DUCK OUT FOR A QUICK FISH WITH YOUR MATE. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? PLENTY, BUT IT’S MOSTLY AVOIDABLE …
So … You had a great time at the Boatshow. You finally replaced that old 30hp with a brand spanking new 40hp 4 stroke. You and your mate fitted it by yourselves. It wasn’t that hard, was it? It runs like a dream. You also bought some new fishing gear and you got a new inflatable lifejacket when you booked that Coastguard Online day skipper course. Choice! You haven’t done the course yet … you’ll get around to it when you have more time, eh? I mean, you can’t waste good fishing time, can you?
GET OUT THERE
You and your mate put the boat in the water early. You want to make the most of the day. That motor is an absolute pearler … starts first time and you can hardly hear it running.
For some reason that old VHF radio doesn’t want to fire up, but you don’t use it anyway so it’s no biggy. You’ve got your cell phone if anyone needs to contact you.
The fishing is great. That new gear works like a charm. The wind seems to be getting up a bit though, and the horizon has that black line on it. Perhaps you should head back … you’ve caught enough anyway and its about 15 miles to the boat ramp. No problem with that new motor.
You stow the gear, fire up the motor and start to head home. The wind is really starting to pipe up now and there is a really nasty short chop forming.
The boat is slamming into some of the waves so you trim the motor up a bit more and start working the throttle on the waves.
CRACKS APPEAR
It feels better for a bit, but there seems to be a quite a lot of water in the boat. Your mate has a look to see if the bung is still in. You hear him shout something. You turn to look and he is pointing at the transom. You close the throttle and go back to see what he’s on about.
There is a huge crack opening and closing on either side of the transom. Water is pouring in through it and the boat is beginning to settle lower in the water. You go to fire up the bilge pump … then remember you took it out when you fitted the motor and never re-installed it!
Your mate grabs the bait bucket and starts bailing. You open the throttle again and try to keep moving, but the amount of water in the boat is now making it really unstable. You tell your mate to grab a lifejacket and you put on your new one as well. While you are doing this the boat suddenly veers and the weight of free water suddenly tips it on its side. The boat capsizes and you and your mate are now in the water.
PLANS IN MOTION
You pull the tag on your lifejacket and it inflates perfectly. Your mate is beside you and his lifejacket is holding him up well. You feel in your pocket for your cell phone, but it’s cactus … it’s been drowned.
What now?
Right about now you start to think that perhaps you should have bought that new VHF DSC radio … the one where you push the button and it sends out a distress alert. And you remember your wife nagging you to get one of those EPIRB things, but it’s a lot of money for something you’ll never use! And what about those fantastic AIS/GPS/SART thingies they were raving about at the show. One of them would be handy around now! What was it they said? This little device would transmit an alert to all AIS receivers and AIS enabled chart plotters within a 4 mile radius. That huge motor yacht on the horizon probably has AIS. And that big container ship entering the port certainly has a VHF DSC radio on continuous watch. WORST CASE
If only you’d remembered to put your cell phone in a plastic bag! And your wife doesn’t even know you’re out here … she’s visiting her sister and you didn’t tell her you were going fishing.
Your mate doesn’t look too good. The water’s cold.
Stay with the boat … just stay with the boat … It’ll be ok … you can’t die yet … there’s to much to do …
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