred yards. When we finally passed behind the breakwall, the others were right behind us.

Young and foolish. After that I never went out without a VHF, and saved up for a kicker. An engine failure in that instance would have meant drifting over to Canada.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: Got away with a stupid decision

Puget Sound, Hood Canal, the Straits of Juan de Fuca, all good size that have mountain ranges along BOTH sides, even a 'lil breeze can turn a nice day into a real *****-clencher when you're young(er), and stupid(er).(I can still do stupid!).

It's a wonder that many of us survive to tell about it.

We're the lucky ones.

Learn from our mistakes.(What's a radio? Cell phone, not invented yet.).