It finally happened. The thing all comercial fisherman dread, I had to get in the water.
Last Sunday, just before light, the boat I was working on, ran onto the rocks.
10 minutes past the bouy that we turn at to enter the harbor we hit the the north Jetty at grays harbor.
The initial impact was at full throttle and tore the rudder and prop off the 60 foot Dungeness crab fishing boat.
I was shaping up the rear deck at the time and I got tossed to the deck like a rag doll.
After we stopped, the boat rolled to the starboard rail and as I was getting up from the first fall I got trashed by 1000 gallon wave that broke onto the boat.
That made the boat roll to port, hard over and slammed me into the other side.
A wall of water like that will move a body and stuff it into the smallest places, belive me! When that wave receded from the shore, it made the boat roll back to starboard. I had about enough of that sh t, so I locked my forearm around the port rail and held it there with my other hand. There was no way I was going to get slammed like that too many more times before I got knocked the hell out.
It is amazing how strong you get with the adrenalin that pumps through you at times like this. For the next 10 minutes I got to ride this 64 tons of steel that was being rocked by the relentless ocean. 8 seconds of a bull ride ain't even close
Then it came to us that the only way for survival was to get off the boat...
One by one we jumpped off the vessel into the rocks and water below. You had to time it right so the rocks would be covered by water but not too late cause the water will also draw you back towards the boat and you'd get squished when the next wave slammed the boat to that side...
We all made it thank God, and with the help of my friend Greg B. I managed to hear his voice and use it as my giude...I guess I should mention I don't swim very well.
Last Sunday, just before light, the boat I was working on, ran onto the rocks.
10 minutes past the bouy that we turn at to enter the harbor we hit the the north Jetty at grays harbor.
The initial impact was at full throttle and tore the rudder and prop off the 60 foot Dungeness crab fishing boat.
I was shaping up the rear deck at the time and I got tossed to the deck like a rag doll.
After we stopped, the boat rolled to the starboard rail and as I was getting up from the first fall I got trashed by 1000 gallon wave that broke onto the boat.
That made the boat roll to port, hard over and slammed me into the other side.
A wall of water like that will move a body and stuff it into the smallest places, belive me! When that wave receded from the shore, it made the boat roll back to starboard. I had about enough of that sh t, so I locked my forearm around the port rail and held it there with my other hand. There was no way I was going to get slammed like that too many more times before I got knocked the hell out.
It is amazing how strong you get with the adrenalin that pumps through you at times like this. For the next 10 minutes I got to ride this 64 tons of steel that was being rocked by the relentless ocean. 8 seconds of a bull ride ain't even close
Then it came to us that the only way for survival was to get off the boat...
One by one we jumpped off the vessel into the rocks and water below. You had to time it right so the rocks would be covered by water but not too late cause the water will also draw you back towards the boat and you'd get squished when the next wave slammed the boat to that side...
We all made it thank God, and with the help of my friend Greg B. I managed to hear his voice and use it as my giude...I guess I should mention I don't swim very well.
