A month almost went by before we went on the boat and by that time I had purchased a Fish Finder/Depth Reader. My expenses on the boat were going a bit out of hand but it was something that definitely bought the family together and I was quite happy.
On this adventure I had planned to go through John PenneKamp and go to Rodriguez Key. We had talked to the kid at the bait shop who seemed to have spearfished throughout the entire Caribbean and he had described spearing Hog Fish around Rodriguez.
We went down to Rodriguez and although the fishing and diving was uneventful we all had a really good time getting there. Daniella especially seemed to enjoy it when I gave her the helm to get us there. We also went with "Wide Open Throttle-WOT" and were amazed at how fast and well the boat traveled.
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On the way back I tried to take a shortcut and learned a very valuable lesson....stick to the channels....I almost ran my boat into the shallows. We returned to Blackwater Sound and made our way pass Gilberts and into Card Sound. The fishing there was uneventful, I'm really not much of a fisherman but Roe and the kids seem to enjoy it. As we were heading back Roe asked me if I wanted to stop at Gilbert's and get something to eat. I felt it was getting late and decided to keep going back to the boat ramp. As we made our way back I felt the boat was "sluggish" and playing with the trim tabs didn't seem to help. The boat was ridding bow high. I did not bother checking out the bilge or else I would have really freaked out.
When we arrived at the ramp's dock I let Roe and Patric get off the boat so they could bring the truck/trailer to the ramp. I stayed on board with Daniella and out of courtesy to the other boaters I reversed the boat in order to let someone else go in. As I did I felt water at my feet and to my surprise water was coming into the boat in large amounts. I really didn't know what to do and all I could think of was to come back to the dock. As I gunned the engine it died and we drifted past the jetty and to the neighboring dock....luckily. I was bailing like a mad man and by this time other boaters jumped on board and attempted to help me. We pushed the boat and beached it. Another boater loaned me a hand pump and I bailed a good amount of the water out. With the help of "Roger" an old sea dog that overseas the ramp parking I was able to bring the boat back out, into the ramp area and unto the trailer. It was a scene of desperation and I screamed "The Eagle has landed" when I powered the boat unto the trailer on the first try. Mind you, it has been a feat to do this before! I pulled the boat out and we washed it down. I had no idea how close I had come to a disaster and I still had no idea what a state of ignorance I was in. My boating education would start at a drastic pace from here on.
The property where I had been parking my boat at had been taken over by another man. He had picked up and organized the area as all new tenants do to recently acquired properties and I felt that my 50.00 a month rent days were coming to a close. He also came off as a marine mechanic so it was no surprise when I returned my boat and requested he check out where I was getting the leak from, remove the trolling engine and install my newly acquired fish finder. He was to furnish me with an estimate during the week, it was Sunday.
When he called me on Tuesday and explained he had "not figured out the details" I told him to just go ahead and do what he felt had to be done and to give me some "consideration" with his pricing.
On Thursday he called me to tell me he had completed the job and I owed him 450.00. I was taken aback. Removing the trolling motor was a mater of six screws, and the depth finder an hours work at the most. He explained to me that he had taken apart the bilge pump, it was the source of my problems and cleaned it because it was gummed up in oil.
On Sunday I went to take my boat out and he explained that everything was in "working condition" and all he wanted me to worry about was taking the boat out. As far as the maintenance was concerned he would "take care of it all". I looked at his work and immediately was disappointed at the way he had installed the fish finder, taking the positive wire and merely wrapping it around the positive terminal at the battery. I should have taken this as a sign.
We got to the ramp and one of the scruppers broke off but I put a plug into it. I had plugged every hole I saw on the transom.
It was a gorgeous day and we were accompanied by Patric's friend Andrew who had been boating since he was born.
Andrew's advice was well received and he told me not to leave the bilge on "automatic" because it would drain my battery.
We navigated through PenneKamp and anchored around the Mosquito Banks area (I had no idea where we were until afterwards).
The water was "Key Wonderful" and there were a number of divers around the area. I had build a bit of healthy paranoia and checked the live wells a number of times. I felt they were very full and riding low. They would sometimes go below the water level and I did not like that at all.
But everything seemed to be OK and after sometime we took up anchor and moved to another location further north. Rosemary wanted to go fishing but I was enjoying doing a bit of snorkeling with Patric. It was his first time ever and he was really enjoying it. The reef was brimming with sea life and we spotted a turtle which seemed quite friendly.
After awhile I decided to go back to the boat intending to go further out. Later I would realize how close I came in making a possibly fatal mistake.
As I pulled myself out of the water over the gunwale Rosemary came to me and pointed out that the boat was taking on water. To my horror the water was already going over the transom. I immediately tried to turn on the bilge pump and realized that the entire bilge was submerged. The outtake was also underwater I immediately tried to turn on the engine but that was totally out of the question and I proceeded to take the next available course of action, I threw out the contents of the bait bucket and frantically began to bail.
While doing this I asked Rosemary why she hadn't used the whistle hanging off the side of the console to attract our attention....
I came to the dreaded realization that we were going to sink and instinctively the safety of everyone on board became my main concern. By this time Andrew and Patric had come on board. I announced that we were sinking and to don their life jackets. I also instructed Patric and Andrew to hail a boat that was anchored some 200 yards away. I gave them a horn and they started to frantically wave and blow the horn to get their attention.
I tried to call Boat US and kept going back and forth between my cellphone (yes, I had coverage) and the bailing. I finally gave the cellphone to Rosemary and told her to call Boat US and report that we were sinking.
Unfortunately Rosemary was totally confused and my situation was getting worst. All of a sudden the boat began to lurch to the starboard side and I realized that we were going to capsize. I yelled for everyone to don their life jackets immediately, jump over the side and swim away. If the boat capsized they could easily be stuck under it or the boat could turn on them hurt them. At this point Rosemary grabbed the gear bag with both her hands and began to panic.
I tried to go to the opposite side of the boat to see if I could put enough counter weight for the boat to straighten but to no avail.
By this time I was screaming to everyone to put on the life vests and jump clear of the boat. It finally lurched over and we all went into the water. I went into the water in a controlled manner keeping my cellphone above the water but I realized that Rosemary was not around. Luckily Andrew had grabbed her from under her shoulder and pulled her up. She was still holding on to the stupid gear bag which contained all our licenses, credit cards and money. But the bags weight was dragging her down. I put my hands in the water and instantly knew my phone was gone.
I was helping her keep afloat and Andrew shoved our cooler that was floating under her. Everyone was OK and I turned my attention to the location of the nearby boat we hailed. I could see they had pulled anchor and were headed towards us.
By this time I was in a state of disbelief. I wasn't really worried, the guys had their life jackets on, Rosemary was grabbing on to the floating cooler and most importantly we were in 9-12 feet of water.
The other boat approached us and I told the captain everyone was accounted for. Rosemary was the first to be helped in followed by Patric. I guess Andrew and Patric both tried to rush up the ladder and one of the men on the boat grabbed Andrew and tossed him back into the water....
After making sure everyone was on the boat I came up. It all seemed surreal to me. The boat's captain called Boat US and within 10 minutes they arrived. Unfortunately I did not get the boat owner's name nor the Boat US rep that came to tow our boat in.
In the meantime I requested fins and mask to see if I could recover the gear and see how bad the damage was but the man that had tossed Andrew in donned a mask and fins and began to gather the gear for me. I felt ashamed because although it seemed to be a simple operation a person was exposing himself to a degree of risk because of my negligence.
I finally convinced them that I was not "in shock" and that I would like to help recover our equipment. I was given a mask and fins and dived in.
I came up to the boat which was tossing in the waves and was drifting towards the reef. I looked closely and did not see any gas leaking and the batteries were in their compartment. I began to pick up the gear (we ended up loosing just one fin and one shoe). I was told that the Boat US boat was on the way but either way I kept my eye on my boat's anchor and what my options were if it would head closer to the reef. I was worried not only about the damage to my boat but the government bill if it crashed against the reef and had to be salvaged.
The boat tow boat arrived and once again I reported everyone was accounted for. We transferred our gear to that boat and thanked the "rescue crew" for their assistance. I really was a shame that I did not get their names.
The tow captain placed a tow rope on the bow and pulled from the stern on the third attempt our boat was right side up and we were headed for the boat ramp. The captain also used a pump and continued to take the water out. Once we got going the rest of the water cleared out through the scruppers.
We arrived at the ramp. As the tow Captain prepared his report I spoke to one of the men (Roger) who tended the ramp and he would be able to "pickle" my engine and try to save it. The cost: 150.00$ this was the tip of the cost.....
Next Chapter: Lost Summer: Maritime School of Hard Knocks....Lessons Learned.
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