You have to laugh sometime, (or cry)
Submitted: Wednesday, Nov 05, 2008 at 23:20
ThreadID:
63273
Views:
3663
Replies:
2
FollowUps:
5
This Thread has been Archived
Kim and Damn Dog
Had a meal and a couple of drinks with a mate of
mine yesterday. His whole family decided to meet up at Paynesville last weekend.
Bit of back ground first. His brother decided to buy a second hand boat which my mate took a half share in. It had an out board motor which had an aversion to
water.
Went
well on dry land, but put it into
water? The silcence was stunning. We spent more time getting as drunk as skunks trying to get this mongrel bastard of a thing going off the
boat ramp than you can imagine.
Anyway, apparently over the weekend they toddled off to
Lake King and got into quite a bit of trouble. The reason being was that they didn’t bother to check the forecast or talk to the locals.
The lake is shallow and the weather can turn nasty in a few minutes within a very short time they were being swapped by six foot waves which buggared up the just about everything, including the motor.
Somehow these pack of dills (and I know them
well) managed to get on shore and beach the boat in the mud, which I reckon would have been the land off Bunga Arm or somewhere close by.
They then proceeded into the bush and found a shooters
camp with a couple of blokes camped. The interesting part of this story is these fellas were more scared of the
bush camp than what got them there in the first place.
Any way to cut a long story short, they survived, but the boat was a write off.
LOL
Regards
Kim
Reply By: Flywest - Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 01:56
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 01:56
Do youguys have the Recreational Skippers Tickets, boat driver licensing system thet we have now in place in WA?
I guess such stories of boating misadventure are legion - heck there are entire boating web fiorums of boatramp stories in the USA
The sad thing is - some of them don't end up as humorous anectdotes - some we read about as tragic losses in the papers and on the 6 o' clock news.
Bad jujuj CAN happen to anyone at sea (or on lakes etc) no of us is immune & we can all have a visit from lady bad luck at an innopportune time - but more often than not it seems to happen to those who have neither the training or experience to realise when small things can compound into big things that end up costing life.
Worse - sometimes the lifes of little ones who had no say in being there, but instead were dragged along by
well meaning but inebriated parents guardaians - who don't have the training or knowledge to see danger approaching and make appropriately sound descisions for safetys sake.
I guess I am sensitised to such things - as a professional skipper all too often we get called upon to search for and retrieve the bodys of such "unlucky souls" - and nothings sadder than to see an avoidable death due to lack of knowledge - poorly mantained equipment etc.
I'm glad your buddies got out without major life loss or injury and only suffered a material loss of the vessel and OB!
For one such as I who is qualified to take paying passengers on a vessel - by law the legal blood alcohol content while skippering said vessel is ZERO.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who drink to excess while at sea or fishing (in lakes as
well).
Boy when it all goes bad do you pay for that decision - lowered threshhold for immersion (Hypothermia) because the alcohol makes you pee heaps andyou lose core body temp faster, not to mention you can't make sensible decisions quickly
Sorry to be a downer - we all have funny boating stories - i've just seen a few too many bad endings to be able to laugh much these days!
Cheers.
AnswerID:
333867
Follow Up By: Member Brian (Gold Coast) - Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 08:03
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 08:03
"It never ceases to amaze me the number of people who drink to excess while at sea or fishing (in lakes as
well). "
Here Here!
Ever notice with a lot of 4WD'ers and campers that the moment they get off road, the fridge gets opened? Prevalent on
the beach, in particular Fraser Island, see it all the time.
Of course, THEY know what they're doing and NOTHING will ever go wrong for them will it?
cheers
Brian
FollowupID:
601654
Follow Up By: Member - Corio - Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 10:11
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 10:11
Flywest,
Understand boats and booze dont mix all that
well however when out in the bush and about an hour from my
camp I tend to crack a stubbie or two.I find it helps wnen you go to put the tent up.
Then a few more as I offer advise to the wife on cooking the tea.
I cant work it out but after 30 years you,d think she,d get used to
this however at times she is most intolerant.
Cheers
FollowupID:
601670
Follow Up By: Flywest - Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 13:01
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 13:01
I know that I love a cold beer (even 2) at the end of a long / hot day - theres nothing quite like it!
Thing is - back whenI was a youth - we would shoot a lot - but wehad a rule - no drinking until the days or nights outing was over, the guns unloaded cleaned and put away, the rabbits whatever skinned and cleaned, the
camp set up - fire going and THEN we would relax with a couple beers.
Same with fishing.....day over fish cleaned fileted, boat washed refueled for the next day gear washed oiled and put away - an THEN we'd relax with a
well earned beer.
I grew up the child of an alcoholic father & can recognise signs of alcohol dependemnce from literally 1 mile away!
I would & still do, get clients on charters who are addicts of alcohol - theres ALWAYS an "excuse" to START alcohol during the days fishing - one particular one of note- was a guy who would "pour an offering to the fish gods" of half a stubby and then skull the remainder - at 7 am n the way out of the bay!
Alcoholics don't go fishing or 4wding or boating for the activity - they go for the excude to get blind, because they are addicted.
I learned to recognise the behaviour as a kid - non of them ever get a second invite!
I love a beer as much as the next guy, but dont let it get the better of me!
Cheers
FollowupID:
601698
Follow Up By: Kim and Damn Dog - Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 20:15
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 20:15
Flywest
There was probably a misinterpretation of my post relating to Alcohol and boating. This particular boat was the equivalent to a motor car lemon.
I’ve lost count of the number of times we’re launched it, only to find the motor wouldn’t start and we had to take it out of the
water again.
That’s when we had a few beers on land. I’ve had boats for many years and the strict rule was ‘no drinking on the boat’.
I’ve also been caught out on
Lake King and it’s not a pleasant experience, particularly if you have the family aboard.
I’m thankful they survived and hope a good lesson was learnt.
Regards
Kim
FollowupID:
601759
Reply By: Best Off Road - Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 08:08
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 08:08
Kim,
Nasty bit of
water that
Lake King. Catches a lot of inexperienced
boaties by suprise.
It, like Port Phillip Bay, is a relatively shallow body of
water for its size. Hence they cannot develop a swell and the result is a far more dangerous "chop".
Cheers,
Jim.
AnswerID:
333873
Follow Up By: Member- Tony C - Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 09:02
Thursday, Nov 06, 2008 at 09:02
Jim ,
I couldnt agree more. On crossing from Bunga Arm to Paynesville across
Lake Victoria a few years ago i got caught in the most hair raising sea conditions i have ever struck. Despite having an 18' boat I felt very fortunate to make it across. With so much reach from
Loch Sport throuh to Metung and relatively shallow
water a dangerous chop can develop quickly.
Cheers,
Tony
FollowupID:
601663