Boats drifting off…

[N Florida Mike]

We had a cold front come through a couple hours ago and It woke me up. I started worrying a little about my bass hunter because I had just pulled it up on our little boat ramp and didnt secure it. I couldn’t sleep thinking about it . So I got up and checked … and it’s gone. So at daybreak Ill be out in the jon boat searching for it.

At least I know it didnt blow over our little dam into the creek spillway, the wind is pretty high and is blowing it the other way down the lake somewhere…

Ever lost a boat, at least for awhile?

[Bluebasser86]

I've had one drift away from the dock while parking the truck and had one stolen, but never just lost one. 

[Captain Phil]

Oh boy...  Some years ago I was fishing with a good friend in Canada.  It was early September and we were 40 miles down Lac Seul in Northern Ontario.  The wind was blowing pretty hard, so we decided to stop and look for arrowheads. We rested the boat on a large rock while we walked around the shoreline.  It was about 40 degrees and the water was very cold.   I turned around and saw that the boat had become dislodged and was drifting away.  I didn't know what to do.  All I could think of was how far away we were and how long we might be stuck there.  My friend was an experienced woodsman.  He was about 5' 10" tall and weighed about 250.  To my surprise he immediately tore off all his clothes and dove in the water.  He caught up to the boat and brought it back.  Picture this.  He is standing on this rock totally naked and wet in 40 degree weather.  I was astonished and ask him what he was doing.  He told me if he had dove in with his clothes on he would have frozen to death as his clothes would never dry out.  We got back safe and sound, but I will never forget that experience. 

[Jig Man]

Yes.

[Tennessee Boy]

There have been a few times when I’ve had to ask someone if they would be kind enough to retrieve my boat for me.

[N Florida Mike]

I found my hunter after 45 minutes or so. It was only 400 feet or so down the lake , and had gotten into a boat slip and partially under a dock. I went right by it in the low light first thing  and found it on the way back. I was glad the trolling motor didnt have the prop break off hitting something.

[Mike L]

3 minutes ago, N Florida Mike said:

I found my hunter after 45 minutes or so. It was only 400 feet or so down the lake , and had gotten into a boat slip and partially under a dock. I went right by it in the low light first thing  and found it on the way back. I was glad the trolling motor didnt have the prop break off hitting something.

Good 

I’m glad you got it back especially with no real damage 

 

 

 

Mike
 

[J Francho]

There was a point in the club I was in where there were almost no competing non boaters.  So, we'd just dump all the boats in, and the last guy would ferry boaters to their boats.  It was quicker than everyone attempting a solo launch.  Anyway, I hope you find yours.

[TnRiver46]

I think I’ve still got a kayak floating around somewhere. It blew off the dock, probably sank or someone got a free kayak 

[gim]

I have to imagine that some people lose their watercraft when a hurricane blows through.

[N Florida Mike]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I have to imagine that some people lose their watercraft when a hurricane blows through.

There was a canoe stuck at my dock after one of our hurricanes. I thought it belonged to a girl I grew up with down the lake. It was hers , and we took it back down to her house. She sold it to me last year for  $ 25.00. ! 

[cyclops2]

A USCG  safety course for kayakers, canoers and other lone ranger types is DEFINATELY in order. Ever use a real anchor in windy conditions ? Wind blowing the boat away from you.  Tell people where & how long you will be gone ?

No cellphone service and high winds.

 

 Oh well

[N Florida Mike]

11 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

A USCG  safety course for kayakers, canoers and other lone ranger types is DEFINATELY in order. Ever use a real anchor in windy conditions ? Wind blowing the boat away from you.  Tell people where & how long you will be gone ?

No cellphone service and high winds.

 

 Oh well

I had a friend that liked sailing. One day his girlfriend and him jumped off the boat in the middle of the lake for a swim and the sailboat blew off too fast for them to catch it. He went under 3 times and his girlfriend who was a better swimmer kept supporting him. Right at the last minute, a fisherman noticed their plight and rescued them. We got there to fish and hang out with them a few minutes later…

His keys had fell in the lake so we had to go to the nearest store ( which was a long way off) and call his dad, who made the 40 mile drive with the spare key…

Very close call!

[TnRiver46]

21 minutes ago, cyclops2 said:

A USCG  safety course for kayakers, canoers and other lone ranger types is DEFINATELY in order. Ever use a real anchor in windy conditions ? Wind blowing the boat away from you.  Tell people where & how long you will be gone ?

No cellphone service and high winds.

 

 Oh well

I believe the topic was about boats drifting away with nobody in them 

[TOXIC]

Group of us fishing the Wolf river in Wisconsin.  Decided to stop at a waterfront cafe for lunch.  Locals love to put a good ribbing on out of staters especially bass guys in walleye country and my bass boat was licensed in Virginia. I had an inexperienced friend from Wisconsin in my boat and I didn’t check when he tied us off.  Group of walleye guys came in and announced very loudly to the entire place that there was a Virginia bass boat heading downriver.  ??

[cyclops2]

Captain Phil posted about his canoe being blown off of a boulder in windy conditions. Fellow boater was more experienced & got to the boat NAKED .  Training is always most important to saving lives.

[Fishingmickey]

I race small sailboats. I had capsized one time while racing and my Laser drifted off faster then I could swim. The wind was strong enough to keep the boat from turning turtle. I was wearing my life jacket and followed it for several hundred yards till it got to shore and I was able to catch up with it. 

FM

[cyclops2]

I have beached several small fishing boats when a squall appeared. Ok when surrounded by land & August water.  BUUTT 

 The time I was caught at the mouth to the ocean ?  Dumb Luck & a rowboat with a 5 hp motor allowed me to go into the bay and just dig the anchor into the first grass island. Wind ?  I laid flat on the grass for a while.

[Captain Phil]

22 hours ago, gimruis said:

I have to imagine that some people lose their watercraft when a hurricane blows through.

 

We lived in South Florida during hurricane Andrew.  My boat was moored in a canal in North Miami 40 miles north of where the hurricane hit.  A few days after the storm, we took the boat down to the bay to look at the damage from the water.  Eight mile wide by sixty mile long Biscayne Bay was littered with sunken boats.   Whole islands of mangroves that had been there for 100 years where wiped clean.  Boats covered the streets along the waterway.  $500 million in boat losses. 

[gim]

51 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

 

We lived in South Florida during hurricane Andrew.  My boat was moored in a canal in North Miami 40 miles north of where the hurricane hit.  A few days after the storm, we took the boat down to the bay to look at the damage from the water.  Eight mile wide by sixty mile long Biscayne Bay was littered with sunken boats.   Whole islands of mangroves that had been there for 100 years where wiped clean.  Boats covered the streets along the waterway.  $500 million in boat losses. 

That's unfortunate for everyone involved but living along the east coast or near the gulf is known hurricane country every single year and its a risk that people must be willing to take.

 

Its not for this guy.

[Captain Phil]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

That's unfortunate for everyone involved but living along the east coast or near the gulf is known hurricane country every single year and its a risk that people must be willing to take.

 

My wife and I have lived in Florida all our lives.   We have ridden out many hurricanes. Florida has been hit by large hurricanes long before anyone ever heard of Global Warming.  Nearly 1000 people a day are moving to Florida, many on the coasts.  Sooner or later Florida is going to see a hurricane disaster like no one has ever witnessed.  We live in the geographical center of the State over 100 miles from the Atlantic and over 60 miles from the Gulf.  Our home is 66 feet above sea level.  When the big one hits, we may have ocean front property!  ?

[gim]

3 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Sooner or later Florida is going to see a hurricane disaster like no one has ever witnessed.

 

At least you can admit its coming.  Some people are in complete denial.

 

Up here in MN we just experienced something along similar lines: tornadoes in December.

[Captain Phil]

53 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

At least you can admit its coming.  Some people are in complete denial.

 

Florida has been hit by a major hurricane every few years since history has been recorded.  In 1926 a major hurricane devastated Miami kicking off the great depression two years before the stock market crash.  The Okeechobee hurricane in 1928 was one of the deadliest hurricanes Florida has ever seen.  Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and earthquakes have been happening for tens of thousands of years, but no one who witnessed them is alive to tell about it.  One day the Yellow Stone Caldera will blow half the country into the atmosphere.  I'm fairly sure blame will be assigned shortly thereafter.  

[Functional]

last time I was able to get about 4 weeks ago.

 

Had a few hours and a lot on my mind, unhook all the straps to the boat and backed her in. I usually stop when the rear side bunks just go under but decided to float it and make it easier to get off the trailer. Well when I hit the brake the boat kept going...bow strap will surely stop it...and it kept going. Typically the wind blows into the dock but this day it was away and she just kept drifting off. Drift was slow enough I stripped down to my boxers  to go in and just got to my waist when my nether region reminded me the water was 40 degrees and there are smarter ways to get the boat (oddly not a sole on the water when you need them).

 

Ran back home (my neighborhood has a dock on this lake so it was a 2 minute drive) threw a kayak in the truck and went back down and towed her in with the kayak. Went back home and changed and went back out to get my first skunk day in many months. For some reason I unhooked the bow strap this time (never do) and will never make that mistake again. 

 

Called it quits after 4 hours and took a hot shower and went to trim my beard, dropped the electric trimmer and proceeded to make a pass without checking and shaved my beard off.

 

Me and Lagavulin had a nice night after that. 

[Jigfishn10]

Unfortunately, I'm seeing it more and more lately. People who have under sized moorings or don't inspect their chains in the bay. A hurricane that comes up the coast either washes their boat on the beach or worse, into the rocky islands scattered in the bay.

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

Up here in MN we just experienced something along similar lines: tornadoes in December.

We've seen more tornadoes this year than in my lifetime combined. 

Now we see hurricanes in late summer (mostly) and fall, tornadoes in the summer (now at least) and nor'easters in the winter/spring. 

 

Not exactly keeping me young...?