What was your most scariest boating moment.

[hpeer]

There have been three times in my life when pure animal reaction took over. Once as a kid someone did something to me in a game of dodge ball, I forget what, but a real cheap shot. Walking into the locker room I saw him and just plain laid him out. No thought, just did.

I was laying in a lounger sunning myself when it collapsed and knocked me out. When I came to my then Wife was standing over me laughing. Had I caught her in the three seconds before I returned to normal I would have snapped her neck. But she could move pretty good for a fat chick.

I was wrecking out a ceiling, some genius had used metal lath and mortar, sheesh! Beating it into tiny pieces with a hammer a desicated rat skeleton fell upon my shoulder and hooked there with its for feet so that the teeth were right at eye level, staring at me. I experienced complete, total incapacitating fear. I could not move, nor scream, nor breath. For only a very few seconds I was utterly beyond terrified. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before or after. I was totally helpless. I was quite literally paralyzed. I think the higher level of my brain was terrified, but that was not in charge. What was in charge was something far more primitive, non verbal, purely instinctual. I felt I was going to die of the fear. I had no control of anything and am only amazed I did not quite literally soil myself.

[Warby12]

I agree, you get to a certain level and a purely instinctive fear kicks in, you're there but you've got no control, you'll do anything, fight or flight. My brain just couldn't cope with the information it was getting, it was too far out of my normal frame of reference. And then like a switch I was back in control. (or so I tell everyone...)

[paulanthony]

Originally Posted by Warby12

Not sure if it was a micro burst but if you google images: "shelf cloud"... we drove under one of those once . We were only about ten miles offshore coming into harbour. Beautiful day, sunshine, 5 knots wind maybe and this thing loomed off the cost. I radioed the local marine rescue and they said nothing happening, bit of a shower and cloudy. We reefed everything and drove up to it amazed at nature. As we got closer to the edge we could see a couple of miles inside and the air was light green, lightening was hitting the water all over the place and about three waterspouts were running around. It was such an amazing sight, really jaw dropping. Still no wind but there seemed to be sea water in the air in there, even though the water was flat. The super cell or whatever it was must have just been born that minute! Just for us. Well the wind came all in one go. We didn't have instruments but another boat out there said over 70knots, bang, in about 5 seconds, we were held over (big beamed steel motor sailor) at about 80 degrees from vertical and started sailing sideways, we developed a bow wave on the side of our boat . The noise and scene was absolutely terrifying. Went on like that for some minutes as we were flipped and held down from side to side. Being a thunderstorm of some kind, it eased fairly quickly, maybe 15 minutes but after a couple of minutes of that crazy wind the water wasn't flat anymore. When the wind dropped enough the boat stood up to allow us to motor into the crazy short waves which started up. 20 minutes later dead calm again. The cell went up the coast and scared the life out of everyone behind us.
I have no hesitation in saying it was by far the most scared I have been in my life. Couldn't think at all for a very long ten or twenty seconds which is quite unsettling. I didn't think we were going to die, I thought we had died and had gone to hell!! My exact thoughts. But then I just clicked back into normal, had too, my poor wife needed someone to tell calming lies. Just a thunderstorm I kept saying to both of us, be over soon. Light green sky, lightening, waterspouts, shelf cloud and 70 knots in five minutes takes a little adjusting too

Did you jump into the future? (Old Charlton Heston Movie)

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by paulanthony

Oars? What did you do?

The current was somewhat favourable and we were able to pick up some slight breezes. When I detected a slight consistent breeze, we launched a gennaker (still my favourite sail ).

[Warby12]

Originally Posted by paulanthony

Did you jump into the future? (Old Charlton Heston Movie)

Now that would have been something! Actually I did, here I am!

[lifeofreilly57]

I have to update what I thought was one of the more exciting of my dumb human tricks in sailing.
Knockdowns? No worries.
Horrible weather? A breeze.
Avoiding large commercial ships in pea soup fog at night? Childs play.
Keeping from being rammed at the Volvo Ocean Race start? Absolutely frightening.
All those lake boaters in small boats, all the big money boys in their weekend toys, absolutely more dangerous than anything the weather gods could produce.
Had to get way out of the way and out to the upwind gates to get away from the knuckleheads.
Oh the humanity!

All joking aside, the races were great but the number of inexperienced boaters jamming within 2 feet of my boat while drinking didn't increase my confidence in common sense.
I did not envy the job the race officials and safety volunteers had on Sunday, lets say they had their work cut out for them.

A great event which was made better by all those who volunteered to make it all come together.
Thanks.

[paulanthony]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

I have to update what I thought was one of the more exciting of my dumb human tricks in sailing.
Knockdowns? No worries.
Horrible weather? A breeze.
Avoiding large commercial ships in pea soup fog at night? Childs play.
Keeping from being rammed at the Volvo Ocean Race start? Absolutely frightening.
All those lake boaters in small boats, all the big money boys in their weekend toys, absolutely more dangerous than anything the weather gods could produce.
Had to get way out of the way and out to the upwind gates to get away from the knuckleheads.
Oh the humanity!

All joking aside, the races were great but the number of inexperienced boaters jamming within 2 feet of my boat while drinking didn't increase my confidence in common sense.
I did not envy the job the race officials and safety volunteers had on Sunday, lets say they had their work cut out for them.

A great event which was made better by all those who volunteered to make it all come together.
Thanks.

You are a little bit claustrophobic then. Does sound scary especially if you have no escape road other than a little white line to follow.

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by paulanthony

You are a little bit claustrophobic then. Does sound scary especially if you have no escape road other than a little white line to follow.

Nah, just was boxed in, with a ski boat under my bow where I couldn't see it from the cockpit, surrounded by small power boats front, side and stern, then the guy in the Hinckley Jet Boat started pushing sideways into us under power(which is only possible with a joystick controlled jet boat) while his bleach blonde wife yelled at me to move, figures. I was stationary at the time but the neighborhood had gone downhill, time to move to a better neighborhood.
I have a 47 foot sailboat with no bow thruster, so the only way I could go is forward or backward, at that point I had enough of the nitwits and had my wife tell the guy hanging under my bow to move so I could pull away.
After moving away from them I watched from a distance as the same crowd impinged on the race course, it was quite amusing to watch them scramble when the racers decided to use all of the course and drove right into the interlopers crowding the course. Looked like cockroaches when you turn the lights on.
I used to race for many years so I'm used to close quarters maneuvering with people who know what their doing, just not with people who have no clue.
In retrospect I should have let jet boat boy hit me, I need new paint anyway.

The races were great, glad we got to see it.

[paulanthony]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

Nah, just was boxed in, with a ski boat under my bow where I couldn't see it from the cockpit, surrounded by small power boats front, side and stern, then the guy in the Hinckley Jet Boat started pushing sideways into us under power(which is only possible with a joystick controlled jet boat) while his bleach blonde wife yelled at me to move, figures. I was stationary at the time but the neighborhood had gone downhill, time to move to a better neighborhood.
I have a 47 foot sailboat with no bow thruster, so the only way I could go is forward or backward, at that point I had enough of the nitwits and had my wife tell the guy hanging under my bow to move so I could pull away.
After moving away from them I watched from a distance as the same crowd impinged on the race course, it was quite amusing to watch them scramble when the racers decided to use all of the course and drove right into the interlopers crowding the course. Looked like cockroaches when you turn the lights on.
I used to race for many years so I'm used to close quarters maneuvering with people who know what their doing, just not with people who have no clue.
In retrospect I should have let jet boat boy hit me, I need new paint anyway.

The races were great, glad we got to see it.

Newton's laws of motion implies we should always give way to big things. People don't seem to get uniform of motion or that inertia does not understand the language of "get out of the way" said by bleached blonds. It is some times best to let them discover science the hard way.

[lifeofreilly57]

If I were thinking I would have remembered that they probably had much more insurance than I have, but of course I don't generally think in those terms, I'm thinking in terms of general courtesy, which is not universally applied.

Oh well, the "terrifying" part was all tongue in cheek anyway.
People, and the amazingly dumb things they do have always been more terrifying than anything I've experienced at sea, and to that end I've been humbled to my very core. So I'm always amazed when land lubbers always remark on how dangerous it must be to venture forth in small craft in such a big ocean, I'm amazed that they are not scared witless by their every day commute by car.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Scariest Moment on a Boat?

Hmm…

That would be when I was with three others, very far from land on a 37 foot sloop and still 3 weeks from our destination, thousands of miles away.

One day the captain announced the head was clogged. !!!

Now you might think being on a "one head" boat with a non-functioning head was the scary thing.

Nope. That was not it.

The scary part was thinking: "Will he pick ME to be the one to have to unclog the head?"



Yep, some moments can be truly fear inducing, including the thought of having to deal with gallons of raw sewage, or bursting holding tanks, in the cramped confines of a sailboat head compartment, on a hot rocking boat on the high seas.

Luckily, my fear passed, when another member of the crew confessed it was he who had clogged the head, and HE got the unpleasant task of fixing the problem.

Dodged a bullet that time!

[paulanthony]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Scariest Moment on a Boat?

Hmm…

That would be when I was with three others, very far from land on a 37 foot sloop and still 3 weeks from our destination, thousands of miles away.

One day the captain announced the head was clogged. !!!

Now you might think being on a "one head" boat with a non-functioning head was the scary thing.

Nope. That was not it.

The scary part was thinking: "Will he pick ME to be the one to have to unclog the head?"



Yep, some moments can be truly fear inducing, including the thought of having to deal with gallons of raw sewage, or bursting holding tanks, in the cramped confines of a sailboat head compartment, on a hot rocking boat on the high seas.

Luckily, my fear passed, when another member of the crew confessed it was he who had clogged the head, and HE got the unpleasant task of fixing the problem.

Dodged a bullet that time!

yeh.. I am surprised we don't have macerators as standard kit. Would help a lot with some of the people I know.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by hpeer

...
I was wrecking out a ceiling, some genius had used metal lath and mortar, sheesh! Beating it into tiny pieces with a hammer a desicated rat skeleton fell upon my shoulder and hooked there with its for feet so that the teeth were right at eye level, staring at me...

That was not a fun experience but I am sorry because I was LMAO! The description is brilliant!

Can't say I have been been scared but once upon a time the wifey and I were kayaking on the NC Coast. We had camped overnight on Bear Island and decided to take the boats out. The "pond" we were in was calm but as we got to point on the island we noticed the tide was going out and we were near the inlet. The tide caught us and starting to pull us out. Now the tide was not bad, maybe a couple of knots but the wife was not a strong paddler so she could only paddle a knot or so faster than the tide. We had turned around as soon as we saw/felt the tide so she did not have far to go to calm water but it seemed to take forever for her to paddle against the tide. I worried she would not able to continue so I would was thinking abut what ifs and figured I could just put a line on her kayak and tow her out which is most likely what I would have done but she made it out.

The freaky thing about this was we were literally within feet of the beach. We could see the huge waves out in the inlet and that was NOT a place we needed to go. Part of the problem was that the water was so shallow it we could not use the full paddle length which made it harder to paddle against the tide. I think we were in a foot of water and only a few kayak lengths maybe 30 feet from shore. So close, yet so far....

Later,
Dan

[Paul54]

My scariest moment was many years ago at Cape Lookout, NC. We were sailing outside from Ocracoke down to Beaufort on a C&C 33. Ocracoke inlet was a little tricky but with some local knowledge we made it out just fine. Had a wonderful day sailing south to Lookout. Nice wind nice rolling long period waves. As we got near Lookout we decided to try a shortcut that the local fishermen in Ocracoke told us about. They said if we lined up two marks and did not see any breakers we would be fine with our 6' or so draw. What I did not know then was that it is difficult to see breakers from their backside. As things started getting a little too "swelly" we decided head back out. Before we could turn around we got picked up by a wave and started surfing. The boat tripled its speed and the depth gauge was screaming out its warning. This happened three more times and then we were back in nearly 50 ft. of water. I could see the shoreline and felt like I could swim there if needed but was worried about what would happen if we smacked the bottom at that speed with the breakers on top of us. The whole episode lasted less then a minute and then we were back in really deep water. Now when I look at a potential shortcut across a shoal I opt for taking the longer safer route.

[captain58sailin]

On my future Wife's birthday, I borrowed a skiff to take her and a couple of friends to an eatery across the bay. It was warm and sunny, we all having a great time. As we were running up the bay there was a following sea, about 4' to 5' swells. Everyone was sitting in the bottom of the boat and I was leaning back against the outboard going along at about 20 kts and we came off one of the swells and I buried the bow into the swell in front of us and I watched in horror as my future Wife flew up and over the rail into the icy waters of the bay, of course sans life jacket. I immediately threw the tiller over to swing the prop away from her and throttled down, and of course the engine died, we were about 100' away from her, everything went into overdrive and slowed down as I concentrated on getting every step correct to restart the outboard, got it running and came back to her and hauled her over the rail back into the boat one handed, must have been a little adrenalin pumping. Her friends were a little drunk and thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen. I was shame faced and apologetic for the rest of the afternoon, we did manage to get her dried out and I bought her lunch and the rest of the day went without a hitch. Maybe that is why it took her 25 years to say yes to my marriage proposal.