Boating Tuesday Back in the Torts

A few years ago video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBa8JzC9nP8

Boating Rough Weather

Arrived at the Dry Tortugas Ferry dock right on time Tuesday morning. The latest weather reports were shaky. A strong wave moving over the southern Florida peninsula and the keys would bring rain and thunderstorms. 'Cracker Bob' and 'Run-aground Ralph' arrived Sunday, 'Digger Bill' missed this years trip because of work. 'Miami Enrico' and 'Hot Tamale' were still on board although she was having second thoughts. Ralph was being his usual pain but the thunderstorms frightened her more than Ralph.

Still, everyone wanted to go fishing on Wednesday so we pulled the hook and headed out. Arrived over our secret spot just after noon and got right into a nice stack of Snapper. Several T-storms rolled through during the afternoon and they ended the trip early. When we returned the anchorage was a little more crowded with the addition of several commercial boats.

Cracker Bob went visiting in the dinghy and returned for the rest of the Busch beer. He brought back two nice sized Tile fish because he and I both love the taste. Just before midnight we loaded the dinghy onto the foredeck because we were going somewhere Thursday, the next day. The most brilliant flash of lightning scared Bob and I as we stood on the bow discussing which way to head the next day.

“I've had enough of Key West last Saturday night (Lightning)....holy shit,” Bob said as we both jumped. The simultaneous explosion left ringing in our ears.

“Let's get off the bow,” I said but Bob was already half way along the side. “I think we're in for a real blow.” And were we ever, several in fact. The wind was already above twenty knots steady by one o'clock in the morning and when the squalls hit us shortly afterwards we were straining against the anchor. Bob and I put out more anchor line after adding a second snubber.
It's a hard rubber insert to the line that adds more give to the line.

During the night several boats drifted passed us and one became entangled in our anchor line. We had to run the engines to get us loose. We sounded a portable air horn to awaken the crew of the drifting vessel. After twenty minutes of the storms blowing in one direction we would get hit by the other side of the storms. Despite ours and other vessels efforts, daybreak revealed one boat on Tern Island.

Boatguy Ed (boatguiEd@aol.com) is a manufacturer of the worlds BEST anti-fouling bottom paint,www.supershipbottom.com. TWEET me @boatguyed and a corresponding web site is http://www.boatingbyboatguyed.com/........ NEVER, EVER TRY TO BUY HIM A DRINK!

This column is meant for educational purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. Do not read while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment.

 

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