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GT Member
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Last month (5/12/09) @ 4:00 pm our 25' sportfisher flew off the back of a whale 18 miles outside SC. Never saw it coming as it appeared the pod had passed and was now more than 600 yds. to starboard. The seas ahead of us were awash with hundreds of jumping and frolicking dolphins. My son, thinking he would get some good video was making his way to the bow when she surfaced not more than 10 yds. in front of us. At 25 knots we couldn't do a thing but hold on. It was like going off a ski jump. Four guys on the boat, all watching the action and no one saw them. When we came to rest we were dead in the water, our outdrive hanging by a single cable 6 feet below the stern. Not going anywhere. First things first. Everyone OK? Yep. Are we taking water? Nope. Hailed and contacted Marina San Carlos on 16. Provided location (lat and lon) and status. The marina inquired about personnel, safety equipment, water, food ect. "Hold on we're going to contact the Navy." Surprisingly, there was a 200'+ Navy ship (the "Madera") off to the south about a mile away and turning to the north. Crossed our bow @ 1/4 mile in front of us. Tried to hail the ship. Nothing. Arm waving didn't help either. Someone comes on the radio "if you've got flares aboard, now is the time to use them." Fired two flares. Nothing. Off she goes into the distance. Hey, WTF? The marina comes back on and informs us the Navy has been contacted and given the ship permission to return to our location and stand by. The Mexican Navy was very professional with us and eventually sent a skiff over w/6-7 people including a diver to ensure we were okay. Although we were prepared, we were pleased there was no hassle with documentation or permission to board. The skiff tied up alongside us and kept us company until Dick, Bryan and their passengers on the Margarita V showed up to give us a tow back to the marina. Two hours on the drift and four on the tow, watching the crew of the Margarita V clean their nine large tuna while smoking cigars left us with mixed feelings. On the one hand we were so grateful that we had a tow, no one was hurt or worse, and on the other hand we were so jealous that we would miss out on the tuna bite. Oh well, we're still counting our blessings. During our wait for rescue, many folks contacted us on the radio to offer help and support. It was encouraging to know we were not alone in those unsettling circumstances. My apologies as I can't recall everyone offhand but we thank you. We also want to express our sincerest thanks to Marina San Carlos, the Mexican Navy, crew of the Madera and last but certainly not least, the crew of our now favorite fishing charter, the Margarita V. San Carlos may not have Sea Tow, but it has the finest fishing community we know and we're proud to be a small part of it. We can only hope to be available and offer a hand to others when needed. Our boat is now being repaired stateside and we look forward to getting back down there in July. See you then. Muchas gracias amigo's. Attachment: P5140008.jpg (Downloaded 328 times) |
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Stuart Member 
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Wow! So glad all are safe! Could have been a lot worse! Out of curiousity, what did your insurance company say, assuming you filed a claim? Reminded me of this recent story when I saw your post. http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/marine/story/817233.html Last edited on Tue Jun 9th, 2009 11:28 pm by Stuart |
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Tom Thompson Member
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What about the WHALE? |
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00Kevin Member
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Did you learn anything about WHALES that day? 25 knts. in the middle of whales and dolphin sounds a little silly. Kind of like speeding thru a school zone DUDE! I suggest you charter your favorite boat and learn a little about the Sea of Cortez before injuring another beautiful creature just for your frolicing photos! Do you habla just a bit if espanol??? Might help in communicating with the Navy. |
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Dickrep Member 
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The Mexican Navy was extremely professional and the Captain, at least, spoke perfect English. They guided us in to the disabled boat, and then tracked us on radar and followed us back toward San Carlos until they were certain we were safe. We suspect this ship was on a training exercise, so the unfortunate event probably broke the boredom for them. Just a little advice: I was rusty on how to enter the coordinates on my GPS and do a "go to". On my GPS, this is easiest to do by opening a waypoint and then editing the coordinates. This is not a normal task, so perhaps there are others like me who need to practice this in case of an emergency. Dick (Team Margarita Sportfishing) |
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