Risky Business

October 28th, 2007

Today was the most dangerous day on the water I have had since I was a young and reckless kid and quite frankly I consider myself lucky to be alive. It all started when I made plans to go fishing for striper today at the Narrow River Inlet. I arrived at my boat in Point Judith and noticed that it was not blowing 5-10 knots like the marine forecast said but was 10-15 knots with gusts to 20. I listened to the marine forecast on the boat at it looked like I would be okay once I got Point Judith Light into Narragansett Bay.

My gut told me not to go that the wind was strong and was going to increase but I decided to go anyway. The flags were straight out and flapping hard. However I was feeling frustrated as the last two times I took the day to go fishing I never left the harbor because to was so rough. This time I am going out. Leaving the harbor of refuge the breakers we pretty big but not that bad, I rocked and rolled until I got around the Point Judith Light house and then it was down hill sled ridding all the way to the Narrow River Inlet.

When I got there the Coast Guard was on site because a fellow fisherman was flipped right out of his boat and had been rescued by another vessel. That made me a little concerned. I got out my gear and started to fish. The weather just got worse by the half hour. I thought lets just catch a couple of keepers and get the hell out of here. I wanted to stay because this was my last trip of the year. Boats were beginning to peel off and leave a hour and a half later I decided to blow dodge. I set course back to Point Judith and was taking some monster waves, this is where I screwed up…I have a safe mooring in Newport Harbor and another at Prudence Island, however the car was at Point Judith so it is there I must go.

When I got my captains license they drilled into your head it is not one thing that sinks a vessel it is a sequence of events that does the job. This was my sequence. The waves were steep and short sets. The wind was howling out of the South West with gusts I guessed up to 30 knots or so.. I smashed off a wave and the speaker for my radio exploded and landed at my feet…now I can not hear the radio. In order to hear over the internal speaker I have to remove the plug at the back of the radio, which is tucked into my overhead T-top locker and virtually inaccessible.. Okay for now because I am okay and It is too rough to do. One hand on the wheel and one for myself. Next the zip down windshield on by T-Top broke over the summer, that was something I planed on fixing during the off season. The waves were now crashing over the bow and the spray was hitting me in the face blinding me as it fogs my glasses up. My head is soaking wet, no hat and I am getting cold… Next my PFD is at home in the garage as it went off over the summer and I was eventually going to recharge it, but had not.. so no PFD and few life vests are on the boat but I can’t get to them easily as they are in the bow locker, I do have a throwing device which at this point give me little comfort. Next I have my dog on the boat, he is a distraction, he is small and I can not see him, I have too look around to make sure he is okay, he is not. At this point he is catatonic and drooling smashed into the rear of the boat pinned to the stern rail by the cooler. As we go off a huge wave and crash into the trough two things happen A the dog flies about 4 feet into the air and my glasses go flying off and into the sea. I can still see but everything is a little blurry. At this point I am a ½ mile North of the light I stop the boat and check out the dog he is messed up. I tie him to the boat and try to calm him. I slow the boat to about 9 knots and hope to ride it out and slowly head for the harbor.

A serious problem develops as the boat is heavy in the stern and sits low. In the stern as the waves pick the front of the boat up the stern settles and takes water over the motor mount bracket, which in turn drains out the one stern baler I have open since I blocked the other 3 with wooden pegs so she would not take water through the stoppers when I have a few people on the boat. So the water is now pouring into the bilge and the pump is going nonstop. At least I have a manual pump, if I should need it. But oh yeah the hose fell inot the ocean in rough weather because I was hand pumping the fish boxes out as the macerator pump was vapor locked. Something I was going to fix at the dock but never got to it. At this point going back to Newport pops into my head as it is downwind and once I get by Beaver Tail and tuck into Castle Hill I am home free. But that is miles in the wrong direction and I am only a mile and a half from the Harbor of Refuge. I decided to go for it. I am very close ,so I hit the gas and get through the last ½ mile then turn the corner as I turn I look back to the dog and it happens. A huge set of waves hit the boat broadside and tips her on her starboard side, My body slips and now I am hanging by the wheel with my torso over the side as the next wave hits the boat. my legs are still inside the boat pressed up against the gunnels. . I can not let go of the wheel to throttle back because I will most certainly fall into the sea and drown and I can not turn the wheel to nose back into the next wave because I have no leverage. The last wave hits the boat and we slide down again broad side. The boat levels and I get back in behind the wheel. Very carefully and very focused I pick my way into the break wall opening and live to fight another day.

Once I get into the dock the dog starts to rebound, he was very frightened it took him a few minutes to reset himself. When he got off the dock he took off for the hills and I spent 20 minutes chasing him.. he wanted no part of me. I guess he is smarter than I thought.. He slept all the way home and is now okay but he thinks I am an idiot, he may be right.

So what the hell happened a lot of stuff did and lot of petty stuff that did not concern me as it happened but combined with the seas and weather almost got me killed. I very well could have drowned today over a poor decision coupled with a distracting dog and not addressing a few minor maintenance issues. So as it sit here with 8 lives left I thank God for not drowning me and feel pretty lucky today. I am going to hug my wife and kids and have a tall scotch with ice and keep an eye on the dog as he is probably planning on finishing the job I started.