Anything scary ever happened?

[Kita]

I was crew,just helping a buddy get his boat to the keys from tarpon springs, we got to the east west channel coming out of tampa bay at 10 pm,fog was so bad I could just see the bow,I was stearing, skipper an owner was at the chart table in the salon with GPS equipment telling me heads up because we're crossing the channel. Two people on Deck looking around, we hear a foghorn Portside ahead. Skipper says don't worry about that, we move a little farther and I hear it again three burst horn Portside, move a little farther and 3 more port side aft so it was obvious we were going by something for me, Skipper said it was a proximity Beacon on channel marker, rookie me I never heard of such a thing so I go okay motor on. When the skipper says okay we're out of the channel, he looks up at me and start to come up the companionway his eyes were as big as silver dollars, I look behind me and all I can see is the Wheelhouse of a giant freighter maybe 60 feet or more hi. We had went right across his bow heading south while he was heading west. That freighter I could have hit it with a rock from the rear of our boat we never saw it until after we had already went across. I learned a lot that night about the things I want on my boat like radio radar AIS things that will save your life because that was one of the near misses in my life he would have turned us into toothpicks and probably not even realize he hit us and one of the weirdest things was I never heard anything, no engines, no water movement nothing, but as he parted the fog I could see the tugboat port side aft pushing him was such a weird thing because I couldn't hear any of it it was like a ghost freighter. Scared the hell out of me. Like I said I learned a lot on that trip

[Kita]

True story, on same trip to the keys,my buddy didn't want to tell me what happened while I was sleeping in the middle of FLbay,....4 am I think it was a DEA helicopter almost sit down on top of us and lit us up,was like the sun came up! Guess he decided we were ok & left...my buddy said it was to quite to be a helicopter and he was thinking aliens or something I had to laugh I really did I mean it could have been a DEA super quiet Hilo or something like that but he really didn't want to tell me about this alien theory & it really did scare him..... I still tease him about it sometimes

[four winds]

Kita, the freighter crew saved your bacon. Those weren't fog horns.

First the freighter turned to starboard, and then engaged astern propulsion.

[redhead]

To me scary isn't ghosts or sightings - I'm Irish - I grew up with that stuff.

When we took possession of this boat way up in British Columbia we realized the PO was a real bad guy. The towns people told us to ask the Coast Guard come with drug sniffing dogs to inspect the boat prior to crossing into the US. We did and luckily they found nothing. As the Coast Guard inspector was leaving he casually said he wouldn't have worried about drugs the PO would never be that sloppy, he would have been more worried about dead bodies.

Try falling in love with your boat after that.

(PS In the last 2 years I have inspected every inch of this boat. Phew.....)

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by duggybuggy

Have you ever been out in the fog and passed a seemingly empty boat....A ghost boat? Did it seem like it 'never happened'. Or was it a strange chilling noise that made you batton down the hatches and wonder about moving? Or is there a spirit aboard, a feeling you have everytime you stand on the bow or use a cleat? Or a poltergeist aboard, moving objects in the cabin, and shifting your rope settings when you are otherwise distracted, and you have a sense that it is playing with you? What weird and spooky and strange odd wonderment have people experienced or suspected......Or is happening in their lives as we write!

I thought I saw a grotesque face come up to me to the surface and then sink. Truly awful with sunken dark eye caverns and open cod-like lips. It was momentary, but it held me froze for a moment staring into it, then I recoiled in horror as it dropped back down into the depths.

Out in the gulf of Mexico in an Ensenada 20. Pea soup fog rolled in. Gingerly sailed (ringing our bell) in through Pensacola Pass and anchored in Big Lagoon, (ringing our bell every 2 minutes).

This was pre GPS so only had a DR fix on where we were.

While sitting at anchor, we heard a diesel engine rumble come very close to our boat.

When the fog cleared, a large CG vessel was anchored just a couple hundred feet away.

It would be interesting to know if they picked us up on radar (no reflector), or maybe I don't want to know. ;-)

We certainly have always had a radar reflector since.

[SouthernPride]

Late night, pitch black out, had many cocktails, leaning on the rail, a manatee popped up. Scared the hell out of me.

Thought i was going to have to quit drinking.

Still not sure which event scared me more.

Next time i will offer the manatee a scotch and soda.

[Teknishn]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

I really, really don't like doing deco in open water, hanging under an orange lift bag. I know something really big with teeth is coming up from behind me

Only thing worse than open decos is open decos at night on a technical dive. 3 or 4 stops with a drift current of about 3 knots. Boat's engine humming in the background following your SMB starts to sound like the theme from Jaws! I was the last diver up so I was by myself for the better part of an hour down there. Drifted 9+ miles that night....Scary as F#$K. Man, the things that went through my head!

[jhulmer]

We had just moved the boat back to the harbor from up river after a hurricane, the harbor had a lot of debris and sunk boats but we manage to get back in our slip. The place was very quiet due to no road traffic because of debris on the roads. Not many people around.

We had towed the dinghy in with us and it still had some supplies and a spare 12v battery in case the boats' were dead. I decide to get in the dinghy and unload it on to the dock.

All went well when I got to the battery and decide to do my on version of the Bill Dance blooper. while holding on to the dock I lifted the battery up to the edge but couldn't one hand it over on to the dock so.... I let go of the dock to use two hands, which seamed logical or natural at the time. this is where Newton's Law took over and me and battery went to the bottom. I didn't want to turn loose of a very expensive AGM but eventfully succumbed to the need for oxygen.

when I hit the surface my buddy was standing over me on the dock laughing his a#@ off. This is when I saw it!

I looked under the dock and there it was, a head barely floating above the waters surface. I got biblical and walked on water much to the surprise of my friend and others that had gathered for the comic relief!

Soon I was standing on the dock explaining what I had seen. Everyone was leaning over the edge looking when my hat floated out in plan view.

Yep after a number of years, I still get pointed at and laugh breaks out!

For what it's worth I eventually got back in the water and recovered my battery!

[Kita]

Originally Posted by four winds

Kita, the freighter crew saved your bacon. Those weren't fog horns.

First the freighter turned to starboard, and then engaged astern propulsion.

I wonder if I said it all correct, I heard three short blows first time & the other other two as we went across in front, but how could you know they had to maneuver. the channel coming out of there they really can't maneuver very much. What made you think that he had to maneuver? Because if he did that would scare me even more because he didn't have much room to maneuver

[Kita]

Originally Posted by four winds

Kita, the freighter crew saved your bacon. Those weren't fog horns.

First the freighter turned to starboard, and then engaged astern propulsion.

I remember thinking why was the tug pushing on the left rear,we were out a couple miles I think,he should have been pushing directly in the rear at the time I thought maybe there was another tug on the other side I just couldn't hear or see it but with you saying that he had to maneuver that's even more scary it really is

[four winds]

Hey Kita, frankly I'm not sure I am correct in what I posted.

In my minds eye I had you in the bay not offshore. Lots of deep water there before reaching the pass north of Egmont.

My statements were based on one short blast being a turn to starboard, and three short being astern propulsion. I think fog is a prolonged blast.

I missed the tug comment. I've only seen pilot boats that area. Didn't know tugs pushed the big boys all the way offshore.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

Only thing worse than open decos is open decos at night on a technical dive. 3 or 4 stops with a drift current of about 3 knots. Boat's engine humming in the background following your SMB starts to sound like the theme from Jaws! I was the last diver up so I was by myself for the better part of an hour down there. Drifted 9+ miles that night....Scary as F#$K. Man, the things that went through my head!

I won't do it anymore, cause you know what floats out in the open ocean under an orange float don't you?




BAIT



I don't mind so much hanging on an anchor line, but under that lift bag? I just don't like that

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by four winds

I missed the tug comment. I've only seen pilot boats that area. Didn't know tugs pushed the big boys all the way offshore.

I bet that tug was the pilot boat? Some Pilot boats are not small and in the fog with your adrenaline going it would be any easy mistake to make, you see a little boat alongside of a ship, and you think tug of course

[FilBrown]

The only dangerous animal to be found in Wales is a sheep 😁

[agmay]

Just picked up our mooring at our local Long Island YC, late Sunday summer afternoon, clear and calm. This is a 5mph No Wake Zone. Busy tidying the deck, and noticed a group of 3 young kayakers nearby, maybe 20' off our bow. Suddenly, the kayakers began screaming and waving their paddles frantically.

OUTOFNOWHERE a 30'+ powerboat came screaming through the mooring field way too fast and RAN OVER one of the kayaks. All I heard was screaming. Miraculously, no one was hurt.

Powerboater continued straight out of the harbor, never slowed down.
Coast Guard on the case, never found out what if any consequences.

Granted, kayakers should have been closer to shore, but I will never forget it.