The Penguin
triple secret probation
- Location
- down by the river
about 7pm on Sunday, I was riding the SJ around in the surf. Was only supposed to be a short session since I had to get to the house and stuff some jalapenos to take to the neighbor's for dinner.
Well, the neighbor's kid was riding my Polaris and I was goofing off on the SJ, trying to figure out how to do surf re-entries.
as I came back around for another pass, Hunter flags me down and says "that guy on the beach wants you to go look for someone"
huh?
I've got fouled plugs, so I make another circle or two trying to clear them out and see a guy holding binoculars and pointing. He's talking to my neighbor and his kid.
So, up on the beach I go.
This guy had seen a sailboat capsize. Not normally a big deal since catamarans are easily capsized and easily righted...I had helped 1 earlier in the day get righted. So - he tells me he's been watching them for a long time and wanted to know if I could go help them. He's already called the Coast Guard - but wasn't sure how long they would be.
So I looked through the bino's and got a basic idea of the direction to go - and off I went on the Polaris.
Having been in the surf all afternoon, I hadn't paid attention to what was blowing in all afternoon - but a full day of 25mph winds coming from straight offshore makes for some very large waves further off the beach.
I made my way out and spotted the boat. Someone on board waved at me - I waved back, but was still a long ways away. When I finally got there, the boat was upside-down, mast had separated and one of the hulls was cracked.
I picked up a 14 y/o kid and a man about 30 and left the boat captain with his boat with the instruction the the CG had been called. Told him I would take these 2 to shore and come back for him unless the CG got there first. He was as calm as could be - the 30y/o man I had picked up was the most stressed of the 3.
So as we turn to go I see all kinds of blinking lights on the beach. Sheriff Department type of blinking lights - and lots of them. I figure they are there looking for these guys so I head right for them. As we get to the beach I told the 2 passengers to inform the Sheriff's that I was going back to wait with the captain and his boat until the CG arrived. Sherrif's department had a ski on the beach prepping it to launch so I figured they would be right behind me. More on that later. the 30y/o man hopped off the ski and said something like "you don't know how good a feeling this is"
So I haul ass back out there. Captain is ready to go to the beach - I had a long rope with me so I told him that we could try to haul in his boat so it wouldn't be a total loss. So boat gets tied up, now we got to get the captain on the ski with me. He probably tips the scales at 300# or so.
I can't say how many tries it took to get him on the boat. I tried everything I could to balance as he climbed up. We rolled the ski once and I probably got thrown a couple other times, but he finally gets up. Start the ski and try to move - no go. Was not going to work trying to haul in his boat. So he says "F it, it will drift in by morning"
In the process of untying he falls off. So now we're back to playing balance beam to get him on the boat. The dumbass kept worrying about his shorts falling off as he was climbing up. I told him I'd rather bring in a half-naked live man, than a fully clothed dead one. He was getting very tired from the swimming and trying to climb aboard - but I think he got the point. After getting pitched the last time - I was in the water and told him to climb up first and the he would have to drive us in since I would be in back.
OK, he's on, I'm on - and we're moving. And where the hell is the Sheriff on their ski? Nowhere to be seen.
We finally get back in to the beach. I can see 1 Sheriff is giving directions to the other to back up the truck and hook up their ski. I just kinda looked like - WTF? You didn't even bother launching the thing?
The Sheriff driving truck pulling their ski thanks me again (Don't know what we'd have done if you weren't here...blah, blah blah) - and I ask him why they didn't go out to help. Their ski wouldn't start.
So I told him..."Tell the county to get rid of that F'king Sea-Doo and buy a Yamaha"
and the CG never showed up.
The boat did finally wash up about 2 hours later. He'll be parting it out since there was not much left of it once the waves had their way with it.
I blew off my diet and had a chili-cheese burger for dinner...I figure I earned it. :biggrin:
Well, the neighbor's kid was riding my Polaris and I was goofing off on the SJ, trying to figure out how to do surf re-entries.
as I came back around for another pass, Hunter flags me down and says "that guy on the beach wants you to go look for someone"
huh?
I've got fouled plugs, so I make another circle or two trying to clear them out and see a guy holding binoculars and pointing. He's talking to my neighbor and his kid.
So, up on the beach I go.
This guy had seen a sailboat capsize. Not normally a big deal since catamarans are easily capsized and easily righted...I had helped 1 earlier in the day get righted. So - he tells me he's been watching them for a long time and wanted to know if I could go help them. He's already called the Coast Guard - but wasn't sure how long they would be.
So I looked through the bino's and got a basic idea of the direction to go - and off I went on the Polaris.
Having been in the surf all afternoon, I hadn't paid attention to what was blowing in all afternoon - but a full day of 25mph winds coming from straight offshore makes for some very large waves further off the beach.
I made my way out and spotted the boat. Someone on board waved at me - I waved back, but was still a long ways away. When I finally got there, the boat was upside-down, mast had separated and one of the hulls was cracked.
I picked up a 14 y/o kid and a man about 30 and left the boat captain with his boat with the instruction the the CG had been called. Told him I would take these 2 to shore and come back for him unless the CG got there first. He was as calm as could be - the 30y/o man I had picked up was the most stressed of the 3.
So as we turn to go I see all kinds of blinking lights on the beach. Sheriff Department type of blinking lights - and lots of them. I figure they are there looking for these guys so I head right for them. As we get to the beach I told the 2 passengers to inform the Sheriff's that I was going back to wait with the captain and his boat until the CG arrived. Sherrif's department had a ski on the beach prepping it to launch so I figured they would be right behind me. More on that later. the 30y/o man hopped off the ski and said something like "you don't know how good a feeling this is"
So I haul ass back out there. Captain is ready to go to the beach - I had a long rope with me so I told him that we could try to haul in his boat so it wouldn't be a total loss. So boat gets tied up, now we got to get the captain on the ski with me. He probably tips the scales at 300# or so.
I can't say how many tries it took to get him on the boat. I tried everything I could to balance as he climbed up. We rolled the ski once and I probably got thrown a couple other times, but he finally gets up. Start the ski and try to move - no go. Was not going to work trying to haul in his boat. So he says "F it, it will drift in by morning"
In the process of untying he falls off. So now we're back to playing balance beam to get him on the boat. The dumbass kept worrying about his shorts falling off as he was climbing up. I told him I'd rather bring in a half-naked live man, than a fully clothed dead one. He was getting very tired from the swimming and trying to climb aboard - but I think he got the point. After getting pitched the last time - I was in the water and told him to climb up first and the he would have to drive us in since I would be in back.
OK, he's on, I'm on - and we're moving. And where the hell is the Sheriff on their ski? Nowhere to be seen.
We finally get back in to the beach. I can see 1 Sheriff is giving directions to the other to back up the truck and hook up their ski. I just kinda looked like - WTF? You didn't even bother launching the thing?
The Sheriff driving truck pulling their ski thanks me again (Don't know what we'd have done if you weren't here...blah, blah blah) - and I ask him why they didn't go out to help. Their ski wouldn't start.
So I told him..."Tell the county to get rid of that F'king Sea-Doo and buy a Yamaha"
and the CG never showed up.
The boat did finally wash up about 2 hours later. He'll be parting it out since there was not much left of it once the waves had their way with it.
I blew off my diet and had a chili-cheese burger for dinner...I figure I earned it. :biggrin:
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