Question for seafarers

as a young girl used to go out from st brides bay in pembs dad always used a 50hp but that would struggle if the whole family was in it and the currents and wind turned against us,
used to spend most days down there and was always saddened by the number of people that had to be rescued ( some afriad to say not as lucky as others )
dont forget oars !!
and the life jackets flares and radio really are a must
mother nature has a way of showing us who is in charge when we least expect it !
hope you all enjoy your day

 

We've got oars, but if we get caught in the current, they'll serve no purpose whatsoever, except maybe to get us so exhausted that we no longer care what happens to us

I once got caught in it when I was about 15 year old, when I decided to have a swim. I thought I knew that patch well. I swam out for no more than maybe 30 seconds. That should have kept me well within range of the beach, but I suddenly became aware that the water was much colder than I was used to, and almost black in appearance. That happens when you clear the shallow sandy bit and end up over the rocks further out. I turned round, not too alarmed at this point, until I saw the beach in the distance. Slightly worried by this point, I decided I'd best swim back in a bit. I was a very strong swimmer at the time, but I was making next to no progress. After swimming as hard as I could for several minutes (remember it only took me about 30 seconds to get that far out, swimming at a very leisurely pace), I was still out of my depth and in cold water.

I kept going as hard as I could until every muscle in my body felt like it was on fire, and ever move felt like I was lifting a ton weight as I was that exhausted. By this time, I could hear my mate who'd realised sooner than me that things were wrong, and had got back to the beach safely. He was screaming at me hysterically to keep swimming, and screaming for help from anyone that might be in hearing range (it was before mobile phones remember, and the nearest payphone was about 500yards away - by the time he'd got to a phone I could have been long gone).

I went under the water several times, just with pure exhaustion. I reached the point where I was ready to give up and surrender to my fate. I relaxed and stopped trying. I sunk a tiny bit then hit soft sand. I was nearly there. I mustered the very last of my strength and carried on. The next think I knew my mate had waded in up to his chest and was dragging me. He was screaming at me to keep swimming while he dragged because he was himself struggling against the current. I remember it was was quite funny on the last bit in hindsight. He was paddling knee deep, and I was crawling on all fours. I couldn't even support my own body weight. I did the last few feet on my belly, and then just laid there on the sand for a bit, like you sometimes see in the movies.

My mate was still panicking a bit, I guess because I couldn't move or even speak. After a while, with legs like jelly and my mate helping me, I managed to get up and we staggered off back towards town. We got an ice cream, my mate saying the carbohydrates in it would kickstart my muscles again. It worked, and I went from physically exhausted to merely extremely tired.

Once it was all over and all was well again, I asked my mate seriously what he would have done if I hadn't made it. Being a teenaged lad with all the machismo that goes with that, he replied 'I'd have laughed'. This amused me, because he'd obviously forgotten that I saw and heard him screaming and crying like a girl when he thought he was really going to witness his mate drown.

I was lucky that day (not lucky to get into trouble, but lucky to make it back out). I don't really want to have to fight the sea again. The sea usually wins.

 

Hi, I have a 17' boat with 50 HP outboard, only thing I can say mate is DO NOT GO OUT. not worth dieing for a days fishing any way and there is no way you could fight bad conditions with that engine, the waves could turn you any way they want.

Remember the saying "its better to be on land wishing you were in your boat than being in your boat wishing you were on land.

Out there it is not a game, real death is only one mistake away.

Don't want to put you off fishing, I go every week when the weather is right but I have had some pretty close shaves in my own boat which does 23 knots on a good day, however when it gets rough you can only use enough speed for steerage and a 5 minute trip out can take an hour to get back.