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+--- Thread: The Storm (/thread-12464.html)
- Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo - 08-06-2007
Many years ago, pretty much a year or two at the most after I met my good friend Jim (whom you guys know as Jimmy the Mum) I had what was then my second boat. A 23 foot Renkin. A decent boat but nothing of notable quality. I took Jimmy fishing one year and we scored my first shark. A Brown shark that took a live bunker we had snagged on our way out. It was meant to catch a bluefish. See, Jim and I loved blue fishing (mostly for the action but Jim loves a fresh BBQed bluefish). The following year Jim asked if he could bring a friend. A fellow accountant. His name was Mike. As Jim lived so far away (he was in NJ & I was on Long Island) I thought it would be a good idea. Someone to keep Jimmy company on the long ride between our homes. I believe it was around 7 am we all met at my boat at my marina. Also joining us was Ross who back then worked for Jim. (Ross, Jim & I worked for Merrill where we got plenty of work done but with more laughs that should have been allowed, but I digress).
Anyway, it was a hot August day. As usual on such a day, NOAA had in their forecast the threat of afternoon thunder showers. This had been the case all week and no thunder showers had occurred. So damn the torpedoes ... we went fishing!
I targeted an area around 30 miles form port. Called "The Farms". A popular NJ hot spot, a bit of a run for me but worth it because of the action (this was where Jim had caught his shark last year). We arrived at the farms and promptly put out the can of chum. As I recall, within minutes of floating our first bait out the bluefish began to cooperate. The action was a bit slow but steady. Then shortly after noon it picked up tremendously with fish ciming in at a frantic pace. I remember trying to fool Jim by yanking on his line when he wasn't looking. Which I managed to do several times (at least 3 times) only every time, as I laughed at his reaction thinking he was getting all excited over nothing, there was a feisty 8 to 9 pound fish on the line! The joke was on me! But... what was that I noticed in the background? I heard something but we were having too much fun to really notice until I heard it a second time some 10 seconds later. There we were in a beautiful sunny August day with a slight breeze blowing & not a cloud in the sky & I thought I heard a rumble of thunder. I looked toward the North, toward home and all I saw was a black Sky, the deepest blackest sky you can imagine for just after 1:00 in the afternoon and... lightning almost constantly pouring down from the clouds... Wanting to think I was hallucinating I turned on my marine radio and tuned to the weather station...
- Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo - 08-06-2007
Now... something you should know. Some marine band radio has a special feature that if left on any channel, NOAA can send a signal that the radio recognizes as an emergency and will automatically switch to the weather station. This signal is audible. My radio was not as sophisticated, but when I tuned to the weather radio I heard the high pitched shrill of the alarm meant to get the attention of those newer more expensive radios. It got my attention. And then I heard the worst possible words a boater can hear which are permanently burned into my memory... The announcer said:
"ATTENTION ALL MARINERS. THERE IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITION CAUSING HAZARDOUS AND LIFE THREATENING CONDITIONS. ALL MARINERS ARE ADVISED TO SEEK IMEDIATE SAFE HAVEN". He then went on to say that a series of "extremely energetic" storm cells had developed and were over the tri-state area with more coming and more yet forming. Worse, some of these cells were combining...
I told Jim, who was reeling in what had to be his 10 to 15th fish for the day, we had to go home immediately. Understandably, with the weather so perfect where we were, Jim laughed and continued to fight his fish. I pulled my fillet knife from my sheath and cut his line and commanded that he and Ross go forward to pull the anchor while Mike go below and get everyone a life jacket. I started the engine and began to work the boat to assist Jim and Ross. I had noticed that Jim was laughing to Ross saying something about "john"... "go home"... he apparently thought I simply wanted to go home and was using this as an excuse. Once the anchor was up I gave them each a life jacket and instructed them on how to put it on. Jim stopped laughing. I set a course for 27 degrees North and pushed the little 23 footer to max safe speed of around 25 knots. While underway I asked that everyone stow everything safely and as low as possible. They took the fishing rods out of the holders and laid them against the transom. The cooler full of fish was lashed to a cleat. And we headed bravely into the monsters teeth....
- Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo - 08-06-2007
About half way home even I was not prepared for what was about to happen. With around 20 miles to go the seas kicked up from 1 foot to around 10 foot, but were not your ordinary waves, these things were angry... I slowed the boat to around 12 to 14 knots as we rolled over half the waves with the boats speed slowing form the up-hill climb to around 6 knots and rushing to 18 knots as we slid down the windward face. The other half of the waves we punched through with countless gallons of water landing on the deck behind me. And the weather ahead was worse. At one point I heard a noise form behind me and turned to see the fish cooler was flying about the deck. It had snapped it's tether. I was only concerned that it would do damage and would have given anything to be able to stop the boat and toss the fish overboard. I figured having around 150 pounds of fish and ice would simply speed us to our eventual sinking and I wasn't sure I wanted to be swimming in a storm with 150 pounds of fresh dead bleeding fish in these shark infested waters. But there was no way I could leave the helm... I was struggling to keep the bow of the little boat into the wind. If we took even a single wave broadside we would have surely flipped. A short while later (short but it seemed like hours) I heard another noise then saw 2 things that frightened me half to death... 1- the engine cover had worked its way off it's mount allowing all kinds of water below decks (& into the engine!) 2, and even more frightening, I saw sparks jumping from the rod tips of the lowered fishing rods... then it happened. A lightning strike landed a few feet from the boat. The only reason we didn't get hit was the waves were now towering over the top of the boat. Panic set in. I tried to remain level headed but it wasn't easy. I tried to take a head count but Ross would not come out of the cabin. There was nothing I could say to get him out of that death-trap (a cabin is the LAST place you want to be when a small boat goes down). And I could not find Jim. I almost cried as I tried to immagine what I was going to say to his wife. I looked and looked... no Jim. I looked at Mike who was standing along side of me with his eyes riveted out the front window and asked where Jim was, just then another bolt of lightning hit. OK, drastic measures were clearly called for. I decided that heading a little west would bring us along side theJersey shore and I could beach my boat... The boat would be totaled but we would be alive somewhere in NJ. Then I remembered Jim again and something made me step aside form my seat and look from a different perspective. There he was all curled up with his arms and legs wrapped around the pedestal of my captains chair. I have to tell you I felt renewed. I was not going to have to explain to his family how I killed Jim...
- ColbyPants - 08-06-2007
man the suspense is killing me! whats going to happen next??
- Tonto - 08-06-2007
ColbyPants Wrote:man the suspense is killing me! whats going to happen next??Yeah......I wanna know if they made it....
- Mark - 08-06-2007
Tonto The Long Island Sidekick Wrote:[doh][doh][doh]ColbyPants Wrote:man the suspense is killing me! whats going to happen next??Yeah......I wanna know if they made it....
- Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo - 08-06-2007
With my renewed confidence I turned the boat around 20 degrees to the east heading back to my home port. Then again, a lightning strike hit just ahead of us. OK, I think this qualifies for a call to the coast guard. I turned the radio to channel 16 and began to call for the coast guard. I called and even pleaded for over 15 minutes with no response. (only later did I learn that the 2 closest coastguard stations had both lost their radios from lightning strikes). I pointed the boat back towards the North West. NJ. Then it appeared the storm was subsiding (although the waves were still ridiculous) for the last time I pointed the boat to my inlet and looked ahead and saw the true fury of the storm now that the rain had let up a bit where we were. Then one more deafening lightning strike and I lost my radio and navigator (LORAN). If I recall the engine even sputtered as we coasted down a wave and I smelled the steam and ozone as we passed right through where that far too close bolt had landed. OK, God wants us to go to NJ so to NJ we went! The weather seemed to clear a bit as we headed nearly true East towards Sandy Hook NJ. I was completely unfamiliar with the area and finally saw a major dock that would be great to tie up on. As we approached a military jeep pulled up and 3 very serious armed marines told us to leave the area immediately. I tried to tell them we almost died and all he did was adjust his rifle and repeat his command to leave with a warning he was not going to repeat it again. For the second time that day I wanted to cry. We headed further west under sunny skys. I looked east and it sill looked like hell in that direction. OK, we're not going home. Then we happened upon a major marina. The state run Leonardo Marina. We tied up to the mail dock and ran into to speak with the dock master. WE WERE SAVED! (it was around then Ross came out of the cabin all smiles asking where the beers were). I told the dock-master of our ordeal and that we were tied up on his dock. He said you can't stay there". DEJA VOUS! I was waiting for HIS M16 as I wondered what the hell is with these NJ people and their docks. He explained that this dock was topped with concrete and had a nasty habit of tipping over in rough weather taking boats down with it. OK then... He told us to dock in slip #24, no one should be there. We putted over to #24 and began to tie up. Jim went below to get something and I tossed Ross a line to make fast to the dock. Just then the boat next to us, a sail boat with a high mast was struck by lighting! I instinctively closed my eyes and hunched up. When I opened my eyes there was no trace of Ross. I could not imagine where the hell we went to. Jim came out commented about the lighting and asked where Ross was. I answered: "by now, Home in Bayside Queens"...
- Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo - 08-06-2007
After securing the boat with yet another storm cell coming in we went to the dock-master and asked where we could get a hot cup of coffee or something & a phone. He told us about a diner a few hundred yards ahead. As we ran there we joked about not caring about what the hell happened to Ross. Then as we walked in there he was with a shot of whiskey and that big stupid patented grin of his...
Well, we had something to drink (I don't recall if it was coffee or beer or whiskey-hell I am not even sure if it was a diner of a bar). We began to talk about what had just happened and almost could not believe our own story.. We spoke to a local about the first dock we tried to tie up to and how these military guys chased us away. They told us that is was a nuclear submarine dock and no one is allowed there under any circumstances. Aparantly they took that seriously. Then I told Jim about how I was thinking about having to tell Donna that I lost her husband. I asked him point blank: "Jim, what the hell were you doing under that seat!". Without a moments pause he answered: "trying to remember the words to the f#(king Hail Mary". I laughed and said: "Jim, I'm pretty sure you got that part wrong". As the evening wore on the skys looked bright and clear. All's well, except we were at least 20 miles form my marina. Although no more that 12 miles form Jim and Mikes houses.. but their car was at my house. We went back to the boat and checked everything out. There was still 2 hours of daylight. I changed a few fuses and all of the electronics came back. The weather man on NOAA was talking about the dangerous weather being to the eastern part of Long Island. We took a vote and decided to try to get back home. My home. So we gathered our wills and untied the boat (after securing that engine hatch) and headed out of the very safe and hospitable Leonardo Marina with hope in our hearts.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. The sun set on us as we neared my inlet I wore my sunglasses prior so by this time my eyes were fully acclimated to the dark. Trying to relieve the tension, as we neared my inlet and I felt totally safe so I thought a little joke was in order. I pretended to see a storm ahead but I almost brought Mike to tears so I apologized immediately and assured him all was well.
We got back and later learned that not far from where we had been, probably while we were there, less than 2 miles away a 36 foot boat-over 22,000 pounds (my boat if you recall was 23 foot, around 4,000 pounds) was lifted by a tornado and dropped from a height of around 25 feet. Four people on board died. There were 2 survivors. Also Long Island had suffered it's worse weather in recorded history. Over 7 unconfirmed tornadoes, power out to over half of the island and 4 people dead. And we were on the water in that hell!!! I called to tell my then wife we were ok, she was unconcerned. She was more concerned that our power was out and she lost her air conditioning for an hour!
Jim and Mike later bought me a chart for the Sandy Hook area as a thank you for, what was in their minds a heroic act, saving their lives. I see it different. I put their lives in jeopardy. But we are all alive and have an exciting story to tell.
- Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo - 08-06-2007
the end
- Mark - 08-06-2007
Amazing story Skip!