Scoop
Lieutenant Junior Grade
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2002
- Messages
- 1,158
Yep, I did a stupid human trick while on my vacation at Rainy Lake a couple weeks ago. <br /><br />I was out in a rented (yes this time I was the stupid out of town renter) 18' Aluminum Lund Alaskan with a tiller steer 40HP Johnson. By the way, this motor has a brand new lower unit from someone else hitting a rock.<br /><br />Anyway, I heard tell of a good fishin spot around a point and figured I would wake up before every else on the houseboat and check it out. I looked at the charts and no problem, there are a couple small islands sticking out of the water I need to avoid.<br /><br />I am out in the middle of the water going around the couple islands in 14' of water watching ahead of me (as much as you can from the back of an 18' boat) when WHAM! I come to a complete stop. <br /><br />I look out the side of the boat and see a huge rock that I am now on top of. The depth gauge that tells me where I have been still says 14'.<br /><br />I am within 1/2 mile of the houseboats.<br />I try backing the boat off without burning the motor up. No good. So I decide to get out in my jeans and push it off the rock. I take off my shoes, get out and try pushing it off. No good. I put my shoes on for leverage. No good. I turn the boat around 360 degrees, no good. I try rocking from the side, no good. I move the batteries (3) and tilt the motor, no good. <br /><br />I take a mistep and go into the 14' of water. I decide taking the sunglasses off is good at this point. I decide that I will try for 15 more minutes and then swim for the houseboats to get the miriad of Brothers-in-law to help.<br /><br />Just them I am standing next to the boat in the middle of the lake like I am walking on water when a boat comes around the corner. I wave and they start coming over. Nice boat, cabin cruiser helmed by none other than the fishing guide that I went out with two days earlier that works for the place we rented the boat. At least it was a familiar face. He has 3 other people he is guiding in his boat. He was very nice and understanding. I am turning shades of red knowing I am the stupid tourist.<br /><br />I get in the boat so I can tie a rope to the back of the boat and throw him the rope. I start getting out of the boat when the rope goes taunt and take a great swan dive into the rocks. I give myself a good 8.5 on the dive. A little blood never hurt anyone.<br /><br />The guide trys to back me off the rock, no good. Trys a couple times, no good. Untie and turn the guide boat around. Finally the boat comes free. He picks me up. I take him to his boat say thanks to him and apologize to the people paying for his time and head back to the houseboats where everyone is still sleeping, hanging my head low. I am soaked from actually being totally submerged. I take comfort in the fact that at least the new lower unit on the boat is still new and unharmed.<br /><br />An hour later were were out fishing, I had to admit to the other family members why I am so wet and worn out. Feel like I went through a great workout. Time to go fishing.<br /><br />Epilog:<br />- Checked the charts. Yep the rock is listed there and is shown as above the water, there are 3 small islands not 2. The water is 1' higher than normal. <br />- Boat is pulled out the next day by rental place. Only a couple small scratches on the bottom. No damage other than my pride.<br />- The next day I heard on the radio that someone had a houseboat on a rock and they had to send a crew out by 45 minute boat ride to get it off. I guess I am not the only one that needs to be more careful reading navigation charts.<br />- 2 days later. One of my Brother-in-laws runs out of gas 20 minutes from the houseboat. after 1.5 hours we get the call by marine radio. He had drifted into Canada. He felt as dumb as me.<br />- Learned a lot that day. I am thankful that I was smart enough to be going slow especially in a big boat that you cannot really see in front of you (18').
