Sea Stories and Tall Tales of the Seas by Forum Members

I think my best (worst) story is from when I was much younger. It is more about ignorance of youth, since as I got older, I have been fortunate enough to have kept scary sea stories away somehow.

I'll share two of them... same cursed boat!

The boat: My good friend's father's sloop, bought new in 1972 or something. We were using it in the late 1980's. Both stories have about 6 people on board, college friends, men and women mixed.

Story #1:

We headed off from the mooring field toward a set of offshore islands that are a popular day sail away. There was a fog bank between us and the islands, starting at about the last mooring in the mooring field. This being Maine, it is hard to see the bow from the helm in this kind of fog. Closed in tightly.

So, we listened and made our way to the gong channel marker near the entrance to the harbor. At this time, the guy whose dad owns the boat gets out the charts and gets us a heading to the offshore island. He is careful enough and prudent enough to even take set and drift into account.

We start steering the course by compass (it was the old days - no GPS).

I'm on bow watch since we are fogged in and sounding the proper signals. Between soundings, I think I catch the sound of waves crashing. Well, fog can do weird things to you, so I wait to hear it a second time. Just as I hear it a second time, I see not only waves breaking, but the shore. We are headed at it at around 5-6 knots.

"LAND!!!" I yell and try to get the guy whose dad owns the boat to cut the wheel and do a 180. He reacts too late and "BANG!" We hit rocks.

Everybody on board looked like in Star Trek when they are thrown around the bridge.

I jump back to the cockpit (being one of two people who knows how to navigate) and quickly start trying to plot a reciprocal course out of there. The rocks are now gone since it's so foggy you can hardly see the bow.

We aren't taking on water, but the existing heading makes no sense to me.

I look closely and ask the kid why were were on that heading. He looks at his work and finds that BECAUSE HE IS STONED, he read the depth instead of the heading on the compass rose!!!

Not cool. I'm very anti-drugs on boats. I didn't really appreciate this situation. At least the kid never did that again. The keel had a little piece out of it, but we were lucky to have had no other damage.

Story #2:

Same boat. Same people, mostly. We found a little inflatable pool toy one afternoon out for a day sail. So, we tied it to a line and one brave soul (a fat girl) tried it. We were going about 2 knots under sail, so she floated along nicely. Ok, that looks fun!

So, I reeled her in (like a huge tuna! ha ha ha) and got the toy ready. It was a very small toy, just a little inflatable ring. I got into the ring and held the line as it payed out, awaiting my relaxing ride. Had a few beers before this, so I was looking forward to a warm, relaxing time. What I failed to notice was that we were now doing 5 knots.

BANG! That line went tight and the pool toy went for 200ft down. Literally, my ears were popping from the pressure. I had to either let go of this toy and the line and face MOB, or hold my breath. We were sailing at 5 knots and there was only one experienced sailor aboard, with the other one in the water struggling. He'd never be able to do a MOB and get me. Since nobody was watching me (everyone was drunk), I decided to hold my breath and go hand over hand, for 75ft or so, against 5 knots current.

Somehow, I made it. Got to the stern, but didn't have the strength and couldn't catch my breath to get up the transom ladder. I had to yell out for help getting back up the transom. Luckily, somebody put their beer down to help haul me up.

Beyond scary. Nearly died that day.

Also - little add on: I've drown before in a lake before I could swim. Tried making it to the raft/float in the middle. I made it! But... I drowned on the way back and next thing I knew I was on the beach with water spewing out of my mouth everywhere as they revived me. It's actually pretty relaxing drowning, after you take that first breath of water.

 

I went hunting up long Eklutna lake in the Matanuska Valley of South Central AK with three other guys.
We used a big Novarania Rubber boat for a Barge taking all of our Camp up there.
Making camp we scanned the far side of the lake looking for Moose.
Seeing a few and a Black Bear, we got into the Novarania, went across the lake to the the selected destination, and went up the hill with our Archery equipment to bring a Moose home to dinner.

It was a Grand trip. Someone almost shot the guy with the Birch bark Moose call. Another guy nearly got run over by a Love sick Moose. The Black Bear ran straight up the hill and out of range quickly.
It was a Grand day of hunting under a Hi Pressure of cool air and great sunshine.
So nobody got any blood on his hands and we trekked back down to the boat for some dinner across the lake at the Camp.

Always a Hi Pressure ends with winds. I think we might have known that as all of us were Pilots or Air Force Flight support people.

Before we got across the lake to the camp, it was clear to all of us that this hunting trip was over.
A veritable Hurricane was coming down the lake from the Hi peaks above us.
A Cold front had stalled on the Southern side of the Mountains and finally pushed its way up the Mountain. All that Cold air came cascading down the Northern side of that mountain, across the glacier and down onto that long lake.

It was lucky we had a motor on that boat. We wouldn't have made the shore we were headed for, but instead we'd have been blown back down the lake to the Siphon.

While some cooked theLast meal [b/] for the guys who were about to embark on a Five mile Voyage back to the end of the lake, the rest struggled to take down the camp in that hi wind.
It was like strapping onto a Parachute at the end of a Runway in a Hi wind. The only thing we could do was keep a grip, and jump on the Tent when the Wind abated for a second or two. It was fierce.

Finally we are all in the Novarania and headed down the lake. Its a good thing that boat had the high sides. We shipped so much water we were riding a Bathtub down the lake.
I still to this day have a great respect for the safety of those big Rubber boats.

While riding down the lake, off to the East side we see a guy in an Aluminum Canoe, by himself, paddling up the lake we'd just come down. He'd just started out as we were passing him on the way in.
He had a really large PFD on. I'd never seen one like that.
I thought when looking at him, that I'd never ever consider doing that in weather like this. Collectively we said some unprintable things as well.

So as we approach the end of the lake near the Ramp, a large crowd of people met us on the Beach.
"you've got to go get him!" "we've lost sight of him" "he went back to get the other guys"... and so on. Lot's of emotional clamor. Frankly I was not impressed enough to consider going after him.

His Canoe was not long enough to handle the distance between tops. He was taking on way too much water. Only nature and the Designers know what kept that Canoe upright with him in it.
And eventually it happened. His Canoe swallowed a big gulp of wave and suddenly his head bobbing was all we could see from a hi point on the Beach.

By this time we'd thrown out our load onto the Beach. So "Mr Clean" and I jumped into the boat and shoved off to get this bobbing head.
It's no exaggeration when I say the Wave peaks were 5' high or more and the distance between Peaks was 20' of more.

Dennis had a heckuva time finding the Guy. Dennis maneuvered the boat so the wind would be driving the guy along side of us and I grabbed his hands to haul him in.
Well, that was almost impossible. He was too big, his PFD was in the way and he was too cold to help.
Dennis got it in reverse so we were going backwards with the wind, which helped, but finally we had to take a chance.

Dennis put the engine in Neutral and jumped forward to help me.
Now we are all in danger. The only thing keeping us from flipping was the Wind coming over top of us holding the far side down and me and Dennis pulled this guy up.

He was so cold he could not speak at all.
We flopped him in the middle of the boat, and Dennis leaped back to the Motor Tiller and again we were on the way.
I had to get way up front so Dennis could turn the boat in the wind and head for shore.
Dennis and I worked this all out as we neared the guy and saw the Chore we were about to tackle.

We crashed through the surf onto the Beach and a bunch of people got the survivor out, and took him to a better place.
We were thanked by that guy later on. I don't know how he found us though. We didn't leave anybody our names.

He told me the PFD was an old NAVY relic from WWII or Korea.
It held his head and shoulders out of the water. A great PFD.

 

When I first got my third mates license, I was nervous as a tart in church. Wanted my watch to run perfect. Super attentive. Double check, triple check, everything. I didn't write log entrys, I painstakingly drew the letters laboriously, carefully.
Noticed it was getting a bit hazy. Well! I'm the officer of the watch. I'm not lacking initiative. The captain doesn't have to tell me to sound fog signals. So, I start the signals. Wa-a-a-amp! About the 2nd long waaamp, intership phone rings, I answer, it's the captain. "Anything around us third?" No sir. "Anything on the scope?" No sir. " if you can spare a minute, drop down to my office and bring the weather?" Yes sir. I step outside headed for captains office next deck down. It's sunny and clear as a bell. I race into wheelhouse, secure signals, and red faced, reported to captain with weather chart and reports. Old man only thanked me, never said a word about the fog signals. I learned to step outside from time to time and look at the world without misty glass obscuring it.

 

That's a good one!

 

I was captain of an old tug, and she had a crews head way up in the bow under a raised focsle. To port were three toilet stalls, to starboard 3 shower stalls, aft bulkhead flanking WT door, 2 sinks, and the narrow forward bulkhead welded on rungs leading up to an escape hatch.
One afternoon, I was on helm, and chief came to me with report, head was flooded. I called a deckhand to take wheel, and chief and I investigated.
There was about 1 ft water sloshing around. Another 6 inches, and it'd be over the door sill. Under the head was our potable water tank. I examine deck for bubbles, cracks, nothing. Chiefs checking hull plating in showers and behind toilets. Nothing. I'm checking the seal on the escape hatch. Chief scoops up hand full of water and tastes it. It's fresh! We're in Gulf of Mexico. Salt.
Chief dashes out and returns with a prybar. The toilets and showers are built on raised platforms for the plumbing to run under. Plumbing to head not allowed to perforate potable water tank, but runs above deck under platforms.
Chief prys off a facia board, and sodden paper and feces flow out around our feet. It's a broken toilet drain.
I ask, "Chief are you sure it's fresh water? Wanna test it again?" He hit me!

 

LOL oh that's a great one too.
Reminds me of Cheech n' Chong's "Dog $hit" routine.

That Foggy Glass was good too. My Son went through that nearly ramming a bridge embutment. The Rude little bugger asailed me for not having automatic wipers in front of the Helm.
"Because they aint been invented yet!" I replied a bit testily.

 

Intercoastal Nightmare

Back in the good ole days-I was about 17 and my parents and I and my brother lived on the intercoastal at Mary Esther, Florida-which is a fairly narrow ditch. Our house was on a lot a couple hundred feet from the beach and we had a dock for our boat. The boat was a 47' twin diesel Grebe my Dad had converted with a lot of help from the rest of us. Before moving to Mary Esther from Pensacola Beach we had lived on the boat for about 10 years-a great way to develop a love of being on the water!
Many times I would sleep over on the boat-usually up forward in "my" bunk but this night I slept in the parents bunk in the aft cabin-it was cool and no mosquitos and laying in the bunk I could see the stars out the aft companion way.
I had a great nights sleep but woke up early sensing an odd darkess-no light coming in the companion way but lots of light coming in the side ports-I jumped up and went aft and to my horror and amazement there was the bow of a very big barge overhanging our aft cockpit. I ran forward and out on the dock and realized that the barge was not moving but it had taken out at least six other docks along the intercoastal east of us!! Man was I lucky!

picture of an old picture of the 47' Ungava where I learned fiberglass, painting, swearing ,rum drinking(moderately ,of course), boat handling and loving the water even on a stinkpot. Used to freak people out when we'd pull in some place and I was at the helm at age 12(!) :

click on image--

 

Deer Fishing

This has to be the all-time best fishing story -

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150515530376397.427401.67403911396&type=3

 

nice boat

 

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Thanks, if you meant our boat!

 

Yes, Lord.

 

I went to Korea and Back on troop ships. With a nice 'three day visit' of a typhoon.
I'll skip all the details so you can eat and keep your dinner down. About 1300 guys had trouble with that everyday for 18 days going and 18 more coming back.
I never was interested in going very far out to Sea after that.

Somebody told me a "Boat" is a launch-able and retrievable device. Where a Ship has to be Dry-Docked with special stuff.
So I went on the Pacific Ocean in ships, and in later life had a good succession of "Boats" which I really had a great time with.

Someday I'll write up those two trips. But I fear only Prisoners would enjoy reading that kind of stuff as it would let them know there are others who suffered worse!

 

- wouldn't wnt the job of retrieving this one

 

A very lucky man, I'd say. And a good job on your part.

I once had a Cheyenne Indian girlfriend from Montana. She was camping with friends and family beside a lake when she was a young girl, and her father and a friend went fishing in a small outboard. A sudden squall came up, and she and her mother stood on the shore watching as the boat capsized and both men drowned.

Although she was a remarkably level-headed and rational woman in most respects, there was nothing short of hogtying and tossing her aboard that would ever have gotten her onto any kind of boat whatsoever.

 

"No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned."
--Samuel Johnson