roscozen
Petty Officer 3rd Class
- Joined
- Mar 8, 2008
- Messages
- 98
i've been boating for 6 years.
yesterday while fishing i started catching fish, one after another while drifting. i took a minute to drop anchor but, in a hurry, i just tied off at the stern cleat.
swells were splashing a bit into the splashwell, but that's no big deal, i thought.
my buddy says "we're really getting a lot of water in here, but i didn't even look because i was busy rebaiting.
that's when i felt water soaking into my shoes.
i turned and saw the transom was nearly underwater.
the anchor line was pulling the stern down into the oncoming swell and every one was now breaking over the transom.
i hit the bilge pump switch.
nothing.
almost under now.
nothing to use to bail manually.
tried to start the outboard motor.
no start, battery and bottom of motor now submerged.
finally it started.
no time to pull up anchor, i turned and drove towards it at an angle so as not to get rope tangled in the prop.
luckily it broke loose from bottom.
but the boat is moving too slow. too much water weight
gave my buddy the helm and snapped on the anchor retrieval bouy and gave the motor full throttle while i dove into the water in the back now thigh high and pulled the plugs from the well and deck rear.
after a lifetime ( about 3 or 4 minutes ) i could see that the water was half gone from the deck and all gone from the splashwell.
still towing anchor, we turned round back towards bouy w/anchor hanging from it. turned too sharp and nearly capsized as the starboard side dipped way too low, but managed to straighten out in time.
grabbed the anchor and buoy and pulled in the rope and headed for home.
after 5 more minutes enough water was sucked out thru the drain holes that i replaced them and we were able to throttle down both the motor and our hearts.
the only loss was my cell phone that got fried in the salt water. it was in my pocket and on at the time.
LESSONS LEARNED
1.anchor from the bow only.
2.install pump in splashwell as well as rear deck.
3. test both pumps before leaving the house.
5.put cell phone in ziplock, secure and in reach up high.( dashboard )
6.secure life vests w/velcro on deck within easy reach. ( not in cabin)
7. attach cords to drain plugs for easy pull out.
8.secure tackle box,rods,, rags, ice chest, and all other items on deck.
9.add manual bail bucket.
10. create a secure place for everything and keep it there.
it is unbelievable how much stuff gets misplaced and unsecured while fishing. in an emergency it all rolls or floats all over the place. ice chest, tackle box, tool kit, rags, rods, hats, drinks, bait.
all under your feet in an emergency.
even an ice cube or piece of bait or sinker could easily plug up a drain.
a fish rag could stop a bilge pump.
etc., etc.
i got off real easy.
i could be now paying 6 to8 thousand dollars for mandatory salvage, or our wives could be getting us cremated today or a hundred other awful things could be the case right now because i was not prepared for the very basic realities of boating.
of course we can't be ready for everything, but i AM NOW at least preparing for the forseeable., holding up my end.
i hope this does some good for somebody else as well.
yesterday while fishing i started catching fish, one after another while drifting. i took a minute to drop anchor but, in a hurry, i just tied off at the stern cleat.
swells were splashing a bit into the splashwell, but that's no big deal, i thought.
my buddy says "we're really getting a lot of water in here, but i didn't even look because i was busy rebaiting.
that's when i felt water soaking into my shoes.
i turned and saw the transom was nearly underwater.
the anchor line was pulling the stern down into the oncoming swell and every one was now breaking over the transom.
i hit the bilge pump switch.
nothing.
almost under now.
nothing to use to bail manually.
tried to start the outboard motor.
no start, battery and bottom of motor now submerged.
finally it started.
no time to pull up anchor, i turned and drove towards it at an angle so as not to get rope tangled in the prop.
luckily it broke loose from bottom.
but the boat is moving too slow. too much water weight
gave my buddy the helm and snapped on the anchor retrieval bouy and gave the motor full throttle while i dove into the water in the back now thigh high and pulled the plugs from the well and deck rear.
after a lifetime ( about 3 or 4 minutes ) i could see that the water was half gone from the deck and all gone from the splashwell.
still towing anchor, we turned round back towards bouy w/anchor hanging from it. turned too sharp and nearly capsized as the starboard side dipped way too low, but managed to straighten out in time.
grabbed the anchor and buoy and pulled in the rope and headed for home.
after 5 more minutes enough water was sucked out thru the drain holes that i replaced them and we were able to throttle down both the motor and our hearts.
the only loss was my cell phone that got fried in the salt water. it was in my pocket and on at the time.
LESSONS LEARNED
1.anchor from the bow only.
2.install pump in splashwell as well as rear deck.
3. test both pumps before leaving the house.
5.put cell phone in ziplock, secure and in reach up high.( dashboard )
6.secure life vests w/velcro on deck within easy reach. ( not in cabin)
7. attach cords to drain plugs for easy pull out.
8.secure tackle box,rods,, rags, ice chest, and all other items on deck.
9.add manual bail bucket.
10. create a secure place for everything and keep it there.
it is unbelievable how much stuff gets misplaced and unsecured while fishing. in an emergency it all rolls or floats all over the place. ice chest, tackle box, tool kit, rags, rods, hats, drinks, bait.
all under your feet in an emergency.
even an ice cube or piece of bait or sinker could easily plug up a drain.
a fish rag could stop a bilge pump.
etc., etc.
i got off real easy.
i could be now paying 6 to8 thousand dollars for mandatory salvage, or our wives could be getting us cremated today or a hundred other awful things could be the case right now because i was not prepared for the very basic realities of boating.
of course we can't be ready for everything, but i AM NOW at least preparing for the forseeable., holding up my end.
i hope this does some good for somebody else as well.
